The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-09
Assistant Engineer Todd
Tells of @ Street
Excavations.
COMMITTEE HAS
HEARD ENOUGH
Will Now Sit in Executive Ses.
sion to Consider Plans for Re-
organization Of City En-
gineer's Department.
Saville Answers
Atkinson.

To large extent, IL nopabsolutely.
Fourth Assistant City Engineer Charles
l.. Todd. .Jr., vindicated himself on the
charges brought by Councilman Charles
l.. Richards before the Lynch investi-
eating committee last night, the com
lnittee declaring at late hour that II
had heard enough that IL was not nee
iessary to call the remainder of Mr..
i'rodd's witnesses, although all those
tsummoned by Mr.. Richards had been
heard. The committee Will meet next
Wednesday night in tho office of the
City Engineer in executive session TO
formulate its report TO the Street Com
mittee both on the Todd charges and
on the general plan for reorganiza-
tion OF the City Engineers Office. Mr.
Boiling will at that time present plan
for a general reorganization of the de-
lpartment on which the subcommittee
will pass, and the whole will probably
result in the recommendation of an or
dinance To the City Council giving the
Engineer complete authority within his
own department to employ and lis
charge lIis assistants and to direct their
daily work, without Intervention OF
Council committees.
What Richards Charged.
Mr. Richards {. member OF the City
Council from Marshall Ward, charged
that he secured an estimate from AS
sistant Engineer Todd for grading cer-
tain sidewalks on Q Street; that the
amount of work largely exceeded the
estimate; that Mr.. Todd did not cross
section the work in advance. and that
the contractor had been largely over
paid for the part that had been done.
Mr. Todd WAS able TO show by wit
ncsses that although not cross-sec-
TONED, he had taken certain general
measurements in advance of the work :
that the exeaS ations were much larg-
er than would appear, and that COM
paratively little more work was neces-
sary 10 make UP the amount which had
been allowed the contractor. There
was much conflicting testimony through
which the committee had TO pick its
way wits some emphatic statements
of a more or less personal nature.
which. despite the efforts OF Chairman
Lynch to preserve order, again and
again threatened the peace OF the in
Sestigation.
Answers Inspector.
Before the Richards matter was gone
into evidence produced by Assistan,
Engineer Saville tended largely to
clear himself of imputations of errors
cast by Sewer Inspector Atkinson, and
10 leave the burden with Mr.. Atkinson,
the man who was discharged by First
Assistant City Engineer Bolton after
he had testified adversely to the de-
partment. Mr.. Saville presented his
notes and estimates which had been
fully checked over and found correct
as TO the Eleventh Street sewer on
which Mr. Atkinson. the inspector, had
testified that he had found 1t neces-
sary to change the grades TO keep the
sewer from running out of the ground
"A letter from the foreman on the job
stated that the grades were not chang
ed at any time. but the Importance OF
the letter was weakened by the admis-
sion that the foreman had been sick a
week while the work was in progress.
A letter from Louis Washer, inspec-
tor of the Tulip Street sewer, on which
dt was alleged Mr.. Saville had made an
error. stated that the sewer had been
covered past the point indicated be-
fore Inspector Atkinson was put on
the job.
Mr. saville stated that his profles
for the Eleventh Street sewer mad
been shown by engineers to be abso-
lutely right. and that If they We're
not followed. IT was Inspector Atk1n-
sons error. Mr.. Savlle said he was
on the work every day, and Mr.. At
tkinson had not said anything to him
about the grades having been wrong
Mr.. Barry Testifics.
tracing firm which built the sewer
testified that he had followed the blue
prints furnished. and that he did not
make any change by order of Atkin-
son or any other inspector that Mr.
MIR. Bolton almost every day. and that
the foreman would certainly have noti-
fled him had there been any conflict
in plans. Mr.. Barry considered Mr.
said he would take orders from no
Inspector which involved change In
the plans without notifying the en-
Eincers. He was not the contractor on
the Broad Street sewer and hesitated
to express an opinion, but as an expert
OF long experience in sewer work he
thought that had the pipe there been
thoroughly covered in the, runnels. by
would not have buckled. Mr.. Atkin-
son recalled to the stand renewed his
assertion of having changed the
grades, and said that sometimes Mr.
week, and didn't always get out OF
that he did not know Of his own
knowledge what he had testified as to
sewer. not having been on that work
s at the time. He insisted, however, that
had he Followed the grades given on
Eleventh Street the sewer would have
run out of the ground, although ad-
hitting that the last cut was marked
sixteen feet deep Mr.. Barry said that
he had been paid by the profile, and
that If the city inspector had insisted
on cut six inches deeper the city
should pay for the additional cut or
dered by Mr.. Atkinson
c. Manning, IN, took the atand in
reply to Sewer Foreman Holzbach as
ITO the finding of a sewer connection
Tor the Broad Street sewer, He stated
POSITIVELY and emphatieally" that he
did not find the connection where the
foreman had told him to cut and that
he had dug into every part of the cell
lar until he was afraid of throwing
the front out OF the building by fur
Y ther excavations before the connec-
zen u VIZ he tethu stand testied 1h Ne
gone to the building and put his foot
4 on the spot where the cut. was tosbe