The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-03-24
LIE Was PASSED,
NO BLOW ALLOWED
Contractor Burton Has Mis-
understanding With Draughts-
man Bass.
EVIDENCE ALL IN AT LAST
Argument Will Be Had Monday
on Charges Against En-
gineer's Office.

Although the lie was passed In
committee room at the City Hall yes
tcrday afternoon between Lucicn l..
Bass q draughtsman, connected with
the City Engineers office, and Con-
tractor Clarence G.. Burton just on
adjournment of the subcommittee
that has been Investigating Mr. Burtons
Charges against the Engineers depart
ment friends os tho two interviewed
and prevented an exchange OF blows
In the closing moments OF the meet
ing Mr.. Rass made a statement in re.
gard 20 certain occurrences In the En-
Eineer's office.
Il deny that" said MT. Burton, with
some heat. when Mr. Bass turned and
asked him whether he had not given
q correct account of what transpired
at time when Mr.. Burton, Jack son
Bolton and Mr.. Bass were present
II Constituting this as q reflection on his
veracity, Mr. Bass followed Mr. Burton
10 the door on adjournment. The lie
passed and Mr.. Burton. who IS larger
! than Mr.. Bass, drew back to strike
when Assistant Engineer Allen Saville
4 pushed forward his husky shoulders.
! Friends Intervene.
Hit a man your size" he shouted in
reply to Mr.. Burtons remark about
knocking Bass's head Off" Mr. Bur
ton was willing to Tight any substitute
OF the proper size. and there was some
confusion for moment. Several con
tractors and others hurried Mr. Burton
from the building. while Mayor Rich
ardson and members OF the committee
and Of tho Engineers stan gathered
around Mr.. Bass. Mayor Richardson
assured him that difference in state
7nent between witnesses was not neces-
CARLY reflection on his intentional
honesty. as it Is known TO all lawyers
that cycwitncsses frequently disagree
on material points.
Mr.. Bass is q son OF tho late Colonel
Lucien l. Bass. once president of the
X Hoard OF Aldermen and acting Mayor
K OF the city during part Of the term OF
former Mayor Darlington. lie has been
associated with the Engineers once
Tor several years. aud has charge OF
the Ming OF plans and drawings and
tho making Of blue prints and charts
q lie is reg rdcd as valued emplcye
Evidence Concluded.
The committee concluded tho taking
OF evidence in the investigation yes
tcrday afternoon. and on Monday af-
ternoon at o'clock the case will be
nrsned by counsel for Mr. Burton. AS
sistant City Attorney George WAYNE
Anderson said that he appeared to aid
the committee In bringing out tho
facts. and that he had only renrc
sented the Engineers Office to the ex
tent OF seeing that no ex parte state
Incnts were made prcjudcial to city
employees AS he appeared Tor the com.
,nittee. rather than for the Engineers
department. and might be associated
with the committee in drafting its
report. he said he did not feel called
on to argue the case
Mr.. Burton himself was the chief
witness yesterday, and was on the
stand nearly all OF the afternoon tell
Ing IN detail of what had led up to his
making the charges. He had bid sew
eral times for sewers in 1910 and lost
recurring no contract from the city in
that year. He noticed a variation in
bids submitted, and came to the con-
clusion that some were not bidding on
the stone for basins
Had Wrong Form
In January, 1911, according to lis
account. he asked for plans and specifi-
cations on a job, and was supplied
by Mr.. Bass. While in the office he
remarked to Mr.. Bolton that there was
variation--that the specifications did
NOT require stone Mr.. Bolton said he
# had the wrong form and gave hin, ono
With the interlineation regarding sun
plying stone. There was some dis
cussion over the matter. Mr. Burton
asserting that some bidders were not
supplying ston-. Finally AR. Burton
said he would not estimate on it. even
though 1t We're In tho specifications.
ana Mr.. Bolton told him, do as you
choose"
When the bids were tabulated. Mr..
II Bnrton came to see the sheet and it
4 was shown him by Mr. Bass whose
attention ne called to an error Of too
many house connections for the len 9Th
or sewer The JOB was then figured
TO go to Maynard b
TT 2nlt
and said that on correcting IL. the ioh
had Como to Fletcher & Kelly. rho
sheet was gone over again and an error
1ound IN brick computation. and fnn1-
~ Ar. Burton got the contract ana
executed 1.-THE first he has gotten in
more than a year. Mr.. Burton en-
phaslzed this, as something had been
SAD before about his getting contra cts
In the past when not the lowest bid
der
Went to Mayor
Mr.. Burton said he told former
councilman I. Francis Green about the
confusion. saying that he knew errors
were likely to occur with the best cal.
culators. but that he thought the two
(. sets of specifications singular He went
With Mr.. Green to the Mayors Office
According to Mr.. Burton. Mr. Boiling
stated In the Mayors office that the
interlineation in the unit form of spe-
4 ciiications was an error that crept in
when the committee decided to have
4. two forms OF bidding Tt was then
claimed, he asserted. that the :nter-
lineation should be in only one set the
linear measure. but was never intended
to be in the unit system specification
Many street basins. he asserted. had
been erected in various parts OF the
city, which had been paid for By the
city, but We're still incomplete as to the
top stones called for in the plans He
did not take his complaint to the head
Of the department, as he had been re-