The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1877-04-26
nRIDGEs.
Poiyr PLEAs4ST, April l6, ~


.lnunication published in the Reg,sscr
Of the 29th ult, 10 see what you in
tended BY It's publication, and alsot
ascertain, ii possible, whether your
sympathies are with the tax payers,
or the bridge-builders, and from the
perusal of your long and spacious ar
tiele l am inclined to the belief that
your sympathies are with the latter
class of persons; and am well salts
fed that you are stone-mason by
trade as the leading features of your
communication consist in the strong
est advocacy of their interest; and !
am equally well satisfied that the re-
moyal of our present worthy and
efficient bridge commissioners, and
their places supplied with men who
would only receive sealed or secret
bids, would be very desirable to you,
as you complain that selling at pub
lie auction often secures contractso
low masons cannot honestly and fair
! ly fulfill their contracts. You seem
to prefer civil engineer with practi-
cal bridge.builders as commissioners.
would say in reference to this mat
ter that this county has had some
experience upon your plan, which
has been very unsatisfactory to our
citizens,
You say that the Ten Mile bridge
did not give satisfaction, and that it
was constructed in accordance with
plan and specifications drawn and
submitted by one of the Commission
ers. This is perhaps true; but you
go stillfurther and say that the bridge
fell or was worth nothing the pub
lie. This is in point of fact not the
case; only a portion of this bridge
gave way which was afterwards re-
built and has ever since been and is
now in constant use.
But do you know that the man
who furnished the plan and specif-
cations of this bridge has spent
/
more time and labor in the study Of
engineering than any other man in
our county, except, perhaps, General
McCausland, and was the county
then under the necessity of having
civil engineer, to plan and direct the
construction Of bridges? Perhaps'we
could not do better than to secure his
services,
You mention the Commissioners
who were appointed to repair the
broken or fallen bridge and charge
them with thus spending the money
Of the county iu-thcir management
Gf.thc work. l freely admit that He
management of this work might haye
been much better, but who is to
blame for it? The Commissioner
who planned, scotland receiyeds the.
work, and that too against the pre-
test of the Court and who proved by
oath in open Court that the work was
done agreeably to contract, was your
own country.man and like yourself,
practical bridge-builder and stone
mason, the work having been let at
four dollars a perch, when our pres
ent Commissioners have contracted
for better work than this was ever
designed to be at less than half the
price. You say that the low price
paid the stone-masons does not en-
able them to do good work. Should
not S4 a perch enable them to do
good work? But though they have
receive that for their labor, still their
work at such a price was very indiff:
crent.
The Ten Mile bridge soon after its
construction, which was at a cost of
about $500, had to undergo very
extensive repairs; and now would
ask you under whose direction and
control were these repairs made?-
Why, these repairs were made under
the direction and management Of two
of our present Commissioners and
Geo. L. Downing, Esq,
Your letter seems to be intended
to excite a public prejudice against
our present Commissioners, which is
certainly very uncalled for, as all the
work which has been done under
their direction and control has been
generally, satisfactory to our citizens;
and the other bridges you speak of,
as being unsubstantial and worth.
! less. were constructed under the SUI