The Topeka state journal., 1906-06-13
HALT is CALLED.
Paving Contractors Must Not
Destroy Parkings.
Have Been PiIing Bricks on the
Lawns.
AFTER GAS COMPANY.
Charged That Men Are Doing
BungIing Work.
Pavements Are Not Put in Good
Condition.
FTER GAS COMPANY.

The city engineer was instructed by
the mayor this morning to order the
paving contractors not to pile brick for
paving on the parkings on Western av-
enue or other streets where there is a
liability that lawns viii be destroyed.
In addition to this instructions were
also handed out with regard to tearing
up of the pavements by the gas COM
pany and plumbers.
John f Frost, former president of the
Commercial club, said this morning: Z
think that protests should be made
against the way the lawns on the park
ings are being injured by the brick
being piled up on them for paving. In
front of my house there is a t least nine
feet of room where the brick could be
piled, where It need not be on the lawn
and still be out of the way, I have. no
doubt but what there are other places
on other streets where the same condi-
tions exist. I have taken up the mat
ter with the mayor. That's all have
to suggest. It lies with the city officials,
they have it in their power to remedy
this trouble.
Another thing. The streets are torn
up by the gas company and they don't
lay the pavement back like it should
be"
to arise in connection with pavements
IS with regard to the wholesale way in
which excavations are and viii be car
Tied on in the paved and unpaved
streets. The gas company took out 121
excavation permits yesterday, the two
telephone companies viii soon be dig
ging on the paved streets to lay under
ground conduits. The gas company is
coming in for a lot of criticism for the
way they are putting back the pave
ment-that it sinks several inches after
it's left.
Wafer should be put on the dirt in
order to tamD it more thoroughly. But
this is very seldom done. After the
weathering process starts in the pave
ment sinks because the tamping has
not been done thoroughly.
People have to put up with those
conveniences, said c. K Holiday of
the gas company. IT know that there
is trouble in excavating these paved
streets but those things are some of
the things which can't be helped in
building up a growing town. If they
don't do 1t right in the first place the
city engineer should send them back
a second or a third time until they do
fix the street right. These excavations
are rarely satisfactorily adjusted be-
fore the second or third trip. Let the
city engineer call the attention of the
gas company to it,
One of the things which has con-
tributed to a failure to keep the
streets repaired and excavations prop
/ erly attended to is the difference OF
/ opinion which exists between the
/ plumbing inspector and city engineer
as to who should attend to this in
/ spection. The plum bing inspector
places it on to the city engineer and
the city engineer blames it to the
plumbing inspector.
The city charter act provides that
the plumbing inspector must work un-
der the direction of the city engineer
in looking after the excavations-that
the plumbing inspector must superin-
tend and inspect all street excavations
but it also states that the city engineer
upon the return of the excavation per-
nit is to make an inspectioH of the
excavation. The act is not quite as
clear as it might be and this leads Il
the tangling up between the city en-.
gineer and plumbing Inspector.