The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-02
WHO IS THE MAN.
Some One Res ponsfble for Tone
ka's Damaged Paving.
But City Officials Can Not Lo.
80 cate Him.
NAY CAUSE A CHANGE.
Proposed to Have City Make All
Repairs.
Little Attention Paid to Tests
Of Brick.

II
John Rodgers said: You did not color
It any; I can find you places worse
than any you mentioned
The city engineer fully realized that
the paving has been butchered by the
persons who have dug it up to reach
pipelines and then dumped the material
back in any old way.
This repair work should be taken
ont of the hands of the plumbers and
pipeline men, said the engineer, land
all of it be done by the city. When
ever a plumbing firm or the gas COM
pany has a connection to make they
could go ahead and do their work and
then leave the paving torn up and no.
tify the city of the excavation. The
city could then repair the place and
the plumber or gas company pay the
bill. The latter charge their customers
plenty to cover the cost of a good
Job of repair work, so they would lose
nothing by this arrangement. An or
dinance along the lines IF this plan is
now being prepared for the council.
The paving was put down in the
first place by skilled labor and then
when it is dug up it is repaired by
bunglers who received $3.50 per day
for their work and their only idea of
doing the job properly is to get through
as soon as possible
-''At present there is no one to see to
this work, or rather oversee 1t. The
city inspector was relieved of this re-
sponsibility by ordinance some time
ago. And as far as that is concerned,
one man could not see to all of it.
Two and three gangs of men are often
working on the paving at one time.
~ IL ~
work it would be done we'll"
When asked about the brick wear
ing out and crumbling to pieces the
engineer replied: Inferior brick is the
cause of this. They were not properly
burned or vitrified. 1 wasn't on the old
cept that have heard. I understand
that they used the RATHER test here
years ago. The brick going In on the
West Sixth avenue paving is OF good
quality and the engineer showed the
reporter a sample of vitrified brick
block that had been broken in two. 1t
was burned clear through and appear
ed to be sample of No. 1 paving
brick of the best quality.
'.This brick will stand the racket,
experienced and competent inspectors
on, the job and they are keeping close
tab on the brick"
No One Responsible.
When Mayor Green was asked about
the condition of the paved streets
brought about through poor repair
work and the laying Of inferior brick
in the first place, he said that last
May the ordinance giving the plumb
ing inspector charge of the repair
work on the paving had been amended,
taking the matter out of his hands.
The ordinances at this time do not
appear to place the responsibility for
IL xrnrE nr particular DpT-
son.
The mayor declared that the plumb
ers are under bonds to replace the paw
ing in as good shape as they hnd 1t,
from the city engineer before they can
tear UP the paving. They must give
the location of the repairs and the time
that the work is to be done.
The mayor said that some of the
paving in the city was IS years old
and that paving work had been gong
on since that time.
2 THE tendency is to lay everything
onto the street commissioner, SAID the
mayer, when the fact is he Is the
busiest man in the administration
forces. He has calls from all over the
city every day in the week. He has
three gangs of men working under him
most of the time and he must lay out
their work and keep them going. He
must answer in person every COM
plant from every street and alley in
the CITY will warrant that he
travels twenty-five miles every day in
the course OF his work. Then besides
All the street work he must look after
the sewer and manholes. He does
here the work assigned to two and
three men in other cities this size.
I'm regard to this repair work on the
having. There should be some man
with nothing else to do but follow up
these repair gangs and check up their
work This man should come from the
department. as it is from
there that the plumbers get their per-
nits and specifications The city en-
rineer has control over the plumbers.
THE city laws are lame in this mat
ter of repairing the streets and the
plumbers, it seems. have taken full ad-
of the fact"
In speaking of the quality of the
brick used the mayor said that the
brick companies were required to sub
NIT samples of the material to be used
and the city engineer passed on tina
duality of the brick There is no rat
tier test in vogue here at this time
The mayor himself had noticed bad
depressions and humps in the paving
and had called the attention of the en-
cheering department to the matter
often.
1t would appear from the above that
everybodys business is nobody's bust |
ness. and that the plumbers and the
gas company can at this time dig up
the paving as they see fit and dump
the bricks and cement back with a
shovel, stamp on the place with their
feet and proceed to another spot to re-
neat the performance. There is abso- |
IuteIy no competent person in authority |
to pass on their work. and if it Is bad !
make them. do it over again. When |
the splendid West Sixth street paving |
Is finished there is nothing in the |
world to prevent a gang Of plumbers |
and pipe line men from digging it up |
by the yard and dumping the debris |
back into the holes and make the street |
look like those of Paris during the |
French revolution and the days of bar |
ricades.
AS regards the brick used in the paw
ing the city must, in the absence of |
any test. accept the brick offered and |