Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1850-12-20
VOL. 3.----NO. 8.

the work below that point, embraced in
the first letting. For the accommodation
of the contractors, upon that portion oil
the work, the President issued certificates
certifying the respective amounts due
them, and made payable at his Office, out
of the first receipts in the Treasury
Those certificates were payable to order,
and answered a valuable purpose in ena-
bling the contractors to transfer their
claims upon the State in payment Of
such liabilities as they had contracted in
the prosecution of their work.
The work on the contracts being sus-
pended by the inability of the State to
meet her engagements, the fifteen per
cent. heretofore retained on their jobs
will necessarily have to be paid. The
laws in relation to the improvement do
not define the course to be pursued in
case OF a failure to pay the estimates
when due. II is respectfully suggested
that the Legislature shall definitely. pre-
scribe the course to be pursued in case
of similar occurrences in the further pro-
gress of the work. We also respectful
ly recommend that the Legislature me-
morialize Congress to allow the proper
authorities of the. State to select other
lands, in lieu of those sold by the Uni
ted States above the "Forks." These
lands, notwithstanding their sale by the
General Government, yet legally belong
10 the State, but in view of the fact that
they have been mostly located upon by
military land warrants, in good faith by
our own citizens, injustice would doubt-
lessly, in many instances, be done, were
the State compelled 10 assert her title to
them. Congress, it is presumed, would,
in view of the facts under which the
State was attempted to be deprived ol
these lands, allow others to the amount
of the value of them, TO be selected and
appropriated to the improvement. In
justice would be done the State, were she
TO take instead of these lands similar
quantity of such lands as could now be
selected. The lands sold, situated as
they are Immediately above the prosper.
Gus and rapidly advancing young city ol
Fort Des Moines, are intrinsically at the
present time worth from four to ten dol.
lars per acre, while similar quantity
selected in lieu of them, would never re-
alize 10 the State over one dollar and a
quarter per acre. Ii is, therefore, prop
er, in appealing to Congress for reimburs-
ment, that the memorial be so framed as
to ask for the value of those lands, in
stead of similar quantity of much less
value. -
The able and full report Of the Chiel
/ Engineer, Guy Wells, Esq, which ac.
companies this report, shows the exact
condition of the work under charge. Il
will be perceived by comparison ol
these estimates with those of the former
Chief Engineer, under whom the i'm
provemeni was originally projected and
commenced, that there exists very ma
ierial difference of cost. The figures ol
the present Engineer shows that work
has already been done or the canal with
its necessary appendages to the amount
of $l38,84S ~, exclusive of the ordi-
nary and usual contingent expenses in
! the prosecution of such works OF ten
per cent. upon that amount, which voc
augment it to $l52,733 26. The totaI
cost of the canal, according 10 the pres.
ent estimate will amount 10 S260,93 81
of which amount there remains yet to be
done 1922 ,Os9 90; adding the estimates
for contingent and wastage during the
suspension of the work, twelve per cent
making the whole cost of the canal
$275, $3.50 l3, and the whole cost of the
work yet to be done $036,740 90, ex-
elusive of the ten per cent. on the work
already done. The figures Of the for.
mer engineer, as shown in his report No.
one, make the cost of the canal, after
adding ten per cent. for contingent ex2en.
ses aud $5,000,00 for walls and races fol
mills at various points from Lock No.
to Lock No. at Thoms' mill, $l25, 1897
IL. The present estimated cost being
made at the actual prices for which the
work was contracted, and the former es.
simaied cost being made before the work
was put under contract. We refer you
TO the present Engineers report for the
reasons for this great discrepancy in the
\ T.
two estimates.
The extraordinary and destructive
freshets which occurred during the latter
part OF the winter and in the spring oi
lS49, occasionec considerable destruc-
ton to the works on the canal. The riv.
er, as is well known, rose higher at that
time than it was ever known to have
been by the inhabitants in its vicinity
| before or since. This misfortune added
to the prevalence of the cholera which
made its appeara nee on the works in the
early part OF the season, occasioned much
loss and voxatious delay to the contrac-
tors. In addition to this, expenses ol
conducting the work had advanced from
SO TO rs per cent. for ordinary labor
and other expenses in about the same
proportion.
In November of that year, the Board
accompanied by the Chief Engineer
made personal and thorough examina
ton Of the whole work under contract
and in pursuance of an adjournment
from regular meeting held at Ottumwa
met at Keokuk, on the 10th Of that month
i for The nurpose of considering the yari.