The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-11-30
Atkinson, Who Told of
Errors in Grade, Dis
missed by Bolton.
LYNCH CLAIMS
IT'S PERSECUTION
City Engineer Boiling Not In
formed of His Chief Assistants
Act-Committee Bringing
Out Facts in Connection
With Departments
Sewer Work.

PERSECUTION IN the =It-
partment was charged BY members of
tho special Investigating committee
last night. when 1T was brought out
that First Assistant City Engineer
jackson Bolton had yesterday morning
discharged sewer Inspector II. S. At
kinson, who had testified at former
meeting ait to errors In grades of sew
ers. 1t was shown that Mr.. Atkinson
had been an inspector for the depart
ment nine years, was the Oldest man
in point OF service among the inspect
ors was regarded as competent in
spector by City Engineer Boiling and
that his discharge was without the
knowledge OF the City Engineer.
Mr.. Bolton gave as his reason FOR
dlsmlssing Mr.. Atkinson that he had
three times caught him absent from
the work. Mr.. Atkinson admitted
having been absent from the job in
question, but asserted that ne had since
been given otHsr sewers to inspect;
that he had been laid off by Mr.. Bolton
after his evidence as to errors IN sew
ers In Eleventh street and Tulip
street, and that yesterday morning
when he applied for work, Mr. Bolton
had told him that he had "better get
another job; that the Engineers De-
partment had no ,urther work for him.
Worked on Brond street Sewer.
r. a
city on the Broad Street deep sewer,
which buckIed, and much OF the time
of the committee was taken in going
over the details oc that work, there
being a direct conflict OF testimony
between Mr. Atkinson and Assistant
Engineer Bolton. who is in general
charge of sewer construction work
for the city under the City Engineer.
Mr. Atkinson showed some unwilling
~ e,,I utrfy1 81
that no WAS no longer In the city en-
pioy. He described the plan OF the
Broad street sewer built III two sec
tlons. one from Ninth and Grace to
Broad TO Seventh and Broad. and the
other from Seventh and Clay. to Broad.
and then westward on Broad TO
Adams. all at a great. depth to give
drainage TO the endorsements of Broad
Street stores. There was no trouble
with the first section, and none with
the second. until west of Fourth
Street when, Mr.. Atkinson testified.
Engineer Boiling assigned him to a
number of other small sewers. making
1t impossible for him 10 be on the
work all the time. When the sewer
was finished to Foushee Street, 1t was
found that water was not running
through 1t properly. but was backing
out on the work. Mr.. Atkinson testi-
fed that he reported 1t TO Mr.. Bolton.
and suggested putting in head wall
to hold the water until the work was
completed, which Mr.. Bolton approved.
and which was done,
Bolton Contradicts Atklnson.
Later Mr. Solton testified that he
had never heard OF such a thing until
the entire sewer was finished and
would not have permitted 1t at all had
1t been reported to him. In answer
to City Engineer Boiling, Mr.. Atkin-
son admitted that had a lighted Ian
tern been lowered at the stack, 1t
would have been possible TO see from
stack to stack, and so locate any OBJ
struction. and also that had the Pipe
heen properly Joined, no dirt could
have got into It
No report was made to Mr.. Boiling
that the sewer was choked. Mr.. At
kinson said he merely told Mr.. Bolton
that water was standing in 1t, and
afterwards found that the pipe had
buckled in the tunnel under First
Street at two places near Third. The
inspector said he was away from the
job about two thirds OF the time He
repeated his testimony as to a sewer
In Eleventh Street near Leigh. where
he had changed the grades between
the stations given him by Assistant
Engineer Saville. He asserted that
the rate of grade on the proslss did
not agree with the depth of cuts at
either end. Mr.. Saville assorted that
his figures We're correct, and filed his
note book with City Engineer Boiling
to be checked over.
Suspended for Cnrclcssnesx.
Mr., Atkinson said he had never con-
planned, but that had there been an
inspector on the Broad Street work
all the time, there would have heen
no troubl,, He said he knew that in
former Investigation Mr., Bolton had
placed or him the responsibility for
that break, and that he had lost his
lob as a result. lie explained that he
had been suspended for carelessness
on that sever, and that Mr. Boiling
had had himkreinstated, He had made
no complaint because Mr., Bolton had
said that a good live man should be
able to look after several jobs. Mr..
saville he sad. had given the grades
'or a later sewer In TULIP Street where
he had found It necessary to put the
sewer two fees higher than Il pro-
file called forS In order to connect
with another s,wer already laid the
depth Of which{was eleven feet, not
thirteen, as the(map showed.
Says He NEas Not on Job.
Mr.. Bolton wa, asked why he had
discharged Inspector Atkinson. and
responded that o, sewer In Thir-
tieth street sinc tho Broad Street
matter he had found him absent from
the job three TINS He denied that
his discharge had leen because of any
evidence of errors given to the COM
mittee, but admitAd that after the
Thirtieth Street jon he had kept Mr..
Atkinson at work, Employing him as
Inspector on the Tlip Street sewer,
In which the error wus alleged, He
(, had given him anotAr trial after his
Broad Street failure, Mr.. Adams want
I'd to know why MrA3olton had not
1t once discharged Mn Atkinson when
lContlnued on Thrd Page. N