To Cull The Bricks

TO CULL THE BRICKS

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The Outcome of Warm Meeting Last Night.

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EX-ALD. WM. HERZ TALKS

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And Sets Himself Right on Brick Question.

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The Agent of the brick Company Is Willing That all Poor Bricks Should be Thrown Out and Guarantees the Brick.

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The Washington st. pavement question gave rise to a hot discussion on the brick question before the board of public works Wednesday with a spectacular tilt between ex-Alderman William Herz, and Mr. Stevens, the Detroit agent of the Athens brick.

This was preceeded by the reading of a petition signed by O. M. Martin, William Herz and Louis O. Weinmann asking the board to allow Clarken & Clancy to use Watts Asphalt Filler as they were convinced by the reports from other cities that it was the best in use.

Mr. Herz arose and said he had signed the petition because he had been told that the board wanted him to do it. He didn't want to sign it, but the agent talked and the others had signed and with the understanding that the board wanted him to he signed it.

Mr. Schleicher said if they told Mr. Herz that, they told him something they had no business to.

Mr. Mclntyre wanted to know if this was not the filling that had been rejected at Detroit and Toledo.

Mr. Herz thought the citizens committee didn't have anything to do with choosing the filler. He, himself, didn't know anything about the filler.

Mr. Clancy said the agent for the filler had been here but had little time and knowing that the committee had signed the petition, he thought it was settled. The committee had been appointed to select the brick and the filler.

Mr. Herz wanted the minutes looked up.

Mr. Clancy: "I may be mistaken. "

Mr. Herz: "I guess you are.''

Mr. Keech said the committee was to act with the board, they were to act together.

Mr. Heiz: "I don't know anything about the filler. Clarken said it was used in Toledo and the board wanted it. "

Mr. Schleicher: "That's a mistake. ' '

Mr. Key looked up the minutes and the resolution was found so worded as to refer to brick only.

Mr. Keech: ''Mr. Key, does the filler come up to the specifications?"

Engineer Key: "I don 't know whether it does or not '

Mr. Clarken said the company was willing to furnish the filler and guarantee it to come up to the specifications.

Mr. Keech said if it came up to the specifications that was all the board could ask. He suggested that they had plenty of time to decide this and on motion of Mr. Schleicher the matter was laid on the table.

The communication from the citizens committee published in last night's Argus recommending that No. 1 Athens brick be used on the pavement as agreed upon was read.

Mr. Herz said Mr. Schleicher was on the committee. He knows this is not the kind of brick we picked out.

Mr. Schleicher said these brick have got to be selected. The brick on the ground are the run of the kiln. Nothing has been thrown out - not even the thirds.

Mr. Stevens the agent who sold the brick was asked to speak. He said he was obliged for the opportunity to defend his case. He had seen what the newspapers had said. You all know with what facility they write up anything and in what vivid colors they paint it. He had done business in Ann Arbor for 10 years and he wanted to maintain his reputation. He had sold the Massilon brick last year and he considered it a credit to the street, to the board and to himself. When he came this year, the manager of the Massilon brick had so many orders ahead they were not anxious to sell it. The Athena brick was a good brick. It was harder than the Massilon. He had not interviewed a solitary alderman to sell the brick. He had used no undue influence and very little influence. You ought not to be influenced by the opinion of men who know nothing about brick. What is my opinion worth on a coffin, a casket or a hearse? Will a city engineer condemn brick simply on its appearance? Won't he test it? Would he give an off hand opinion? He admitted that some of the bricks should be thrown out. The men who load the bricks at the works are the same class of men who get $1.25 a day in Ann Arbor. The companies can't always employ the same men. There are green hands. We have to give the contractors a guarantee for five years. Is not this evidence that the Athens people want you to put in good brick? But I don't want Mr. Herz or any other man to pick out a cull and judge the brick by that. The Athens brick will resist more abrasion than any other brick made. It is a schale brick. It is not possible to make it so uniform or straight as a softer brick. You will have a first class pavement if you throw out the culls. That will be the company's loss as they have paid the freight on the culls. You want an ideal pavement, a pavement that will last."

Mr. Schleicher: "Do you consider these bricks only fair average bricks?"

Mr. Stevens: "No. "

Mr. Schleicher: "Are they not the run of the kiln?"

Mr. Stevens: "No they are not the run of the kiln?" Some of the brick are overburned. All the brick are not made on a straight edge. There is a sand cushion of an inch, so that when the roller passes over, it makes the pavement level. You cannot get paving brick absolutely uniform. A lot of this criticism is not worth anything because made by people who know nothing of paving brick. He thought when the bricks were carefully culled, the board would be surprised at the small percentage of brick thrown out. "'

City Attorney Norris : "You think yon can sort this brick out and get a pretty fair pavement. "

Mr. Herz said that Mr. Stevens had made the statement that he hadn't seen anyone. He had been to see him twice. He had two of his cards to prove it. Mr. Stevens had been doing business here 10 years. He had been doing it 30 and more. Does Mr. Stevens claim that this is No. 1 Athens brick. The committee went to see Mr. Moreland. Do you claim that this is the very brick we picked out? Do you think this is the best brick yon can make? We don't believe it.

Mr. Stevens: "Are you all through?"

Mr. Herz: "No, I'm just starting. If you think this is No. 1 brick you are mistaken. The taxpayers found fault with the Main st. paving job. The contractors promised to do nice work. Why don't they do it? Why don't they do it?"

Mr. Norris: "They have not started yet. "

Mr. Herz said that was the reason he wanted it talked about first. If the paving is not done right, the taxpayer will condemn it. The taxpayers on Washington st. are paying for this. Mr. Stevens: I'll make a proposition to start a petition among the property owners on Washington st. to pay an inspector to inspect this brick - not an inspector from Ann Arbor - a good outside inspector. Then whatever brick is rejected you ought to be satisfied, ''

Mr. Schleicher: "Mr. Stevens doesn't expect anything except what is right and proper. The brick are to be culled. Of course you are entitled to get none but good brick in that job. Mr. Stevens must submit to all the brick thrown out."

Mr. Herz: "I know there is some good brick here but they are few. These contractors will never get a contract any more if they furnish such stuff. Why can't they do it right in the first place? Look at that brick! Ain't yon ashamed of it?"

City Attorney Norris asked the board how long it would be before they would turn the street over to Mr. Clancy as before they did it he wanted him to file a bond to maintain the paving.

President Mclntyre said when that bond was filed the city attorney should notify the board and if the contractors were in a hurry a special meeting would be called. And so ended the brick talk last night. Words convey but a feeble impression of the excited talk, the gestures and many of the side remarks are necessarily lost. The spectators got their money's worth.