The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1870-10-12

4 few Statements from beth Sides
Of the Controversy.
Uncle Sam At the wheel.
The Piers to be Completed by the FIRST OF
December.

em.de mention last week of the super
,edure of Messrs. Harvey L. Liversey, the
contractors of the pier work of the ne"
bridge at this point, by Uncle Sam, and also
rhs. be had taken immedi late charge thereon.
The contractors we're first informed OF the
nrono.ed change on Friday morning last.
when they reported at the q. s. Engineers
office in this city for estimates. They were
then and there officially notified that orders
had been issued for them to stop work, and
tina. the government would take charge Of
the construction of the piers on the follow
ing morning. The contractors took counsel
and unolested against the change After
some hours delay in recognizing the desa lis
of work, men, &C., work was resumed
under the charge of government officials.
The instructions upon which Col. Ma
combs order was based came from the War
Department, on the strength of complaints
made q, headquarters of hardness in the
prosecution of the work on the part of the
COZ tractors. Who made complaints We are
not advised.
The contractors allege, in their defense
First, that it WAS not until the 4th of Sep
TENDER, 1869, that the plans of the piers
were placed in their hands SO that they
could commence work I'd, that the work
vas unex pectedly and unsvo,dsbly delayed by
the high water of October, 1869; Sd, that the
work was unnecessarily stopped BY Maj
Srickney, in November. 1869; 4th, that in
the spring of 1870, the e S. Engineer failed
to furnish or designate the location of the
piers, and also by more high water at that
time; 9TH, that high water delayed them il
May and again in August and finally that
| the government failed to furnish sutficien,
material for their use during the past two
| mouths.
We do not wish to be thought partial III
this controversy, or that we uphold the
government, for it Leeds no help of ours oil
Of auv one else but, that we might present
both sides of this affair to the public, We
called on jor Stickney this morning, and
through his well-known courtesy, elected the
| following facts on the other aide we again
| .ay that this is not IA defense of the action q
| the government, for it makes none. AS IL
| the first charge of Harvey i Liversey, he
| Major Stickney, stated that the plans were
| furnished them on August I'D, 1863 sc
much for the first one as to the secont
charge, of course that was unavoidable; tht
third is entirely groundless it is true tina
that the work was stopped by Maj Stickney
| but at the urgent request of the contractors
| on account of the floating ice i; the fourt!
charge Is untrue, except as to the h,gf
water; the fifth is acknowledged, as far a.
| the high water is concerned-in fact, all tbs
nigh water detention of this and last year i;
| acknowledged 4; their last charge is also
untrue, as sufficient material was on hand
all the time for their use.
Here are both sides of this controversy, il
1t can so be called, and the public can Judge
| for themselves whether the govern meu'
was justified in removing the contractors, al
was done. The contractors suffered consid
cradle detention by high water-we el
acknowledge that-bnt the water was not &c
high as to necessi,ate total stoppage o
the work. Aud again, when the river wa
at q low stage of water. as it has been 70
weeks at time, they did not do the Wort
they should have done during that time
Whatever action the contractors may furthe
take on this subject We cannot state, but il
the meantime the government will push tn
work TO an early completion.
Considerable work still remains TO b
done. The shore sbutmepts and the frs
pier from the Iowa shore are completed
the upper rest of the draw pier and tn
second pier are almost finished. The THIRD
fourth and fifth piers. aud the lower rest fo
the draw, are still unbuilt. The Golfers fo
Two of these piers arc finished, and the thir
is still TO be put down.