Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-18
POINT OUT MANY
SEWER DEFECTS
BRlCKLAYERS REPEAT THEIR
CHARGES
Commission VIII Carefully Examine
outfsl Project to See Where
Specifications Have Been
Violated

Headed by Walking Delegate Job
Hartman, three union bricklayers, O.
Hitchcock, Robert Macy and Joseph
Rathbun, claiming to act as commit
tee of the protestants who had former
ly filed charges against the outfall
sewer and its construction, yesterday
appeared before the outfall sewer COM
mission and filed an affidavit in which
they claimed to show wherein the out
fall sewer was not being constructed
according to specifications.
The commission, which is COM
posed of A. II. Koebig, Henry E.
| Brett and Octavus Morgan, will go
over the outfall sewer in company with
a member Of this committee Saturday
afternoon.
Specific Charges
The specific charges Of the commit
tee follow:
1--WE found in our investigation that
specifications were violated in the fol-
lowing particulars:
"Section 50 under the heading
brick masonry provides that the joints
of the inside face shall not exceed one
quarter of an inch in thickness. The
fact is that some of those joints do ex-
ceed one-quarter of an inch, some of
them being as large as one inch. We
scaled ten feet OF the invert and found
that there were four courses of brick
less than there should be, and pro-
portionately too much mortar. This
weakens the structure, inasmuch as the
cement will disintegrate under the in
fuence of sewer gas, whereas brick
will hold up, and it was for this reason
that the provision was made that a
one-quarter inch joint should be strict
ly adhered to.
Not Racked Back
"Section SO Of said specifications pro-
vides that all brick work as it pro-
crosses must be racked back in courses
and in no case will it be allowed to be
toothed. We found that every section
that we investigated, and especially re-
ferring you to Inglewood, was not
racked back, but was toothed.
Section 81 provides that all joints
on the interior service of the arch shall
be struck with trowel or pointed.
The fact is these joints are neither
struck with a trowel nor pointed.
Section IS provides that all joints
of the interior surface of the invert
shall be raked out to a depth of one
half inch and thoroughly brushed to
remove all loose particles, after which
shall be wet and then a coating Of ce-
ment plaster one-half inch in thickness
spread over the same continuously
connected, care being used to fill every
joint and apply the plaster evenly. The
plaster shall be rubbed to smooth
even surface.
No Proper Coating
eve found that in all Of the portion
of the section to which we have called
your attention, which has not yet been
covered, that this section So has been
violated in every particular and we are
informed on very good authority and
upon information and belief state that
we believe the same violation is gen.
eral throughout the sewer.
Section 70 provides that the refilling
in all cases shall be of good clean
earth, clay sand or gravel free from
stone above three inches in diameter.
The fact is that large quantities of brick
bats are being used in refilling con-
trary to the quality of the earth, clay
or sand as provided.
'In our opinion it is a conservative
estimate that there has been a useless
waste Of fifty bricks to the thousand
purchased by the city in this construc-
tion work and these bricks are being
hI1pt to1