New-York tribune., 1903-06-04
FORBIDS STAR CHAMBER.
Mayor Orders 4queduct Commission
to Hold Open Meetings.
GRAND JURY MAY INVESTIGATE.

Mayor Low has requested the Aqueduct Com
mission hereafter to conduct its meetings openly,
go that representatives of the press may report
them the same the meetings OF the Board OF
Estimate and Apportionment and the kappa
Transit Commission. At the meeting on Iues-
day afternoon of next week the report OF Chlel
Engineer Nelson P. Lewis of the Board OF
Estimate and Apportionment and Eugene T.
Mclean, engineer of the Department or f1nance'
sustaining the position of Chief Engineer VIII
liam r. Hill of the Aqueduct Commission in
asking for thicker flooring of concrete for the
Jerome Park reservoir at an increased cost OIL
S211. 900, will be fully discussed.
The Merchants Association is in wrathrui
state of mind concerning this report of the
engineers. William F. King and George L.
Duval who have taken a keen interest IN the
water supply problem Of the city, assert that
the Aqueduct Commission is prolonging con-
tracts so to perpetuate itself in power. Yes
terday they said that in order to prevent
waste of public funds a taxpayers action 10
enjoin the Aqueduct Commission from letting
any more contracts would be begun, and that
the alleged misconduct of the Aqueduct Com
mission would be taken before the grand jury.
Mr. DuvaI after referring to the promise of
the contractors. Mcdonald, & Onderdonk, that
the recervoir would be finished by August 1 Of
this year, said to a reporter yesterday:
Whatever the cause Of the delay in completing
the reservoir the need of an extra appropria-
exclusively upon the Aqueduct Commissioners and
it is only another reason why they must go; we S
any way mixed up or dependent upon political con-
The report OF Messrs Bogart and North.
ployed by the association to report on the jerome
chants Association 1t may be that Mr.. Mcdonald,
in view of the report of Messrs. Bogart and North:
realizes that the walls built at present VIII not
hold water. inasmuch as they do not hold mud
Up to date the reservoir has cost upward or
s5O6oOOo and probably is the costliest one in the
world.
It is believed that the Aqueduct Commission
and the Board of Estimate and Apportionment
VIII stand by their engineers in authorizing the
thicker flooring of concrete for the reservoir.
The report of Messrs Lewis and Mclean is IN
part follows:
We believe that layer of concrete three inches
the results obtained from It's use are always un-
may be taken to secure homogeneous and dense
mixture .,-...-. - .,.o -o,o,,,,a,7o+fo, of
your CHIEF engineer that the thickness Of the con
foundation over the entire area OF me E Wess
rn section of the reservoir be fixed at eight lnches
and further advise that every preeaution be taken tax
to make this concrete as dense ana ] 9I as a1iisnces
will permit. Inasmuch as the areas Of rock bottom m
more than thirteen thousand feet and inasmuch as
is [ difficult fs o to e6s and the f ' Earth 6 Begins it
seems unnecessary TO attempt the use OF gfeater Ter
thickness Immediately adjacent to these lines be-
tween the earth and the rock
Mayor Low said yesterday that he recently
summoned John B. Mcdonald. the subway con-
tractor and asked why the work on the Jerome
Park reservoir was not advancing more rapidly,
and called his attention to the fact that the
original contract called for its finish by August
l. He said that Mr.. Mcdonald assured him that
the reservoir would be finished on time, but that
to use the language of Mr.. Mcdonald, "it would
not hold water"