The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-07-26
A PLUMBERS PLANT
Council Stands With Plumber Midg-
ley Against Inspector.
WHY PERMIT WAS DENIED
ENGINEER KELSEY WILL TAKE
A NEEDED REST.
Protest Against Tannery Site On
Jordan River Bank-Petitions For
Closing More Dead Ends In Water
Pipes-Proposition to Give City
Employees Half-hoiday.

The only feature of last evenings
city council meeting that gave promise
for time of developing into the usual
acrimonious debate, was in the consid-
Grafton of the complaint from E. A.
Midgley, the plumber, against Plumbing
Inspector Spencer, whose superior OIL
Ger is City Engineer Kelsey. The
plumber represented that Inspector
Spencer, with the concurrence of the
engineer, had refused yesterday to is
sue him a permit to do certain plumb
ing work for NJ. L. Mulvey at g. Com
mercial street, according to plans and
specifications submitted, notwithstand
ing that the regulation fee of 81 ac-
/ companied the application. The COM
plainant alleged that the inspectors
action in refusing him a permit was
without justification, and unless the
official receded from his unlawful de-
termination he, the plumber, would suf-
fer the hardship of losing the Job.
Councilmen Buckle, Callister and
Robertson desired the grievance re-
ferred to the committee on sewerage,
with power TO act, and in support of
the motion il was cOntended that the
engineering departments side of the
controversy had not been heard.
Councilman Allen characterized the
engineers and the inspectors action as
the satisfying of a personal grudge
which the officials were visiting upon
the plumber, and he moved to amend
that the plumbing inspector be directed
to issue the permit upon receiving as
surance that the work will be done ac-
cording to the requirements of the city
ordinance.
The amendment was vigorously OPP
posed by Councilman Robertson, who
maintained that his knowledge of the
affair warranted him in saying the per
nit was refused because Midgley had
broken faith with the inspector by not
making good certain sanitary defects in
a job after he had promised faithfully
to do so.
Finally Councilman Aliens amend
ment, directing the conditional issu-
ance of the permit, prevailed.
Vacation For Engineer.
Only once in the ten. years Engineer
Kelsey has been employed by the city
has he taken a needed rest, and that
was eight years ago, when he took unto
himself a bride. Lately the engineer
has suffered from nervousness, insom-
mia and loss 81 appetite, as a result of
overwork and worry, and he believes
an outing up Big Cottonwood canyon
will be beneficial to his impaired health.
His request to the council for a three
weeks leave OF absence was granted
by the council, to take effect tomorrow,
it having been arranged to convene the
special committee this afternoon to re-
port upon the engineers expenditures
for data on the problem of larger water
supply.
Recommendations Referred
City Engineer Kelsey made the fol-
lowing recommendations, which were
referred to the committee on irrigation:
That the matter of negotiating with
the owners of the East Jordan canal for
right of way for the city canal so as
to enable the delivery of canal water
higher up than at present is possible,
be referred to a special committee of
the council with power to act.
That the weirs placed in Little and
Big Cottonwood creeks, damaged by
high water, be repaired to permit con-
tinuing the measurement of water.
That the canal banks near the Pacific
Lumber company's yards be strength
ened a distance of 600 feet before the
measuring weir is replaced in the ca
nal.
Chief Devine's appointment of Bates
Noble as a member of the fire depart
ment to succeed Joel II. Barlow, re-
signed, was referred to the committee
on fire and police.
Petitions and Protests.
r. C. Chambers and other owners of
large tracts of land along and across
the Jordan river protested against the
proposed sale of a strip of land near
the White bridge to the Utah Tanning
as a site for the company's |
tannery. The protestants suggested !
that the tannery should be located |
where sewer connections can be made, |
tl,trc he Init
of the river water. The protest was re-
ferred to the committee on public |
grounds.
For the purpose of providing against |
the stagnation of water in the supply |
pipe on Third South street between |
Eleventh and Twelfth East, Reuben |
Simpson requested that two dead ends |
of pipe, fourth of a block apart, be |
George Y. Wallace made a similar re-
quest for the connecting of two dead |
ends of pipe on Military and Fort Doug
las avenues, in the interest of more !
perfect circulation and pure water sup
ply.
Both petitions were referred to the
committee.
Plan For Saturday Half-holiday.
Councilman Robertson offered a reso-
luton authorizing the closing of the
city offices at l p. m. on Saturdays, in
stead of 3 o'clock, during the balance
IF the summer. The sponsor of the res
button made plea for Saturday half
holidays for city employees, the same
IS for bank clerks, employees in whole
sale mercantile houses, insurance and
aw offices, but a motion by Council
nan Romney to defer action on the res
,lution until next week was adopted.
Limited Use of Drive.
Councilman Alien offered a bill for an
ordinance to prohibit the use of the
Main street drive, from Ninth to Tenth
South, by heavy wagons and bicycles.
rhe bill was referred to the committee
IN municipal laws.
In this connection. the report of the
committee on streets was adopted rec
that the limited use of the
be enforced, in accordance
With the cityS contract with the prop
who coded land for the
ipeeding course for light vehicles.
TWO NEW RECRUITS.