The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-11-28

Engineering Department is nearing us
close The session Tomorrow, night
will be devoted mainly to hearing IN
spcctors who. have been called at the
| request of City Engineer Boiling to
tell of their duties and the conduct or
the sewer construction work now IN
progress. Practically all of the testl-
mony is in, and the committee VIII
shortly formulate report to tins
| Street Committee.
The question naturally divides itself
into an inquiry into the engineering
work, such as surveys and plans. tho
! supervision of construction work, and
| the clerical conduct of the office
| No Evidence of Incompetence.
| In regard to the first, there has been
no evidence of any incompetency or
of any lack of engineering ability on
the part of Mr.. Boiling or of any one
of his assistants. on the other hand,
| 1t has been shown that large enter
prises have been projected. surveyed
and planned, that the office is spend
| ing annually four or i've times as
| much as 1T did a few years back III
! city improvements, and that 1t is fac
ing in a comprehensive and clear
sighted way such problems as the
erection of a new reinforced concrete
and street Improvement system for
| Washington Ward, new city wharves,
| and has planned far in advance of
available appropriations for street I'm
lprovements and for the extension OF
the boulevard and park systems.
Instances of Carelcssness.
While no engineering incompetence
has been shown. there has been clear
evidence in specific instances of gross
| caralessness. Engineers Todd and
! Jones have admitted clear errors In
| measurement of work done where con-
4 tractors were paid on the basis OF
| the number of cubic yards OF earth
removed The amount OF these errors
(. has not been large, but on their own
admissions the young engineers were
proceeding more by guesswork than
by any system of measuring.
on the question of supervision OF
work it has been shown that the city
, is now building a million dollar sew
erage system and has under construc-
ton about four miles of sewers In
J some cases there have been clashes
, between inspectors and contractors
! and there have been minor errors al
, legged in grades, and in one instance
> charge by contractor that an In
spector was incompetent, and by othei
. contractors that inspectors were arbi'
, trary and dictatorial. and that con-
tractors merely followed the instrnc
. tions of the inspectors as to line:
and grades, without reference to thu
: blue prints and designs furnished
[ them.
Contractors Made No COMPLAINTS.
. The contractors have largely phi
q themselves out of court by their ad
mission that they have in no instanc
!. complained TO the head of the depart
e ment Mr.. Boiling, either of any II
r competence on the part of the inspec
J, tor, or OF capricious or arbitrary trea'
IL ment. Nevertheless, the committee WI
II probably recommend that a permanen
r force of trained ,rSp@ctors be EN-
ie ployed hereafter. instead of dependin
y, on picking up men haphazard wlthou
,r regard TO their qualifications.
D. Serious defects have been found b
the investigators in the methods an
organization of the force. Engineer
90 and clerks admit that they reported
n no one on reaching the Office; ths
ed they came when they pleased and le'
N when they pleased. and that when the
ay went out they left word with no or
=. where they might he found If wante
OFT Engineers Todd aud Jones admitte
st that while they had never done
a, yet If they cared TO stay away fro
~ work an entire day or even longer
AZ was probable that no one would
le the wiser. There has also been ~
dence of careless work, apparent
n rather more due to haste than to j
IN competency. In the matter of
~ curling on the Pumphouse drive. 7
III entrance gates at Riverview Cemetei
70 and in the laying out of some Of t
u, parks.
IN IN No Head In Office.
sh In the Office the methods have be
n found to be antiquated and in sol
ne instances laborious. 1t has been a
ne mitted that in the absence of
"a Boiling himself there is no one "
es has recognized authority, and tht
ioy was even one instance when Stene
rapher Daniel and Clerk STRAIT,
came to blows over some typewrltil
ne which the office stenographer is
be legged to have said he would do WI
he got ready. Although Mr.. Daniel
na- unable to give any great account
,uh his duties, beyond writing few lie
in tiers each day for City Engineer 81
to ing, and occasionally the draft of
Il contract where the ordinary prin
My