The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-06-18
FINDS BAD PLACES
Mayor Hughes Discovers Con-
tractors Are Careless.
Do Not Replace Paving in Good
Condition.
IAN ferrous HOLES.
Gives Contractor Instructions
to Fix Them Up.
Says He Har Heard a Great
Deal Of Complaint.

Mayor Hughes this morning made a
trip of inspection through the streets
and alleys which have been and are now
being excavated for the new steam pipes
for the Edison Electric Illuminating
and Heating company. He found q
number of places for complaint. Fur
man Baker is the contractor who has
the work in charge.
They first went up the alley in the
rear of the State Journal Office. Mr..
Hughes gave some directions relative to
the manner in which the piping should
be placed over the city sewers, which are
crossed in several places in this alley.
Proceeding up the alley, the mayor
stopped to investigate the stone paw
ing which was being replaced in the
alley in the rear of the Keith block.
The cracks between the stones IN
places admitted of the insertion of two
and three fingers.
This VIII not do. said the mayor.
Mr. Baker protested that the pave
ment was being replaced good enough.
1T will take an awful long time to sort
out the stone and get the ones to fit
nicely" he said. And the company is
pushing me to get the work completed
that have not had the time to let the
men waste it on sorting out these
stones"
We'll, the excuse that the company
is pushing you to finish the work" said
Mayor Hughes, ''can be no excuse for
leaving our streets in this condition
nance required the cracks between the
rows of stone to be only from one-Quar-
ter to one-half inch in width
Mayor Hughes got broom and swept
the sand and dirt from the pavement in
another part of the alley and showed
Mr.. Baker the difference in the size of
the cracks in the old pavement and the
part being relaid by his men.
We can't allow work of this kind to
CO." said Mr. Hughes. THE city has
already had two damage cases to set
tie caused by negligent work in exca-
waiting in the streets and alleys
Passing out of the alley and turning
west on Ninth street the mayor found
that the section of the asphalt paving
which had been relaid had settled and
was lower than the surrounding pave
ment.
At one place between the alley and
Kansas avenue he found a place where
in making the excavation a part of the
side had crumbled in and in filing up
the hole, the dirt had not been packed
away under the asphalt A corner had
already been broken off where it ap-
peared that a wagon had been driven
over it
What excuse have you for this kind
of work? % asked Mr.. Hughes as he pull
ed the broken piece away and reached
his hand under the pavement and
waved it around in the vacant hole
Crossing Kansas avenues place about
nine inches wide was found where the
short for the hole it had to fill. It left
a little hole a few inches deep.
Here is very bad place" said Mr..
Hughes, coming upon it. "A buggy
crossing over that place at a rapid rate
would probably be injured by having a
spring broken"
The party turned down the alley be-
tween Kansas avenue and Jackson
street The mayor picked out several
places where an insufficient amount of
dirt had been replaced in the hole made
for the pipes and where the paving had
settled to a considerable extent.
This viii all have to be taken out
and relaid.'' said Mr.. Hughes.
The amount of dirt and sand left over
the brick in the alleys and the street
was cause for more complaint. Mr. Ba-
ker plead overwork as an excuse for not
cleaning It up sooner but promised to
get at It as soon as possible.
Going through the alley the length of
two blocks the party emerged at Sew
enth street. Mr.. Hughes then went to
his office in the city hail.
There has been a great deal of com
plant made to me about these excava-
tfons and have been over the ground
several times before the trip this morn