Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1900-07-16


uOn r5sr..torms Tuesday; cooler Tuesday;
t.s.b soutbwes cry winds.
EycfNEER HOLCoMBE's REPLY
C.1r Fnpineer Holcombe today sent to
S Tsyor mpsoD the following letter in
- 10 the Mayors letter to him on
S,rrjay and which was published in
me Gazette Of that day:
Wv Alexandria, Va, July 16, 1900.
HIM. George l.. Simpson, Mayor OF
Alexandria, Va.
Ds.r Sri have the honor to &C.
kn,wledee the receipt of your letter of
me 14.h inst, relating to employment
" c,rls and wagons by the City En-
oioefr Tor tue purpose of removing
s,rsef refuse. This letter is published
i, The Alexandria GsZstte of the
M. date. and, | am informed, in the
Washington Star.
Tbe first part OF your letter, quoting
r.ma Washington paper, "as to a con-
irrrcs" is correct. No such confer
re- was held, and the City Engineer
made no statement that could be COL
s,ued into anything of the sort. The
CIV Engineer did state that he had
consulted the Mayor about specitica-
uon- for doing all the hauling reQuir I'd
by the city, the proposed draft of which
n. mad read to you, and OF which you
now nave a copy, for suggestions before
the city Engineer takes any definite
action in this matter, relating, as 1t
does, to the city's interest.
A. to the law governing "the en-
nlo,m-Dt of men, horses aud carts for
me removal of nuisances," aud, pre-
sunably, street cleaning, the City + =
plpser has never placed the strict con-
s,ructi0n on il that you have in your
letter. The word cart" to his mind,
il used to designate simply a vehicle
that would be suitable for the work
that bad to be done, and not Of neces-
si,y vehicle with only two wheels.
For instance, sprinkliug cart, or
wagon, 20 b. exact, has four wheels,
vet il is commonly called a "sprinking
cart or watering cart"
With this idea, and with the aim oil
economy in the interest OF all the tax
payers. he, in the discretion given him
nv the law, as he believes, employed
what is c mmonly know ! as wagon"
in the removal of street sweepings, n
believing that it c. uld be done more ex-
peditiously and cheaply. His expecta-
lions Rave been JUS itisd.
ANY contractor ding what is Known
as grading work" always, whom posi-
bic, makes use Of wagons instead OF
carts, for the one and only reason that
il il the cheapest per unit Of material
moved. The city engineer, for the
same reason, did so 10 the interest OF
the taxpayers. This city, on per diem
work, 10 hauling sand aud gravel for
street work has always used wagons in'
stead Of carts because it was the cheap
est.
As to bis actions 10 doing this not be-
ing lie ,sl, this is the fret time the quet =
ton has been raised He will refer it
to the City Attorney, the legal adviser
OF the CITY Engineer, for an opinioo as
to his powers in the premises, and act
10 accordance with it. II the same
strict construction you place on section
4, where the word "may" is used, /:
placed on section l, which reads THAT
the committee on streets shall exercise
Joint supervision over the streets and
over the City Engineer, whose direc
tons shall be observed by the ssi ell
gneer 10 all matters relating to his dc.
tee" and on section IA, cor shall fai
to comply with the instructions of the
committee on streets" the result would
be that the City Engineer could be SO
hampered as TO prevent his carrying
out the duties OF his Office, which, most
certainly, was never intended.
As to the employment of this especial
wagon, that OF one Charles Bell, he
Bill, has been employed by the CITY
En- ,iueer's Office in hauling with a wag-
90. ION other than street refusO, &C.
cording to the psy-rolls, as far back ~
1897, and believe longer.
Every "cartman" and every wagoL'
man that have had on the rolls has
been employed before, when their ser
vices were needed, and were so EN-
poyed when, or shortly before, took
charge. No change has been made il
TIE personnel Of the force, except to 10
crease it when necessary, and reduce Il
when the necessity had passed-havius
accomplished the work then in hand
that of fairly cleaning the city befor'
the heated spell. This work has co..
one cent per day per family, or ooe
fifth Of one cent per inhabdan
per day. During five weeks, III
squares and 172 alleys were cleaueo
4O66 houses were visited and PTS car
loads of debris OF all sorts were removed
by the city carts and the wagon.
The order issued by the city enginee
fer the reduction OF the forces is, a
stated in the foot note of the Gazette
two carts five days week $40; on
wagon, three days a week, 50, total $29
AMI moi $4z. as your letter seems &
show. This is an oversight, you no
having seen said order,
The city engineer wishes 10 state il
relation TO the last part OF your letter
"Of committees uncalled for exercis
of authority" that the "Bell' waxo
was placed on the street at his, the Cit
ece'neel's, own volition and ss his ides
no one having suggested it to hin
directly or indirectly, for any work i
the city OF Alexandria, nor has an
member OF the street committee, at an.
time or place, suggested or directe
how he should do any work or whor
he should employ, nor has single men
Der of the committee ever interfere
with the work in any manner, though b,
the city engineer, has, on more than on
occasion, requested that they, with hin
try to devise some way to keep the cit
clean and to keep within the appropr
alton, which is at rate of less than on,
tenth OF one cent 0. day per inhabitar