Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1910-10-13
OUT II CONES
CONCRETE BASE NOW IN MUST
BE TAKEN UP.
Work Was Not Done to Satisfaction
Of Council or Of the Engineer
New Mixer is ordered
Used and Better Paving
Done.
From wednesdays Daily.l

the half block of concrete base
for the new paving on North Broad
way must come out. The concrete
mixer of the continuous" type now
being used by the Capital Construc-
ton company is inefficient and out
OF date and to be discarded, and a
modern batch" mixer must be sub
stituted In its place. II any serious
delay is experienced in securing q
new mixer the contractors must I'M
crease their force of hands. and IL
they decline to do this the city Will
supply more men and proper equip
ment under the terms Of their con-
tract.
This was the decision arrived at
this morning after an hours con-
ference between the city councii,
city Engineer Murdoch, and X. D..
Mcdonnell of the engineering firm
Of Burns & Mcdonnell who drew up
the plans and specifications Tor me
work. Mr.. Mcdonnell came up from
Kansas City last evening at the re-
quest of Mayor Rice and members
Of the street and alley committee OF
the council.
This morning Mr.. Mcdonnell made
an inspection of the work SO rar
completed. He found the curping
and cutters generally satisfactory al
though sections here and there were
condemned on account OF damage
from teams and traffic. 1.-THE con-
tractors were to protect their work. "
he said. "and they failed to do SO.
Their only recourse is against prop
erty owners who maintained hitcnlng
posts contrary to the city's orders
The guttering has been kicked ana
broken in places by passing teams
wherever this is the case 1t must
be replaced"
"As for the concrete base MI
Mcdonnell continued, ut is totally I'M
satisfactory. 1t is hard in some Sec
lions and loose in others. II the
asphalt surface were laid on such
: a foundation it would be bound
sooner or later, to weaken In Spots
and eventually to crumble and give
way. Every bit of that work must
come up, in pursuance of the order
issued by Mr.. Murdoch yesterday
The trouble is, they are using type
~ mixer that is a relic Of the DARK
ages. and their men, as they them
selves admit, are inexperienced.
never knew of satisfactory work be-
ing done with that kind of ma
chine. There are always the same
old excuses that the contractors OF
fer here-the water pressure is moi
right. or the men haven't learned
how to run the machine. That is the
way they explain the defects in the
work so far, and you would have
inst such defects and explanations
clear through the job. The rea
difficulty is that the machine is IT.
regular in its work. 1t is shy OF
sand in one place, and on concrete
in another, and on water in another
Many cities have an ordinance for
Kidding the use of anything but :
hatch mixer on city work. Thai
ia what these people here must FUR
pish Thert are plenty OF them OF
the market, and they could brinl
one from Kansas City in twenty-foui
hours II they wanted to. ! have az
idea. though, they are short OF funds
, and that probably accounts for sew
} eral things"
Il "But, Mr.. Mcdonnell" asked
member Of the council, suppose th'
concern should throw sup the job
, What them"
II "In that case, Judging from wha'
have seen, the city Is to be con
graduated TIE chief engineer 70
pIIed. "I want 10 tel you another
thing too" he added. "You have
a.
loot to let Mr.. Murdoch camp righ'
on that paving job and see that !
"a done right. 1t is the city's faui'
that he has not done 50. He hal
tried TO be accommodating. and a
1.-THE cIty's request has been running
around supervising sidewalk eonstrue
, tIou and ditch digging. That ha'
: got TO stop. On one Job about TIM
! size there we're seven Inspector
) watching every detail Of the worl
constantly. One man devoted MI
entire time to checking out cement
They all found plenty to do too.
Z do not think that is necessary here
hut Mr.. Murdoch, at least, must D.
E able to give all his time to It an'
r n you put him at any thing else yo'
must have another man there u
-. 10 q mi his bushes