The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-03-10
Specifications for Sew
ers lnterlined With
Pen and Ink.
HEAD OF OFFICE 4
TAKES ALL BLAME
No Mention Is Made Of First
Assistant Engineer, Who Had
Charge Of All Sewer Con
struction-Some Contrac-
tors Aided by City at
Expense of Others.

Practically all OF the charges brought
Contractor G. 6. Burton against the
~ engineers Department were ad-
En ,t.Iu Sesteroay afternoon by City
Ensinecr Charles T. Boiling. who tool,
az oi the blame upon himself for Tho
mistakes or his subortiinatcs and ,,ho
stated that he had given positive
orders which would prevent. the re.
~ renee OF such mistakes in the fu-
49,. 49,, 1ross errors in calculations,
haking three contractors one after
another, appear to / 9 the lowest bidder
bc1orc the contract was finally ava
60 two sets OF specified tons, some or
mem intcrlined In pen and ink. so tina,
AoNne contractors for sewers furnished
A.one ana some were supplied by the
CITY. and other instances OF !axi,y and
carelcssnees in the sewer work were
aufnlttcd IN the course OF an invesII-
cation 'by q subcommittee OF The Com
mlttee on Streets, consisting Of Mcssrs
Nonderlehr. Miller and Gunst. which,
was IN session for several hours yes
terda%. and which VIII meet again on
Monday afternoon,
Bottoms MIME Not Mentioned.
during the entire inquiry the name
OF FIRST Assistant city Engineer Jack
son Bolton, who committed suicide on
the morning The COMMITTEES was to have
heard the charges, was not mentioned
l. r. l.
ton had been directly in char-e. of
the department of sewers; that II vas
ne who had !ntfrllned the contracts.
ana given varying information to dif-
Ierent bidders and made errors in cal
culations, In one specific instance tho
error amounting 10 early twice the
entire amount Of the job. Yet +, was
the Engineers Department, not the
specific assistant by name, whose work
was discussed. Chairman Nonderlch,
suggesting hat the inquiry lie direct
ed ra.hertwish view OF curing defects
In the Office than of attaching blame
+ 20 me name Of ono now dead
Hurton'a Statements Arc Proven
Mcssrs. OFlahcrty and Fulton an
pcarcd for Mr.. Burton. asserting that
they were net there TO bring charges
or TO attack any ones iaracter but
TO vindicate certain statements made
BY Mr.. Burton before the Committee on
Streets, all Of which were susceptible
of proof Assistant City Attorney
George Wayne Anderson appeared for
tbs city. y large number OF contrac-
tors were present. but MAS not
necessary to call any witnesses The
records OF the engineers Office smoke
for themselves. and there was prac-
t!caly no difference as to the main
facts in the ease. The u,committee
Will meet again on Monday afternoon
10 formulate q report the Burton
matter, and to inquire into the alleged
overpayn cnt OF about 5000 TO l. j..
Smith Company, an error which was
detected by Mr. Smith, who gave the
city credit for the amount and per-
sonally reported the mistake.
Boiling Assumes All Blame
Essential points brought out yester-
day were that the assertions Of Mr..
Burton were in the main substantiat-
ed both by the records of the Office
- n -rf. -'
Boiling; that the department. and the
City Engineer as it's head assume all
the blame for mistakes and errors
made by Mr.. Bolton as first assistant
engineer In charge OF sewer work:
that City Engineer Boiling has already
given orders for changes in the speci-
fications which In his belief will pre-
vent a recurrence OF many OF the con-
ditions complained Of and that Con-
tractor Burton says 1t Is not his in
tcntion to bring any suit or file any
back claim against the city, his sole
object, according to his statement.
being to call the attention Of the com
mittee and the city at large to obvious
errors which were working an injus
tico among bidders for sewer contracts
Two Sets Of Specifications.
Mr.. Burton's letter TO the Committee
on Streets was read. setting forth that
tho office had two sets Of specifications
furnish stone for street basins cost
ing about SIT per set, while III others
the city furnished the stone; that in
certain specific instances where con-
!, tractors had bid to furnish stone the
city had in fact supplied it. thus Civ
ing those contractors so supplied an
unfair advantage over others Mr.
Burton said he had called the atten
ton of the first assistant engineer to
this matter, and ii had seemed to dis
please him no little lie further
charged that in one specific instance
a. lateral sewer that should have cost
not more than $1,000 was figured out to
cost in excess of $1,000; that on ac-
count of two specific errors one OF
$1,170 and another OF S1,2G0, two SO
Daratc contracts had been made OUT.
the first to Fletcher and Kelley, and
the second to another contractor ar
ter which he bad insisted on rehgurins
the bid sheets, and convinced the I'm
Rineering Department tina { he was the
lowest bidder. and a third contract
was made out giving him the award
Big Error in Small Job.
Mr. Fulton made 1t clear that his
client made no charges against any
Individual but against certain ire
4 gtllarities and mistakes which had an
peared in til. drpurtment and whtcl,
had necessitated three corrections.
With, difference on $1,000 Job OF
more than SO, 600 from the amount for
which the contract was first drawn.
4 Ills client, said Mr.. fulton, thought It
his duty to flo n protest with the Com
1ntttee on Streets rs one who had bid
IN good faith. and who had discovered
Irregularities, and lie was present not
to make charges, but1to aid the con-
mittee in curing certain defeats.
E'The City Engineer has admitted
a that these mistakes have occurred,
said Mr.. Gunst "As understand 1t,
{Continucd on Eighth Paco.) -7--'