The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-11-08
CITY EMP | DYES 1
come TO BLOWS
Daniel AMI Captain stratton
Exchange Epithcts, and
Fight Follows.
LITTLE DISCIPLINE THERE
Investigators Will Show How
Things Go in Absence Of
City Engineer
LITTLE DISCIPLINE THERE

In view OF the great interest In Tie
returns from elections in many sec
lions OF the country. and as to-day Is
q legal and general holiday, four O,
the Eve members OF THE Lynch investi.
cation committee have joined in the
request that the meeting scheduled for
tonight be postponed until tomorrow
night. when the examination Of the
four assistant engineers in order will
oegin. Chairman John ). Lynch was
out OF the city yesterday. and there is
40 subchairman. Messrs Adams, Fer
gusson, Don Leavy and Jones agreed
last night that when tonight had been
selected they had not remembered tina,
Vt was election day, and Mr.. Lynch will
90 requested this morning TO postpone
the meeting to tomorrow night.
Fight in Engineers Oflce.
Details of personal encounter in
the office Of City Engineer Boiling.
when the conibatants were Stenogra.
Sher Travers Daniel, Jr., and Clerk OF
the Street Committee ]. Taylor STRAIT.
ton are beginning to leak around the
City Hall. The fight occurred some
days go. before the first session OF the
Lynch investigation committee, but It
Is now evident that the full details OF
the fight will come out before that
body, for members OF the Council are
determined to- weed out the friction
and petty jealousy which are shown In
exist in the department. Mr.. Daniel
pher in the office, and has also drawn
a separate salary for some years az
clerk OF Committee on apportionment
Of Funds in the Annexed Territory
Captain Stratton Is head bookkeeper,
and also has separate salary as clerk
of the Committee on Streets. He Is
adjutant of r. z. Lee Camp, Confeder.
ate Veterans, ond Is widely known as
an active leader in Confederate mat.
ters, having served with distinction
during the war.
Witnesses Summoned
Neither of the combatants will dis.
cuss the fight in advance OF the testi
mony they will be called on to Civ.
/ before the Investigating committee
Neither has been summoned for tn.
first sion. but both will be called or
later for an account Of the affair.
Witnesses for the first session o.
the committee summoned yesterday b,
sergeant-at-Arms Ruskell are: FRS
| Assistant Engineer jackson Bolton
Second Assistant Engineer P. P. ITALIA
ferro, Third Assistant Engineer Fon
tame Jones, and Fourth Assistant En-
(, gineer Charles L. Todd. Jr.
Say Office Has No Head.
| Members OF the investigating com
mittee assert that they are not inter,
ested in the details of the fst-fight ex
cept as 1t has a bearing on the affairs o
the Office. tending to show lack O
diclpline, lack Of distinct precedenc,
and arrangement of authority In tn,
office, and a lack OF appreciation Of tn,
dignity OF tae city's work. That Their
is time in the Office for trivial discus
sion leading to blows, does not seen
to indicate that the employees are over
/; worked. and may explain why socia
visits from the younger employees o
the office to other offices in the Cit.
/ Hall, made usually during Mr.. Boiling
absence from the building, are SO fire
quent and long continued.
Details OF the fight are conflicting
though several blows were exchanged
each now claiming that the other wa
the aggressor. Certainly. the fight fol
lowed an extended and heated argu
ment in which vituperative epithet
were used. Young Daniel claims tina
Captain Stratton has never treated hir
with due consideration and courtesy
4 since he has beer In the ONCE. while
has long been a grievance of Capital
& Stratton that the juniors In The offic
were disrespectful. that they took ord
ers from no one save Mr.. Boiling an
I that in his absence there We're eve
debates over who should answer
telephone call
Shows Lack OF System.
Members of the investigating CON
mittee, while unwilling to discuss til
incident directly. in advance of tn
testimony, seem to regard 1t as an II
dication Of the lack of system In til
office; that there Is no chief clerk {
, Office head who Is In charge Of til
Idaily working force, and responsible
for the order and the carrying on {
the detailed work from day to da,
/. both while tile City Engineer is in tt
/. building and when he is absent "A
i OIICCD GAGE nC