New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-01
Y. l., OSBORN.

| awarded for the enlargement OF tue ChaHlpiaih
! Canal, between West Troy and COhocs, from Station
| 0 to Station 100 of the first division Enlargement
| Survey. and which have all been printed in TIE
! TRIBUNE. The first was for the enlargement from
! Siaticn to Station 80, and awarded for
$20,373. while the engineers estimate of the cost
! of the work was ; 500. The second was for the
enhancement from Station 30 to Station 20, and was
awarded for S6s.kJJ, while the engineers esti-
| mate was 1923. The other was forthe enlarge
ment from station 13j to Station l9O. and was
| awarded for &20.JS0, the engineers estimate
being ,:,GS. so that the Canal Commissioners
awarded three consecutive pieces of work amount
| ing at the engineers estimate, to Sa37,01O for
S5S.O1G, less than Ouc-haf the estimated cost
All these contracts were awarded tile same day,
oct 90 1874 and exhibit bids which arc grossly I'M
! BALANCED. The only work of importance now in
progress upon thom is the construction of oulyert
and the delivery OF materials for vertical walls and
cen leEt, and In construction of tho walls. The
price of the calvert masonry Is $40 per
cubic yard The dimension stones used
taken from the old Junction Lock- many OF
them failing to ill the requirement. of the speclii
cations Tue long strctccr3 from the old lock have
not width of bed one ard half times the depth
o.. coa,sc w,Icl they shguN have. and instead OF
thc wall being composed one-qnarter of headers,
both in front and in the rear, IS to give proper
bond and unity to the work, but u single header
vas H. found in all the exposed part of the work.
While The bacl. Of the walls built of stones which
are underszcd md entirely unsuitable. There is no
fault to be found with tho generosity of guam
tity of stones delivered for vertical wall,
bat not Onc-teuth of them have the size and form
which are required b. the contract for the class OF
work in when il is designed to Use them. The as
sisant engineer states the prescribed dimensions for
Ibis vertical wal and cement to be eight feet in
hight four feet in width at the base, two feet in
width at the top while the wall is to be vertical in
tine r,ar. This is nclr.y twenty per cent heavier
than . required to fulfill the conditions OF stability,
but. as the contract gives the engineer the authority
TO G.. the form and Dimensions Of the work it be-
comes the duty of the contractor to comply.
The method in which this vertical wall is being
constructed will shed considerable light on the hna
intentions OF the contractor. The bank IL trimmed
as near az may be to the slope whch the face OF the
wall is to assume, thus rendering it possible for the
contractor to omit 10 supply the lining as we'll as
allowing HIN to build vertical walls. The base of
the wall varies from 81 to 40 inches in depth. The
face stones which nearly all less than foot in
width are invariably placed with their thickest
dimension parallel with the face of the wall, and
not single header fulfilling the requirements OF tho
specifications can be seen in the exposed
part Of the work. The back of the wall is COM
posed of small stones thrown in to fill the
space between the face course aud the bank and as
each irregular course is thus aiu, layer of stiff
mortar is spread upon it, but not in such quantity
OF N such consistency as to fiji any considerable
part OF the vacant space between the stones 1t
would surely seem that, whatever the contractors
did they might furnish good mortar, if for nothing
else to hold together the understood and unstable
!. all and In fhe
unwolkmanko walls which they have built from
falling TO pieccs But the mortar used in this struc
ture Judging from the earthly ana pliabe condition
of that exposed in the adjacent wall that has been
laid long enough to set. does not possess even in
slight degree necessary adhesive properties The
wall has been carried up in this way to hight of
about four feet and thence drawn i'll to width OF
about two feet at the top The foundation stones
for that section of about 80 feet extent are now
being set. They are of small SIZE few of them eX-
ceeding "a cubic foot in volume and are placed i'll
shallow trench filed with water to depth OF five
or six inches, which obviously precludes the use of
mortar in the foundation course altogeher-an out
rageous mode of building a structure of this kind.
To describe the structure precisely is to say that
it is simply retaining wall a foot in thickness,
eight feet high backed with loose stone, retaining
hank of clay earth somewhat higher than itself
which is certain to be worn away by the action of
water SO that the wall can stand no longer than
until the particles of earth in the bank set in
motion by partial saturation and this process will
be hastened by the failure TO cement tho foundation
course of the wall. These the principal features
OF the fulilment of this contract, but there are
others which throw considerable light upon the
manner in which the contractor is doing his work
and the devices which be is adopting In order TO
increase his profits. The bank is excavated at as
steep slope as possible, not only TO prepare for the
construction Of vertical walls which were bid for at
earth excavation which must now necessarily be
much less than estimated for in the quantity sheet
This is done because the contractor bid for excava
ton at prices absurdy inadequate to proper per-
Torrance of the work. being one-quarter or Onc-ifth
of Just price. The contractor also bid cents per
yard for exeavating loose rock, and loose
rock has been found only in two three points
where excavations have been made, and there is
shale and partly disiHtegrated slate, but has not
been discovered in quantities sufficient TO warrant
the removal Of the amounts Of rock estimated i'll
the quantity sheet. So that III another instance the
contractor is shielded from loss entirely in
adequate bid. 1t is evident from the extensive pro-
portion Of steep slopes which has already been COM
mented on and the delivery of large quantities of
stone. that the contractor does not intend to be
satisfied with the number OF yards of vertical wall
called for in the quantity sheets, but intends to
increase that item that the amount of all the other
classes Of work to DO done these sections will DO