The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-22

against Him, and Says He Kept
Careful Watch of TiIing-Certain
That All Sidewalks Inspected by
Him Were Properly Constructed
The Board Takes a Walk.
The board of public works resumed the
investigation Of charges made against
Sidewalk Inspectors Hickey and Bantz,
by the st. Paul Sidewalk company, yes
terday morning.
Emil Baur was one of the witnesses
called to substaDtiate the charges made
in the Hoban affidavits. He testified that
he had visited the plants of the Portland
and Eureka companies daily for three
weeks in July and had kept tab on the
attendance of the inspectors at the fac
tories. He entered in book the obser-
vations he made as to the absence of
the inspectors from their work His state
ments were that Inspector Bantz some
times was away from the Portland plant
for hours at a time. In conversation with
an inspector one day in which the wit
ness asked how track was kept of the
business when they were absent so much,
workmen, who were honest" Witness
said workman had told him, "our boss
and the city engineer are pretty good
friends and they would not cheat each
other" Witness could not give the work.
mans name.
Inspector Hickey denied the charges
made in the afEidavits of l1oban. He kept
careful watch of the manner in which
the tile was made, and inspected and
marked each piece of thing that went out
of the shop. He was sure the mixture
from which thing was made contained
one part of cement to three parts of sand.
AS to the inspection of foundations and
excavation Hickey was certain that side
walks that he had inspected were proper
ly constructed.
Foreman Johnson, of the Northwestern
Stone company, testified that he had not
been allowed to use 1900 tiles made last
year, for the reason that they were not
marked by the inspectors. He said the
tiles were as good as those made accord
ing to the new specifications.
Inspector SoWder testified that he in,
spected sidewalk laid by the Eureka
company on Lafayette avenue in front of
the store of Fl. Schmaus. He ordered the
laying of the tile to be stopped because
it was not marked with the stamp of an
inspector. He reported the facts to his
superior officer at the city engineers
Office and was told that it was all right,
as the tile had been inspected. He stopped
the work because he had been ordered
not to allow the laying of any tile not
marked by inspectors. The tile was all
right, so far as he could see, except that
it was not marked. He had never been
told to stop the st. Paul Sidewalk COM
pany from laying tile not marked. The
order covered all tile laid
Inspector Hort had examined the work
of excavation and foundation at the
Schmaus walk and said it was according
to specifications. Inspector Bantz denied
the charge that he was away from his
post as inspector of the manufacture of
thing at the plant of the Portland Stone
company for hours at time He was
always there when the mixtures were be-
ing made, and the longest he was ever
away from the factory was an hour. He
sometimes left the factory and walked
around little, but was always on hand
when the tiling was being mixed, and
had stamped each tile that was manufac-
tured. He had but one shop to attend to.
and worked from a. m. to p. m, with
an hour for dinner.
This concluded the testimony and Pres
manufacturers had anything to say. u
b. Curtis, of the Eureka Stone company
said some of the tile in his yard which
was made last year was better than that
called for by the city specifications. He
had quit laying this tile, however. June l.
at the direction of the city engineer, who
insisted that all the tile laid should be
marked by an inspector. He was ready
to have the board make an examination
of his plant and the walks he had laid
L.. N. WaShingt on, of the Portland Stone
company, wanted a thorough investiea-
ton as vindication for his company and
said he would be ready at any time to
take the board around to the walks mem
toned in the Hoban affidavit which mis-
company had laid and satisfy them that
the walks were all right A ]. Hoban
of the St Paul Sidewalk company, said
the point was that the inspectors would
not allow his firm to lay any unmarked
tile and did allow this kind of tile TO be
laid by the other companies.
City Engineer Rundlett insisted that
the board should visit each of the side,
walks mentioned in the affidavit of Ho-
pan and not only inspect, but dig I'D the
walks and ascertain if the specifce tons
had been carried out He also advised
thai the board visit the manufacturing
plants Of all the companies and inspect
them as well as the tiles in the factories
he had no idea that any tile was laid
that was not inspected and marked. As
to the statement that he had favored
other companies as against the company
making the charges, this was not true
If anything, ne had favored the company
that had made the charges as far as
possible
The hoard decided to do as City Engi-
heer i;nndlett suggested, and ut ( o'clock
started on tour of Inspection All the
points where the affidavit of Hoban had
charged improper walk and foundations
l&id were visited, with three exceptions
and samples of the thing and foundation
dug up for examination
President POttgieser stated last evening
that the samples secured by the board
would be carefully examined and a re-
port covering the entire Investigation
would be prepared and given out at an
early date. Further than this he DID not