New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-04

she lanai Here. the excavation in the first place.
was not made; consequently NO such ina'erial was
moved and If there had been ie S sas
no occasion to meye the mate1ai eAcaFaco NV LOCI
to get il into embanknent.
The amount thus estimated for embankment IN
the last Nav estimate for this work IN VOCATION oi
the plain letter Of the contract. Is about seven
eighhs of the total estimate for enDahXnient, OF,
say 62977 cubic yards such Is the gaaaahai,y una.
bridge embankments and those made III the rear OIL
outside retaining walls. . ~, H.,
For every linear foot OF vertical wall p,it uI ~.
this contract the contractor has been credited WIN
something over 81 80 for purely imaginary wofk;
$50,3si 81.
AMOUNTS PAID FOR WORK NOT DONE.
We will here recapituate the amounts TINS Tar
ascetoincd TO have been allowed to the contractor
under this contract for work which does not appear
ever TO have been done.
"a 40 cubic ards excavation OF earth, be- o N
hind vertical walls 25c So.1io W. w
"a 5o cubic wards excay alton Of rock, 81 27OlO Oh
$500 cubic yards excavation OF eaitn, est- nan M
al e a. c r1GS Ta, cn6animent, SOC 59sI s
$50 cubic Yards lining, ISIS %
1857 cubic yards vertical wall, DRY and In , On
s27 iidti cubic yard; vertical vail in
&C. ;1 @es fec, d. IL docking pine, so I,525 80
To,,, $3.50 s37 or
Large as this sum is. fully onc-thrd OF the whole
amount already crcsiitcd on this still unfinished
work, it is still very ia from expressing the entire
loss which has been sustained from the systematic
disregard of the States interests III It's prosecutions
No estimate of that Loss would approach complete
ness tat did moi luclude the difference III Nae lor
the PURPOSES il was intended TO subseTyc, between
the work as il was done and it was contracted TO
be done. We must defer cur report upon that sub
ject however, 10 a more advanced stage OF our H.
yesllgatiOn.
ENuISFERs' OPINIONS OF THE WORK.
Meantime we deem il our duty to submit 10 You
the Judgment passed upon this work by two of she
Peter 5. Miclo and J. y. Wheeler of the United
States Military Academy at West Point, who ir
spccted il with Us ouly few days before navigation
was resumed IN May last
Spraking of this and Of Deni'on's work near
tfica upon which also shall soon be prepared Ia
report. these gen lelnen say:
schuyler ana the Iov Mohawk Aqueduet, and on the
side OF the Ere Canal, near LEA. cannot IN o
Judgment be REGARDED a. an other tiaA n ~ tehyDay
str,euTee, OF hut little utility, so ir az canal purposes
Ilg 90 not prevent the Immediate action OF tie wafer
urom The carticn hank ownc to tho absence OF lining
and in slot tme the more soluble PORTO: OF TIE PAM
washed from their places into The canal" IV'ih Inc
The bank begins To sinK from behind ana the pressure
onward, and ultimately ovcfhTOWs IL INTO the canal
TIE cost OF repairs in these STRUCTURES - necessarily
very s.et an' III oh olho' M"ua more LAD fi''I'
vantage that daring their whole existence, they
As 10 tier durability judging from the present
diuO Of those portions now standing. wlch have been
|
that Trey viii perform their Office tor more than lour or
five years longer without very extensive repairs
We beuCyc that had THESE walls been constructed ac-
~ ne V e ,liiini III The Te,rses M raininS
ana r.yetlucIt walls and would remain GOOD ana sub
siantai under the ordinary wear and lear oi canal na'
Few and insignificant Tcpilr tho ex isc Of which would
DO bat very small Percentage OF the oiI-inal eJsl
The comparison between The focaedc ':nrn or mortar
walls which inspected. and tnose which called for
~ the scciilcauuiis would be- II loesie, much more
of Investigation, that were worldly Of the n"inc 81
cement walls. They in fact az! iuie walls wiki
exterior joints alone or serving films fol he
in,esi-cc6 between tas small irre ar stones OF
which he greater portion OF lie wall MAS hal.t.
VERTICAL WALL IL VIOLATION OF THE LAW.
We have already shown that con,d rally more
than a third Of the money already received by he
contraciorf,rdccOuntO of This work given without
any equivalent. We shall now proceed 10 show that
the remainder of the expenditure has been incurred
in deliberate violation of the law il manifest disIc-
card OF the interests of ihc STATE and apparently
will single eve to the Interests OF the contractor.
When this work vi removing bench walls Nas au-
hOrzc, va the obvious intention OF the Lc-ls-
ttUrr TO have tncn replaced mainly 10y soP' wall;
vertical wall a. be provided only where the cAl-tn H.
cicS Of commerce oqdired dockng. That tie Canal
Commissioner, 80 Interpreted the purpose 81 the
Legislature ~ apparent rom the Safe Engineer
i4.uaI exhibit OI quantities, winch shows liOOO
cuuc yards Of slope wall and only 1900 O vertical.
Bui as Il uatr.tIui OF tie Influence oI the con-
TRACTION over liz own agents the Legislature, within
,iX months from TIE time tins work could have
begun H. apiloprialing money 20 cauy it un, ahs0-
ldieiy prohibited the expenditure Oi more than fyc
pc cent 0i tc aPI0pra Tor vertical wall Here
For rrrlo1!ae sioe VAN AMI wall benches ami con
sir.o..p2 sApc vertical nd p cleDt wal un ;Ae Easi-
ri a., sinl E,i Canal lie sam of a. 10 900 or 50 irc
s8fuf nay b~ Necessary. but 10 n"r~ than hre per
ceni o u.s. foregoing IioaAt sln Do e"i"Iio oh verb
Rcgarllcss however, both Of the cor tract winch
provided iOI nearly twice much SLOPE Is vertical
wall and 81 Tie statute Just CITED nearly - PER
cent of the 81 TINS WON has Dc sac ulfci az o.
vertical wall and work incident t. ,i,h cohstIuc-
zion, while mol single yard Of SLOPE wall has yet
The Tc9eons why this rrefcrence wac given 10 YER
teal wall ana the mca.i> BY which tina. pIcior.uC,
prevailed We snail 'botice presently. We rr.cr 10
TINS feature al The case now - snow 'ha' for les
tbgu tie ORIGINAL appropriation VI T-4,oiJ ttc
Wholo work. IRON Port schuyler 10 .he LoHer
Mohawk Aqueduct. could have been completed
uncr this contract, and in tar stictcr conformity
with souId principles Of canal engineering.
4 careful Inspection of that portion OF thc canal
embraced in this contract has satisfied us thai none
of this vertical wall was needed Tor docking par
poses.
wood doe sIHg IN West Troy, all rtructcI u, lOrc
this worK was begun. That these are ample fOI tie
exgcncics OF commerce ior that stretch lar
the int es,s OF the Canal die CC44ceied 'iil hIIly
be contested by any bal those who are M rested IA
having their private property improved al The eX-
pcnse Of the State ami by contractors interested IN
dong IL.
SLOPE WALL USUALLY SUFFICIENT WHERE YER
Teal WALL HAS BEEN BUur.
Our investigation has further satisfied Us that
there il no excuse, in economical point of view,
for such expensive structures vertical ais in the
prism OF The canals, except where they required
for disclaIgng and taking cargo or whero contigQ-
ons and valuable Improvements demand the mini
mum breadth OF waterway; and for The simple and
obvious reasons that the banks of n canal be
protected BY slope and pavement wall at much less
than aIf tne prime cost OF vertical wall, aud As the
fnImnr repnse on q neuiral slCpr they are. il wen