New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-21

pay foe rs much force "a have named and leave " 10
5ilS can be- socurs more directly than have proposed
Pefh have finished my task eni I'm tempt. .sca 10
Ito provide for Che completion the Eric Canal cualsc
men AMI SsoOo0oo WAS appropriated Tor inc So"
which ~ the Canal Com'nSsioneTs tos,nsr MIN
tharec Of that portion OF the s wheretho work TO
cs empowering them Ito award 20 sneh paftiss as M
propose perform the work. ON terms moss s'io anu d."
yantagcous 10 the state 49,,
Tne lowest bidder was not necessarily To 10 taken
ut the bidder who offered the most advantageous terms
~ This extraordinary power was oUeet" 10
Rnbcerk then representing the Erie DISCREET Bui Is was
said that should trst 20 the honesty ana gnoa 1uug
nent the state ohiccrsfor the vas amount OF WORK
,u only be done the time requr. by giving thrse
unusual powers. THIS argument was sncc ssIu- i"e
way the power used has passed into history:
Ii was currently reported nj the time of the letting that
There was body Of so resp nblo men who stood ready
10 take the job ol delivering tio canal plSv' ~
tins specified. for the estimated and named ia the
law; bat Ibis woald have been IN innovation upon u5
practices the state, that wou have cnt on loo ''ny
abuses 10 he aopted amt o. course, IL assu,u nf 10
definite SHAPE and the old eyen lhrn o,a a dey ,S %,
classify inc IA tcrials was continued ana 10 this uy e
enlargement "f the Erie Canal rs n" iin shed tb1nsh he
las sad year, aSO tbat was; AMI t,'pa li.S tI.oo
tms as mrch has been expended On the WORK ~ was
necessary. ,..., a.u
ioadS and placed 10y political convention AT
the head Of onr Canals lie sOmothacs did IN ur honor
cvnSdlt in relation u canals Ihii' Or roa i
tiens became such that ] felt at hAeriy AM dti
urge upon him The total Abandonment OF az ciassi-
c,s.ity " DONG his engineering thoroughly b.
fore toe work was digging testp, ~her: called
character of the excavation, aud lhen calling Tor DOS ~
dollars for the work on s"'a e.c, st tn e'h'a xas
with cla~9ih,alioH' ana nsa ,of ,or T-r,11
Appealed ro his cNpcr nee railroad cn-invcr 10
air, the mroraIc, the State OF putting II Out oi tho
/ power 81 both engineers AMI cnjrdctus 10 c0ntAh
abuses wlrh repeat. then old He agreed
10 the force of all sJbnt however willing he might
have been ho had the r0wef 10 curlcct This cnoI
! nous abuse that set stands. ana ont OF wlhch mueh
mOnry is made by shnlet consiacdrs " no know iar
moro than either the Commissioners or tue engineers
WHOM vicious system places in charge OF or panic
| WHAT TEsI-PlTs WILL SAVE.
Ibave lust noticed in tbs papers of The LAY the aban
donneDt by contractor Of work lately taken III
| which he had agreed to remove rock at one cent pr
cubic yard Knowing something, ~ dO, of The geology
OF the locality of this contract. venture to guess that
IN, contractor knew that there real rock IN The
work that is. such as an engineer would be ofcod 10
classify in that way. -,
some years ago was called a witness IN A claim that
Wac pressed before the Canal Appraisers The con tractor
claimed that ncarl, his Whole section land 1t had l. ieet
deep of cuttingl WIS rocI ana shoHd be :" Cl'H>'i
rhs Iintor had not oaloi enough oi rock; 81 inc
claim really appeal from the engineers Gassifr
90 or Gj cents 1t had happened that had
seen this work while in progress an 50 th so ~
called witness For very considerable diSiance
in Onondai Comfy the anal is situated very marty on
ondnga sAt group OF rocks a the gcologists
classify rocks. and tho section in dispnc was
really in these salcs and on che line OF div SION
where the green and red run into each Other.
the quc son was put to inc. whether TINS n,tfrlh ~
lock and iaigc samples we're SHOWN 70 me ans ;
that geO0sss would rnck for timlr definition 1l l"t@
did embrace the Idta OF hardness or soitSs VIM o
The engineers definition Of rock was som thls hafi anu
expensive to from its place had seen 1onr hore
p0winl up this sle and that fact stdcd 10 Vin. mo
Adjudication of which dchiOn was the proper one III ts
the wise the STATE appOinie, Ia perform a
duty / only add that | cd that these snles
Of TIE OnOn Salt Group known by the ~ ne
genlueiss the State Engineer who heu ana there rcr
scented OF The state, AMI WIO had breD most
Of his life making cHnals III tlat sha.e. cEpresel
considerable satisfaction being informed on tiis point
Now the application of this inc point dln con
sidcIing is this IL the Engineer had sunk well cac
q tcs-iD on the OF that l7-feet cni. 10 wohid
have probably cost tir state Fl aud all Who m"t pro
pOSas Or the work could have seen Js5 the lht" la
that must be eXcayatcd and COnld have named hIcc
for which they would take IL out; anu IA tic Wnik WIS
all ana the tOra contents were deter
mined the work let, ior The whule
section could have been named, ami the Enai@ef womb
have other responsibility thnu 10 sec lidt tic 'NaV
the bottom, AMI Otherw $50 cOnpiod Win te
specifications shown and agse"d 10 at tho Letting but
this would have been an innovation ana w"hu nav" !cit
no room Tor claims and extra allowance nor N'u'u IL
left IL in tie power OF engineer " mao fortune
for the contractor.
II We could got rid OF thu prsen: Canal Board. and
enough active COMMISSIONERS COulu IN It's
be abb by ordinary industry Ia do tie duty rSlur 81
perhaps might free the stat" from the ane mt ana
currui If classification, AMI come upon tan I'll
! isug evils, may we'll admit that the government
of tine Empire State has bscOna ~ rotten mat W" INST
them / do not think there Is any evil So beyond our
reai h that cannot correct IT,
| tried Ia hay bare the sore, and vCnturo1 ~
advise a remedy avoiding hard terms erin nutiODs
do not think they called for We wait Tor
branch of the till the canning III Of the reports
several bod5 at work ic1etng out the guilty per
Ihayc ycntnrrd to spc:k only because believe IN
tie iuestnble ue OF oar canals 10 oar Siic ana td'
they bs saved II anybody can name better way
than the proposed let him do whiia
~ GEORGE GEDDEs.
| Iairs,ount Oa0nd1ga Co., " T.. April 10. 1870.
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