The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1913-03-04
SCHOOL BOILER IS
NOW DEFECTIVE
Maple Avenue Steam Plant Not
Yet Running Right.

That one of the new boilers
installed in the Maple avenue school
building is defective was the mes
sage conveyed to the board of educa-
ton by Mr.. Conkling, of the commit
tee in charge of the buildings. The
No. 2 boiler will not hold water and
cannot be used for the purposes in
tended. John F. Cooney. the Newark
contractor, however, again presented
his bill for the final payment on
the contract and it was accompanied
by a certificate from Architect o. b.
Smith, jr., certifying that the plant
was completed and in good shape.
The contractors bill is for $4,o7O.
Mr.. Smith put in a bill for $l,93S.29
as due him.
The architects certificate, issued
January 18th, has no weight with the
board under the circumstances, ac-
cording to counsel and Judge Gutter
was instructed to demand that 1t be
revoked. Assistant Engineer Waiter
Leonard was called in and explained
to the board just what was the mat
ter with the boiler.
President Hinchman read letters
from Mr.. Smith and his consulting eE'
gineers, Runyon & Carey, OF Newark
in which the blame for the poor
showing made to date by the steam
plant and ventilating apparatus was
shouldered off upon the engineer en-
ployed by the school board, Gilbert,
who it was asserted was incompetent
and did not understand the proper
workings of the plant. The coal
used. the engineers asserted, was
from thirty to forty per cent. slate
and required the cleaning OF the flres
at least three times day.
President Hinchman said That Gll-
ert was acting under the orders OF
Cooney's engineer and the plant at
all times had been under the super
vision of the contractor as it had not
been accepted by the school board.
Gilbert was called in and he told
the board his side of the story, how
Consulting Engineer Runyon had been
told over and over again by him that
the engine was not right and the
boiler was defective and how he nad
been told he was only the janitor and
to attend to his own affairs. Seven
different men, Gilbert said, had been
tinkering with the engine trying 10
make it work and he had finally 10
properly pack the engine himself IN
order to get it working.
He asserted that the engine people
had stolen in unawares and made
changes in the pipes. When the
thermostat was installed in the boiler
room the plate bearing the words
.'open' and shut was put on up
sside down, which he did not discover
until sometime later, SO that when
he thought the dampers in the foul
air ducts were open they were closed
and vice versa. He complained about
it and man came up from Newark
who said he was going to fix it ana
the fellow worked all day. Supposlng
the matter had been righted Gilbert
claimed he continued to operate the
dampers according to the plate until
Runyon came along and said he was
doing it backwards. He then dis
covered that the Newark mechanic
had not changed the plate at all.
His employer finally came up and did
the work himself.
81 have tried to do my duty by
the people who employ me- Gilbert
told the board 'The whole trouble
is | have insisted that split pipe and
other defective materials should not
be used and in consequence have In
Cured the i'll will of the contractor.
They are trying to rub it in on me.
l believe Architect Smith is trying to
do what is right but he is depending
upon his consulting engineers who in
turn listen only to the contractor"
After several members of the board
had expressed their confidence in the
ability of Gilbert and Leonard to
handle the plant if it is put in work
ing order by the contractor the board
took no further action on the bills OF
the contractor and the architect
The committee in charge Of the
teachers reported the resignation of
Miss Page and also that the night
school had closed for the season.
There have been held sixteen ses-
sions per month of two hours dura-
tion each.
Custodian Rutan reported balance
of $34, 4,129.53.