New-York tribune., 1874-12-11
CANAL CONTRACTS.
HISTORY OF THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE
CHAMPLAIN CANAL.

UNNECESSARY IMPROtEMENlo AN AAnSS
MORE IMPORTANT woRK-A MEETING OF Busi-
NESS MEN AT wHITEHALL-APPoINTMENT oF
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT THEIR INTERESTS
PROM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE ]
WHITEHALL. N. Y, Dec. 7.-The Champlain
Canal forms one of the important water connections
the vast lumber and Oreproducine regions OF
Canada and the northern part OF New-York and tho
Eastern States and Hudson River. It also, by the
improvements which now under way, is expected to
attract much Of the Western grain transportation IL
extends from whitehall at the head Of Lake Champlain.
10 Troy, distance OF 63 miles. There is also short
branch connecting with the Erie Canal at Cohoes.
Its Importance an internal highway may DO
estimated from the fact that during the season
lust closed. million tons OF merchandise have
transported It, consisting mostly OF iron ore
ron lumber lime. and marble. with coal as the chief
return freight But deficiency In width and depth has
operated greatly to the disadvantage OF this route
Most Of the coming from the north are large
boats between 80 and 90 feet long, nearly IL rect "ide
and drawing with average load OF over 200 tons'
about seven feet Of water In places there was
enough for this In others the canal was not
wide enough to allow boat to pass another. For
this reason the large boats obliged to transfer
their cargoes. at Whitehall, to smaller Doat thus in
creasiDg the expenses
The business men of this section for long time have
been very anxious to this defect rcmeded and ut
the time to have the needed improvements oonc as
economically possible. TO this end they asked that
the should be wdened to 5 feet at tho surface ana
A feet at the bottom, with uniform depth OF teet.
This would require other work, raising ana
lepgthenng OF bridges walls, etc, but this could
be done thoroughly without rendering any expensive
work necessary. In 1870 act was passed grant
ing $4,000 for surveys and maps, ana
100000 the work. the latter amount TO De coecteu
by 1871. The plans prepared under TINS act anu
accepted by the Canal Board in September. 1871 con-
o more expensive Improvement than nad
the minds of the business men who had asked or
the si they would have been saisned
If the work had been honestly and thoroughly DONE
But the work fell into the hands OF few contractors.
The quantity sheets OF work required would appear W
have been made hastily and superfciay the Oius
offered with full knowledge of the imperfectons ana
bearing such knowledge their faces, and accepted
by the Canal Commissioners without any examination
That is the most charitable view OF the mattcr there
do not hesitate to charge fraud from De-
ginning to end aud collusiOn between engineers, con-
tractors and Commissioners. However 1t s the people
who were to be benefited have obtained a new dam.
half dozen new locks, some bridges upon some OF
which the work has been done twice over, or needs to
be- while In the more important work OF deepening ana
widening little has been done The most expensive por
ons have been done that yielding the least profit has
been scarcely touched.
Under the apprehension that this sort OF work would
be continued in the future prosecution OF the enlarge
ment bene fitting the contractors more than the canal
meeting Of the along the line OF the canal
was called, with the object OF exposing the lrreguar
ties and appointing committee to protect their inter
before tie Canal Board to that fraudulent con-
tracts are not given out aud that work under existing
contracts shall be honestly DONE This meeting was
held in Whitehall this afternoon, at Halls Hotel. BE-
fore giving the details Of this meeting statement OF
the work already done, and the existing contracts VIII
be Interesting
At the time OF passage OF the act OF 1871 there was
one important outstanding contract This was for the
building OF q dam across the Hudson River at Fort
Miller, upon which no work had been done. BY the
original plan this was to be made in the form OF cres-
cent but by Interpolation Of two lines In the Appro
prlation bill OF 1S70and here seems to be one OF the
first irregulares-it ordered TO be built parallel
with and not than 20 feet from the old dam. BY
the the between the dams was to be
filed with brush aud gravel at eight cents per yard.
exeepting 100 yards of loose stone at 50 per yard
The same contractors who had this contract
also took contract for the Billiards.
Bend" Improvement, near by, and the probt
from working these improvements together VIII
be shown further on. BY the engineers exhiot OF
work required at Billiards. Bend, there was to be made
1000 yards OF earth excavation. 800 yards OF
solid rock excavation. and 200 yards OF vertical
wall built The successful bid for the earth excaya-
tion WAS cents per yard solid rock excavation, -,
and wall building g per yard. Now in the performance
of the work. there found to be very little OF earth
excavation the yards Of rock increased to $1,000
yards and the 200 yards OF vertical wall were
macpified to 6,Oo0 yards. o: the low-prced work
there was little; OF the high-prlced work an
immense amount. But the increased expense
did not end here the building of the dam loo yards
of the space between the old and structure was to
bo filed with loose stone, at So per yard the rest with
brush and gravel at eight cents yard Bat the con-
tractors brought 1900 yards Of the rock excavated at
Billiards. Bend which had already cost - per yard, ana
dumped it In filling price of s. per yard more. So
In these two improvements, from hasty estimates OF
ignorant or careless, interested engineers taken
advantage of by weinformed contractors whose bids
were accepted by o Canal Board, presumably without
any examination the State was made to pay treble the
estimated cost. The dam estimated to cost about
OO0 the contract let at about 10000 and the
work cost $1i6Oo0 The method made the cost OF
the Billiards. Bend Improvement increase In the same
ratio TO about s470oO S29jOoo for DotD' OF neai' oo
times the estimate.
The next work was the building OF two locks above
Waterford in place OF three then existing This Is on
the branch canal the Erie Canal ana was not geher-
ally deemed necessary as work upon the main nne
over Which most OF the boats pass The estimated ex
pense was than s6OOOO but upon nna settlement
the cost turned out be sll70O0. The the
same AZ IN the Billiards. Bend improvement. In addition
to this portion Of the work imperfecty DONE The
widening canal rendered the lengthen
ing Of bridges and the approaches to hem One or two
bridges we're found TOO low and had to be raised An
embankment had been built Of frozen EARTH and when
the water was let In In the Spring and the frost was
melted, the whole structure slid gently into the
meadows. These errors cost the State q further
sum of $4,000, $150O00 for the improvement,
besides obstructing navigation for nearly month. The
locks at formed the next OF the work of i'm
proyement and built by the contractors, and
have cost by similar means, about tl650Oo or nearly
twice what structures should cost according to the
estimates Of those who called competent judges.
These were the most important works under
the act Of 1870 The plan OF improvement under
that act instead Of incorporating the simple.