Chapter I: Preface

The following pages have been written with the view to record a few scamping tricks occasionally practised upon public works, and to name some methods founded on practical experience adopted by sub-contractors and others to cheaply and quickly execute work.

All who have had the direction or charge of an extensive or even comparatively insignificant public enterprise will agree that it is impossible for a resident or contractor's engineer to know the manner in which everything is proceeding on his division, and in some measure he is compelled to rely upon others; nevertheless, it is quite as important to ascertain that the work is carried out according to the specification and drawings as to elaborate a perfect specification and then have to partly leave the execution to the care of the beneficent fairies.

If a finger-post has been correctly pointed in the direction in which a favourable field for scamping tricks may exist, the author's object in writing this book will have been attained.

To the less experienced, the incidents and scrap-knowledge described may be more particularly useful, and on consideration it was thought that the conversational tone adopted would best expose the subject and indicate the ethics of somewhat conscience-proof sub-contractors and workmen, and also the way in which their earnest endeavours to practise the science of scamping may be exercised upon materials and under circumstances not especially referred to herein.

J. N.

LONDON, 1891.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION 1

CHAPTER II.

SCREW PILES--GENERAL CONSIDERATION--MANIPULATION FOR "EXTRA PROFIT" 3

CHAPTER III.

SCREW PILES--DETAILS 13

CHAPTER IV.

IRON PILES--ARRANGEMENT--DRIVING--SINKING BY WATER-JET 25

CHAPTER V.

TIMBER PILES--PILE-DRIVING--GENERAL CONSIDERATION 32

CHAPTER VI.

TIMBER PILES--MANIPULATION FOR "EXTRA" PROFIT 42

CHAPTER VII.

MASONRY BRIDGES 53

CHAPTER VIII.

TUNNELS 61

CHAPTER IX.

CYLINDER BRIDGE PIERS 69

CHAPTER X.

DRAIN PIPES--BLASTING, AND POWDER-CARRIAGE 76

CHAPTER XI.

CONCRETE--PUDDLE 85

CHAPTER XII.

BRICKWORK--TIDAL WARNINGS--PIPE JOINTS--DREDGING 93

CHAPTER XIII.

PERMANENT WAY 103

CHAPTER XIV.

"EXTRA" MEASUREMENTS--TOAD-STOOL CONTRACTORS--TESTIMONIALS 114

CHAPTER XV.

MEN AND WAGES--"SUB" FROM THE WOOD--A SUB-CONTRACTOR'S SCOUT AND FREE TRAVELLER 121

SCAMPING TRICKS AND ODD KNOWLEDGE

OCCASIONALLY PRACTISED UPON PUBLIC WORKS.