The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-02-08
FLOOD PLAN
SPLIT FIXED
ON ENGINEER
Scheme to Name w. w.
Southard COnsuItant In
spires Commission Rift.
SECRET MEET CHARGED
Picket Fence Expose Also
Before County Council.

An effort of Cassius /. Hogle and
Charles o. Sutton, majority members
of the Marion County commissioners,
to have w. w. Southard, county en-
gineer, appointed consulting en-
gineer of the Morris St. White River
s1.1O0.0O0 flood prevention project,
was said today to be the basis for
the split between the majority COM
missioners and George Snider, the
minority.
The break came openly Monday
after Snider learned that a letter
written Friday to the board of
works gave approval of the commits
sioners body to the bridge project.
The letter was signed only by Hogle
and Sutton.
According to City Engineer Ches-
ter C. Oberleas, the majority COM
missioners approached him and
asked for the appointment of South
ard Immediately on the heels of their
approval of the plans. In the let
ter Hogle and Sutton recommended
two technical changes in the sewage
disposal lines in the proposed river
plan.
Matter of Courtesy"
Under original plans a levee one
and one-fourth miles long will be
built, the river channel will be Wild
ened and Strengthened and the Nor
ris ST. bridge will be erected. The
county and city each pay 45 per cent
of the cost, while taxpayers owning
abutting property pay the remain
ing 10 per cent.
A resolution of the board of works
provided the plans be drawn by the
city engineer and that if a consulting
| engineer was considered necessary
by Oberleas, he should recommend
one.
Roy c. Shaneberger. board of
works president. declared the county
had no authority to select an engi-
neer or recommend one.
When the city turned the plans
over to the county. 1t was done as u
| mere courtesy" he declared 1--WE
did not have to do it."
The county council, headed by
! George N. Montgomery, president, in
It's investigation of the commits
sioners. learned that the majority
commissioners turned the plans over
to Southard when they We're received
at the Courthouse, and that they did
not reappear in the county commits
sioners court for four days.
County Auditor Harry S. Dunn
said he was having them looked
over"
Charges Secrecy"
Snider Monday declared the plans
did not come to him and that he was
entirely excluded from the proceed
ings. 1.-THE meeting must have been
held secretly" he charged.
Council members also stated today
they have learned definitely of secret
meetings at tie gravel company Of
flee of c. o. Dodson, Republican po-
litical boss, attended by Dodson,
Hogle, Sutton and Dunn. They in
dicated information has been re-
| ceived that Dodson is attempting to
sell gravel from his pit to the coun-
ty and, according to the councilmen,
Dodson considered the flood preven-
ton project "a juicy morsel.'
The "552T" situation also has
come before the council. This mat
ter, centering around the purchase
of Jail dining-room equipment from
~. H. Sprenger Equipment Com
pany, 5527 Donna Ave- for $3.50
was revealed Saturday by The
Times. 1t was shown that "5527"
Bonna Ave. consisted of a series of
fence pickets and a vacant lot.
The address" would be immediate
ly east of the machine shop of John
E. Hogle. s525 Bonna Ave, nephew
of Cassius l.. Hogle.