The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-09
SUBPOENA FOR GARDINER.
MAzET COMMITTEE WANT THE DIS
TRICT ATTORNEY TO-DAY.

Money in the Way of Bydrsnts and
skilled work-No Map Showing the Water
Gates CorTeotly-EnRtneor Mckay Has n
Son with tho Thompson Water Meteor
Company-waAte of Water That Meters
Would Not Blackstone Further Ques-
lions About the Tax Department..
District Attorney Gardiner will be a witness
before the MALet com mittee to-day. A subpoena
server tried to reach him yesterday but was
unable to and left the paper with Chief Clerk
McKenna NcKenna appeared before the COM
mittee in the afternoon and said he had been
unable to see Major Gardiner. He was asked
TO serve the subpoena this morning and said he
would do so. Ex-Police Commissioner Andrew
D Parker has requested the committee to al
low him to appear as q witness. He says he
wants an opportunity to refute the charges
made by former Chief OF Police McCullagh. 1t
has not been decided whether to call him at
present or not.
Water and taxes were the subjects investi-
gated by the committee yesterday, and Mr.
Costello one OF the Republican mem hers OF
the committee. expressed the opinion that
certain testimony adduced in relation to the
Water Department was the most i'm portant
testimony given before the committee thus
far.
1T seems to me-" he said. that the citizens
OF New York should wake UP to the fact that
owing 10 the lack OF proper Information as to
The location OF water gates a whole section OF
the city might he destroyed by fire. with the
fremen standing about powerlsss to do
anything. We have seen by tho testimony
that the gate supposed to be in one place
ia Just as likely to be in another. Now, sup
pose laborers connected with the Water De-
partment should have occasion to shut off the
water in one section Of tho city. They shut
the water of. as they suppose. at the gate
through which the water for that section Of
the city comes. 1t may be the gate controlling
the supply Of an altogether different section
Then. suppose a fire should break out in the
section OF the city from which the water was
shut of. The tiremen would know nothing
about the lack Of suppy until. having laid their
lines OF hose. they found that they could get no
water. tell you. this Is pretty serious BUSH
ness.
Then. again. look at the way In which these
fellows down here connect the supply pipes Of
houses with the mains in the streets. am no
plumber but know something about ma
chinery and mechanics. and tell you that any
man who would connect house with the
street main by driving the connecting cock
into the main with a sledge hammer should
forthwith be examined by commission in
lunacy and sent to an asylum. 1 don't wonder
there is a great waste OF water in New YORK
when such work is countenanced by the Water
Department The only wonder to me is that
the city doesn't have a water famine two or
three times q year"
The Testimony.
John E. Mckay was the first witness He
told how long he had been First Assistant
Engineer in the Water Department. and adj
mitted that former Superintendent OF Public
Works Gen. Charles H. T. Coils had issued an
ha had han
tanned in the service because he had made the
point that only the Chief Engineer could re-
move him.
Q-You agree with Mr.. Birdsall that water
meters should be put in all dwelling houses1
Q.--That would require about 500. 900 meters
IN addition to the ones now In use wouldn't
Q.-Whst do these meters cost2 ANThe
price varies from about 50 to Sl1.
OmH2w IMAM many meters are now in user A
.Q-Who has to pay for tho metersP A
The people IN whose houses they are placed,
department. there are more OF the Thompson
than Of the other three makes? "A few
nQ-Have you a son connected with the
Thomqpson Meter Company? A-Yes. l have,
..o1rAnd you have another son employed in
tn. ., Water bit Department. Al have and he
20 Have you eyer been interested in the
ThomHson Meter Company2 NO sir.
meters out in private houses XTo s snp tbe
waste
Q-But # there are. so. 900 900. 900 gallons OF
neceSsary TO make the users Of water so care
fl about wasting2 Al don't think that all
the water that runs over the dam goes to waste
The witness was questiO ed about his friend
S}hip with JJ1senha W Kay. Treasurer Of the
he dined frequently with Mr.. Kay, and was in
ttsrested in crematory with him. He denied
from the city. or that he retained his place in
ne water Department through the influence
OF his friend Lawrence Delmour
GEAR on oUT-oF-DATE HYDRANTs,
Col. Alonzo s. Gear was the next witness
He said that he had been employed UP to
about the m ,b Of NAY as foreman in ne
noirted during the strong administration. He
York was thirty or forty years behind the
times IL the matter Of hydrants.
Q-What is the trouble with the hydrants
NOW in use in this city? A.-Thero are several
things the matter with them. In the first
he Of ns %1eh dRa
1t Then. again. each hyd rant Is supplied with
sush a hf hsy w In use are Of
few month after they are put in, and in cold
weathert hydrants freeze in consequence.
Besides C. there Is no support to the hydrant
above gro |. and when the hose Is connected
with 1t Il notion Of the engine lars the hy-
drart 80 o., ia that II becomes loosened.
% Tn ; a serious matter. is 1t not2 A
Yes. hut more So than for ,flremen to go to
three e.. r hydrants and find them out of re-
R"h'F o., hon go to the fifth or sixth and find
BAD MAPS AND BUSGLIN0 CONNECTIONS
Co. testified that there are no satsfac-
tory u IN the possession = tho Water De-
partmc showing the exact location Of every
water gate in the city. He further testified
that il has been found out frequently that
gates Indicated to lie in certain places on maps
are really not IN those places mt all. but some
times several hundred 'eet away One OF tho
mars showed that there was gate some where
within a d!-t t ~. Or thr hundred feet
IN the sire 1T on one side OF Madison Square
Men had occasion to shut Off the water at this
gat" not long agI., and they couldn 't'fnd IT,
After ing search they found it over on the
lawn 'ldison Square Park
Coz. also testified as 10 the way in which
pipes ling water to residences are con-
nected the mains and streets. As de-
scribe the witness the method Is this;
The SUI pipe is connected with the main bv
what III" Witness described ms a municipal
cock. The connection is made by making a
hole in the main little sma Ter than the cock
and then driving the cock into tho main
with scdGchammer. This resulted in
tight connection could not. be made. and
ottentimes the pressure OF the, water in
the main forced out the cock after tho uonnec-
tion had been made, This method Of making