The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-11-15
Stenographer d anie |
Would w o rk When
He Gets Ready
ENGINEER KEEGAN
HAD LITTLE TO DO
Investigation of Engineers De-
partment Btings Out Many
Loose Cog Wheels-Clerks
and Surveyors Come and
Go Without Report
ing to Any One.

Admissions by Assistant Engineer u.
J. Keegan. assigned to wori: on sewers
under direction of First Assistant En-
gineer Jackson Bolton. that he was no.
Kept busy for half his time, from
Fourth Assistant City Engineer Charlie
L..Todd, Jr., that he had made two
payments to contractor for excavat
ing without going on the ground O.
measuring the work, the payments
proving TO be In excess of the wori:
done, and from all of the younger en-.
sineers and members of the clerical
force of the City Engineers Depart.
ment that they reported TO no one o.
arriving in the morning or when thev
left the office, were features of last
nights session of the Lynch investigat
ing committee.
strntton Takes All BInme.
In an open and candid statement
Clerk of the Street Committee j.. Ta-
lor Stratton assumed all the blame for
r. recent encounter in the office wi,h
Stenographer Travers Daniel. Jr., hay-
Ing requested the stenographer to do
some work for him. TO which the reply
was that he would do 1t when he gcr
ready. Mr.. Daniels version was that
he would do 1t when he got time. Be, ID
admitted that blows had been exchans
ed IN office hours, and that no reporr
of II had been made to the City En-
gineer. who only learned of II week
afterwards from a member OF .ac
Street Committee.
Facts brought out in the invcstiga-
tion were that the present map of the
older part of the city. made in 1872, is
grossly defective and inaccurate. and
that there is need of new survey
that the fling and indexing OF chart,
Is only partly completed. and that ~"
clerk OF the Committee on Streets sol-
lows Iaborious and antiquated re
thods requiring more copying and re-
copying instead OF using modern >ys-
TENS and labor saving devices.
Special Assessments Costly.
It was also testified that much OF
the time OF several engineers and sev-
eral clerks is taken In measuring.
recording and certifying bills for sp:--
ciai assessment for sidewalks ard ~
leys paved. and sewer connections
made. at the expense OF property own
ers. Chairman Lynch raising the ques-
ton whether the city was not paying
more in clerk hire for voluminous
and complicated system than 1. gets
back from the special tax laid In sucn
the long run 1t would actually be cheap
er for the city to do such work cut
right
Clerk Stratton presented statement
OF the amount of money expended by
the department. during the year, and
the total cost of engineering and In
spection, the vouchers having amount
ed to s1,28S,315, while the cost of ad-
ministering came to s34.2S26s, or less
than 8 per cent. Mr. Boiling called
attention to the fact that in railway
and general construction work, > per
cent. is usually allowed for engineering
and supervising services.
Guessed at Amount.
Fourth Assistant Engineer Charles L.
Todd. Jr.. told of his work in charge
grading and graveling of streets by
contract and of the city repair force.
He said that he had three inspeotora
under him. to see that sidewalks w.-e
properly laid, and with the proper
amount Of cement and In the true lines.
He measures up each lot separately for
the special assessment clerk. tie alley
work being done by the same plan.
making much more work than II meas
ured by the block In grading work.
he said he had taken the proper cross
sections on every job but one, that on
@ Street, of which Mr.. Richyrds COM
planned.
In that case Mr.. Todd said it was a
small Job, and he was rushed for time,
and he had estimated what he thought
q fair allowance to the contractor from
recollection, without going on the
ground. He alluded to the great delays
in obtaining releases from property
owners and the difficulties In finding
the names of owners from the records.
The repair force, he said. was scat
tered all over the city, and was most
difficult to keep track of, Mr. Todd
said he had done but one piece OF
private work In office hours and had
then received no pay. Tha. was three
years ago, before Colonel Cutshaw's S
death when he assisted Mn. Jones on
q private Job Of surveying.
The Richards Case.
Mr.. Todd said he had been instructed
not to give estimates save on order of
the Committee on Streets through the
City Engineer But he had violated
that order IL. the Richards case, as
1t was a man Win whom he was not
on good terms. and he wanted to con-
ciliate him.
When he found that the contractor
had been paid in excess of the amount
= I'll WOIk 3ppilef ILe SeIiN Illlil -udCfS W
make a further excavation to cover the
too liberal allowances.
Mr.. Boiling explained that he had
neHspxed up the work himself, but
had found it impossible to make an
exact estimate of the amount of earth
moved, as no measurements had been
made by Mr., Todd before the grading
.egan, and he had to go by the rust
on poles to show where earth had been.
His opinion was that the man had
been overpaid, though there had been
mo- final measurement or settlement
with the contractor
Mr., Todd said he would submit in
writing some suggestions which would
facilitate the public in getting infor-
nation from the once.
No One In Charge.
VI On cross-examination 1t was brought
out that Mr. Todd had been called UP
and, found not to be at his Office as
late as $3.50 or u 0 O'clock, though he
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