Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1906-02-18
Tells Of Methods Used IN
Reaching His Estimate.
ABSOLUTE FAIRNESS BASIS
OF REPORT TO COUNCIL
Careful and Systematic Investigation
Made Of Every Detail Of System.
Some Facts About the Pipe.

Since the submission to the people
by the city council of the question Of
the purchase of the Albuquerque wa
ter works from the Water supply COM
pany, for the sum of $3.50, 900. an eff
fort has been made in certain quarters
to question, and to cause the people to
question the reliability and fairness
of the report upon the value OF the
water works plant made at the order
of the city council by Mr.. A. $. Rifle.
consulting engineer. Mr.. Rifle was
employed by the city council to make
the estimate on the water works. only
after careful examination of his rec
ord, an investigation which showed
him to have had many years of exper-
ience in similar work of even greater
Importance than the work assigned
him here. and which proved his stand
ing in his profession to be the highest.
! The city council found In examining
the record of the engineer that Mr..
Rifle is a graduate of the scientific
and civil engineering departments OF
the University of Kansas being a
member of the class Of 1884. For two
years following his graduation he was
engaged in general engineering work
on the Northern Pacific railroad, and
for the four years following was engi-
neer of bridges, buildings and water
supply of that great system. In 1890
he was sent to Peru by the Peruvian
Exploration company Limited, Of Lon
don, to reconstruct properties acquired
from the Peruvian government and TO
report on these properties. This was
followed by six years OF engineering
and contracting and the construction
! of various water systems and portions
of systems In Oregon, Washington.
! Montana, Utah and California. Dur
ing this time Mr.. Rifle made reports
on various properties for the same
purposes as the one made In this city.
He made an expert report on the agri-
cultural and transportation buildings
Of the Columbian exposition in Chica-
go, and was manager in 1900 to 1909
for the Excelsior Pipe company In the
Hawaiian Islands. During this period
he constructed various large lines OF
pipe for plantation supply and plan
, ned and investigated many other PLAN
tation water systems.
About the beginning of 1900 Mr.
! Rifle was offered a position as chief
assistant engineer OF the Nicaragua
canal surveys by commission of the
I president; fear of fever prevented his
, accepting this important post During
lg02-OS Mr.. Rifle as engineer. made
: plans and estimates for the Stanislaus
7 Water and Power company for plant
$ designed to furnish $1,000 electrical
$ horse power for San Francisco and
| suburbs and to supply water to the
: San Domingo group of mines In Call
A fornia.
( 1t is not surprising then. In view of
this long record in his profession that
Mr.. Rifle should smile when asked by
e the Morning Journal yesterday IL ne
S cared to make a statement in connec-
$ tion with the attempt to discredit his
!, report upon the local water plant.
d Il do not care to say anything about
e that" said Mr.. Rifle. my record as
an engineer is very we'll known In the
i west, and my professional honesty has
= never been questioned until the appar.
n ent attempt made to question II here.
e do not fear that II will be seriously
Is questioned now"
e Outlines Methods Used Here.
e Il would like. however," continued
1t Mr.. Rifle. ito give you a general idea
'e OF the method employed by me In
II making the estimate OF the value OF
10 the Albuquerque water works system.
st which will show you how utterly Inn
In possible IL would be for me to have
re obtained and given to the city council
II any other than an absolutely fair and
he unbiased report. .
nj I'm making an estimate OF the value
Of a plant OF this character there q
lg but one method employed by neputa-
IL BILE engineers, that method being the
IN only one which will stand the test Of
of the courts and all other tests that may
be applied Briefly Il Is an estimate
OF the cost OF an exact reproduction oi
ne the plant at the present. or prevailing
nj prices Of material and labor. LET'S tht
n. deterioration OF the plant. This meth
n. cd prevails In all countries and II 4
the method used by me In estimating
lis the value OF the plant In question:
nd 'In the beginning, when the Cit
council asked me to make an estimdt'
al upon this plant asked the council t
give me two months in which to max
an examination, giving me time q
write to manufacturers and obtaii
b. present prices upon all material neces
80 sary for the reproduction Of the plant
n In most examinations Of this kind. In
IN, engineer is called In In connection
to with a suit pending In the courts. II
ne Ia not called until the last moment an
lip generally has no time to obtain manu-
70. facturers figures on the cost Of repro
,e4 duotlOn, being compelled 70 rely solel
lf- on his own judgment and knowleds
ls- OF MATERIAL IN this case, however.
90, asked and obtained ample time. an
no did obtain from the frst manufactuI