Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-01-08
INSPECTOR AT MIXER ALLEGES
PAVING is NOT UP TO
SPECIFICATIONS.
REPORT SAYS CONTRACT
SHORT $50 BAGS CEMENT
George Herman, Appointed by Council
as Inspector Of Cement Mixing, Sets
Out in Report Filed With Council
Alleged Deficiencies in Most of Pave
ment Laid Last Summer.

George Herman, Inspector upon the
paving done by Carey & Sons in this
city last summer, filed Friday after
! noon with the city clerk somewhat
sensational report in which he claims
1 that most of the concrete paving laid
during the summer falls short of spe-
cifications except that laid on North
Tenth, West State, South Ninth, and
West Church streets between Ninth
and Eleventh streets. which Were the
+! last streets paved.
: Up to that time Herman believes
! that the paving was short of the spe-
CITED seven inches. in thickness in
| places, and that the top course con-
| tanned a portion of the bottom mix
! ture SO as to reduce the proportion, OF
cement and granite needed to comply
with the specifications. This shortage.
he gives in an estimate from the city
engineers office, to be as much as
$3.50 sacks of cement and 100 cubic
yards of granite on the whole job.
Says City Engineer Complained.
Herman explains that as the work
progressed the city engineer had COM
planned that the contractor was not
, using near the amount of cement which
the engineer had estimated would be
needed and that finally he, Herman.
caught the Workmen on West Church
street using only four patches to lay
the top course from curb to curb and
twenty-five feet along the street, when
they had previously been using five
patches for top and fifteen patches for
bottom.
Des Moines Inspector Finds Shortage.
Herman then complained. and the
inspector from Des Moines took charge
of the board which guages the thick
ness Of the pavement. while Herman
counted the patches required for each
section. Then, he says, it took six and
one half patches for top and seventeen
patches for bottom. Then, he says, the
Des Moines Inspector found the .guage
had been one inch too low before, Civ
ing six-inch instead of seven-inch
paving.
Measure Then as Specified.
After that, he says, the concrete used
| in both courses measured out accord
! ing to the engineers estimate, which
causes Herman and the city engineer,
SO he says, to believe that the entire
work was short about $50 sacks OF
cement and 100 cubic yards of granite
Council Demanded Concession.
Herman says that when he reported
these conditions the council and city
i attorney demanded a concession Of Is
! cents on the dollar in the price. which
| the contractor refused. He says that
] the Monarch Engineering Company
of Des Moines, wrote a letter advising
/ the demand of some concession. but
later changed its report.
I PAYERS Invite Inspection.
! In the formal notice that Carey &,
Sons, the PAYERS, served on the city
demanding that the paving be accept
| ed and the assessments levied it was
stated that the pavement was a sub
stantial compliance with the CONTRACT
Inspection and investigation were in
vited and the PAYERS said they were
willing that sections of the pavement
should be cut and lifted for inspec-
! ton.