The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-27
Mr.. CHAPMAN ON THE GROUND.
ENGINEER CONFERs WITH THE
DRAINAGE COMMITTEE TO-DAY.

Contractors Arrangement With the
city for Allowance for Increased
Cost of Material Did Not Go Into
Eject Until the Third Year-With
the Heavy Advances in All Lines of
Material Required in the Work
They stood II Chance 10 Lose on
the Second Years WOrk-ThIs May
Explain the Abandonment of the
Contract.
Mr.. W. II. Chapman, supervising engi-
neer Of the house drainage work arrived
in the city yesterday. He conferred with
Mayor Myers and with Alderman Thomas,
chairman OF the special Drainage Commit
tee, and discussed the situation with them.
1t was decided 10 call a meeting of the
special Drainage Committee, to which all
matters relating to the house drainage was
referred. for this afternoon. for the pur-
pose Of comforting with Mr.. Chapman.
Mr.. Chapman said that if his notebooks.
which he had sent ahead BY express. had
arrived ne would be able to furnish the
committee the desired statement Of the
present status of the work, it being the
desire of the committee TO ascertain what
work has been done and what remains TO
be done, 50 that they may be able to reach
an intelligent conclusion as to which por-
ton Of the work, if any. shall be taken up.
There is a disposition on the part of the
committee, and the members of Council
generally, to give the subject of house
drainage a thorough Investigation before
putting the city to any further expense on
this score.
Mr. Chapman. when seen yesterday, said
he regretted very much the delay that
would necessarily follow the refusal Of the
contractors to continue the work. He was
inclined 10 agree with the members of
Council that the contractors had trea ted
the city badly Il am not IA lawyer" said
Mr. Chapman, but my view has always
been that where a contract has been en-
tered into in good faith by both parties
that IL should be carried out in the same
spirit I never had an experience quite
like this before. Contractors have their
troubles, of course, but all that ! have had
TO DO with having managed to worry
through with their contracts somehow"
Mr.. Chapman threw some light oil one
Of the features of the contract which may
possibly explain the action Of the con-
tractors In breaking with the city. It has
been stated that one of the provisions of
the contract was that in case Of any in
crease or decrease In the price of materials
used in the work, allowances should he
made accordingly, the city getting the
benefit of any decrease and the contract
ors being saved from loss in case of an
Increase. Mr.. Chapman said that the IN
Outstanding was not quite correct
The contract provides he said. that
the contractors should file a schedule of
prices paid for material for the first years
work and that the same schedule should
prevail for the second years work For
the third year. however, the contract pro-
vides that in case Of any changes in the
prices of materials that the city shall get
the benefit Of a decrease or that the city
shall make allowances to the contractors
of the difference in case of an increase
There has been very heavy increase in
the price of materials used in the house
drainage work during the last six months.
Iron pipe has increased about 100 per cent.
Lumber about 80 per cent. brick about %
per cent, and in fact nearly everything
used in the work has gone up. Unless
they had made their contracts for the ma
terial a the old prices the contractors
would not have had much room for profit
in the second years work, which, under
the contract, would have been done on the
basis of last years prices"
Mr.. Chapman did not charge that the
contractors abandoned the contract for
TINS reason, Dut SIMPLY explained the
clause In the contract when asked TO do so
Mr.. Chapman said that he will look into
the matter Of repairs TO streets made by
the city on account of the house drainage
work and further repairs of this kind re-
naming to be done after his conference
with the committee. AS to whether the
bond given by the contractors in order TO
obtain the amounts held by the city to
guarantee 1t against loss by reason of dam
ages to public and private property could
be held liable in case the contract itself
should be held to be Illegal was a ques-
ton for the city attorney, Mr.. Chapman
said.