FIRE AND WATER ENGINEERING.
At Watertown, Wis., the board of water commissioners has set a good example to the department of water supply of New York city. It has decided that the overflow of water from the old well at the pumping station, which for years has been going to waste, shall be conserved in the future. It is of excellent quality. Why not do the same with the water that runs to waste over the Croton dam?
In the case of Edwin B. Wight against the city of Lansing, Mich., Judge Wiest directed a verdict of “no cause for action” in favor of the city. The plaintiff was the contractor for the building of central fire station on Grand street, the Hillsdale street station and the Bingham street fire station. He was paid the contract price for the work and presented a claim for nearly $900 for extras. Judge Wiest held that the city, being a corporation, could not legally be held on an implied contract, and that the architect or superintendent of the building could not order extras on a contract unless the contract so specified because of a provision of the city charter. “The council must advertise for bids for all public improvements and it is imperative that the contract be let to the lowest responsible bidder" said the decision.
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