Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-08-16

When a special committee consist
ing of Councilmen Lachmund, Man
ming and Eldridge last evening sub
mltted a report on the condition of
the Improvement of North Front
street in which It charged the con-
tractors with having failed to comply
with the plans and specifications, and
the engineers office with having been
derelict in the protection of the inter
ests of the property holders it hurled
bomb sh II into the serene proceed
ings of the city council. While it was
directed against the contractors and
the engineers office, when 1t explod-
ed Il scattered fragments in almost
every direction, and when some of
them went Sizing around the street
committee, Councilman Stoltz, chair
man of that august aggregation, left
the chair as acting mayor long
other members of the committee
against them, During the discussion
which followed, councilman after
councilman threw himself into the
arena for or against the report. Those
opposed to its adoption started out
on series of expungng resolutions
but they came so thick and fast that
they became lost in a fog of their
own creating and the subject was
finally disposed of by deferring action
upon it until the council as a commit
tee of the whole could make an in
vestigation of the condition of the i'm
provement of the street.
Committee Grows Sarcastic.
The report submitted by the. com
mlttee was as follows:
"Your committee to which was re-
ferred the inspection of the inn
provement of North Front street,
reports as follows:
1--WE carefully examined the
street from North Mill Creek to the
city limits. In many instances we
found the road bed loose and also
deeply rutted. We found loan
thrown upon the road bed and
which is of such fineness that the
slightest disturbance suspends it in |
clouds. This is direct violation Of
the specifications, there being no
provision calling for distribution OF
loan or earth of any character tc
be placed on the surface of the
street.
"The specifications call for gravel.
Webster says gravel consists uf
small stones, or fragments of stone;
very small pebbles. Bouders, he
describes as large stones, worn
smooth or rounded by the action OF
the water. We do not find in the
specifications that boulders are to be
used, yet they are frequently to be
met with and on the surface.
ITO all appearances the grave
used for finishing has been screened
and therefore did not possess the
qualifications to be found in un
screened gravel which furnishes con
siderable binding quality, 1t is L
physical impossibillty to roll gravel
OF this character to form solid and
compact mass.
Altogether we feel convinced
that the improvement Is not finished,
and therefore recommend that the
balance due the contractor be with
held until the street is In a salts
factory condition. We would sug-
gest that two inches of unscreened
gravel, OF a size as specified, be
spread over the street from one tc
the other end, wetted, and rolled 10
meet the requirements Of the speci'
flcations.
I'VE find that the engineers Of
fee has been derelict in its duty for
failure to properly oversee the con
structlon of this work and see that
the interests of the property holders
were protected. A novice would
have no difficulty in determining the
faulty character of the work.
I'VE recommend that the city en-
gineer place a properly qualified in
spector on the street TO see that the
work is done as It should be-
I'VE further find that the con-
Minturn and Stapleton
have failed "a conform with a rea-
sonable compliance with the terms
conditions, and spirit OF their con
tract, and unless they take immedi-
ate steps TO correct the work on
this street, we recommend that the