Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-10-02
BRIDGE OF SIGHS.
TITS or a SIZE WHICH PUZZLES THE
COMMISSION.

IT rs OF A SIZE WHICH PUZZLES THE
COM1IssION.
Operating in Secret and Thereby Securing
Reports in the NG1obe.-A Hitch with
the Contractors that Looks Serious-The
Work Delayed by sewalls Engineering.
For the last week or two the bridge COM
m'ssioners have ..een playing game of hide
and seek with the reporters. A place and
time would be named for their meetings, and
to throw the Paul Prys of the press off the
scent the commissioners would hold their
meeting at some obscure Office. The appear
ance of secresy put the GLOBE man on the
he at once set to work to unearth the skele-
ton and drag it before the public gaze. The
bridge commissioners being the public SER
wants appointed by them to transact public
business, the GLOBE did not think there
could be connected with that public business
anything which the public should hot know,
and as that business was merely to build
pubic bridge, it did not seem there should
be any secret or private individual dick
erlng about it,. Accordingly the GLOBES
corps of Secret service operators,
with their pumps and photographic
apparatus, sailed forth. Their first discovery
was that trouble existed between the con
tractors, the engineer and the United States
engineer, and their next that trouble also
lay at the threshold of the treasury. Several
different parties were interviewed and
pumped till they had nothing more to tell,
and the same subtle continuance which dis
| closed the transactions of the grand jury to
the surprise and astounding of said jury was
| used to get at the bottom facts of the trans
actions at the secret meetings. A week ago
the meeting was held in back Office at
Cochran & Walsh's, instead of the usual
place, the auditors office.
TROUBLE ABOUT PAYING BILLS.
On Monday secret session was held in
Mr.. Sewali's Office, and later in the day
| public meeting took place at the auditors
| office, which were reported yesterday in the
GLOBE. Yesterday another secret meeting
was held at the auditors office, and aeain in
the afternoon public session was reid at
| the same place. At these nleetincs
the matter Of the finance hitch w.:, brought
up. Ihls Was OF the utmost importance,
not only that Engineer Sewall wanted some
money to pay for that little cottage, and
wages and the like, but some of the commits
sioners themselves would like to see some of
the proceeds of the Sunday dated bonds in
liquidation of their little bills for "mainten-
ance, travelling expenses" etc., to Washing
ton and elsewhere. It would appear from
information obtained inside and out that
the county treasurer, Ric.. refused to honor
the warrants of the commissioners,
unaccompanied by the original vouch-
ers, specifying item by item for
what the money was to be paid. The com
mission construed tie law differently from
the treasurer, aid they submitted the matter
to County Attorney Rogers, who conceded
with them. 1t was decided to issue man
damdus and compel the treasurer to "dis-
gorge" But yesterday, in secret sessions,
the commissioners thought better of this
plan and decided to hold an open door meet
| ing, invite Treasurer Rice to meet them and
try to come to some understanding. The
meeting was accordingly held at half past 8,
and County Attorney Rogers was present,
who read the first section of chapter 100, of
Minnesota laws, showing plainly that ma
jority of the commission must sign bills and
allow them, present them to the county aud
itor, who is to issue his warrant for the paw
ment Of the money.
Mr.. Rice held that he must be furnished
with the itemized vouchers-he asked this
tor the protection of the tax payer.
Some discussion ensued, after which the
county attorney said it could not in any way
do harm if duplicate vouchers were made
out, the auditor retaining one and Mr.. Rice
the other. If that would satisfy the treasurer
there could be no objection to its being done
just for peace and harmony's sake. This
was agreed to, and the difficulty in this di-
rection ended.
TROUBLE BETWEEN THE CONTRACTORS AND
The matter of the dispute with the con-
tractors and the government engineer was
not SO easily disposed of, even in secret SEES
sion. Mr.. Sewall was obliged to confess that
the authorities in Washington would not
accede to his request, that the specifications,
SO far as they related to the Fort Smelling
side pier, should be altered to cover
up his bungling Col. Allen was
hrm In his opinion that the
foundation to be safe should go down to the
rock in place of being placed upon pile of
debris OF sawdust, old shingles and rubbIe.
The next question was how to circumv ent
the contractors. They had dug down some
i
l2x12, and filled up with concrete. And
now the question was whether they could
make the contractors dig all this out and
sink shaft to bed rock and build up the
pier. 1t was found that the contract would
not hold O'Brien to do this, and he could
claim whatever price he pleased for all this
extra Work-outside the original
specifications which were made
part of the contract Finding this
to be SO Sewall next thinks of the happy ex-
pedient of sinking down to bed rock and
filling up for twelve feet with concrete at
the contractors price. But here again the
United States engineer promptly steps in
and says the pier is to be built from bed
rock with stone. O'Brien & Wilson were
consulted as to the obligations of the con-
tractors, at an expense of humping fee, of
course. In something like despair of get
ting clear road out of the middle the en-
glneer has led them into, the commission
| adjourned.
THE BOND SALE.
GLOBE reporter also got to the bottom
of the queer bond dicker. In this connec-
ton it was found that George William Bal
lou d Co., bankers, of Boston, made a
higher bid than the First National bank Of
st. Paul for the bonds, on condition that
the date should be altered from SUNDAY Glle-
gaD to M@nday. The commissioners re-
fused to change the date, and the sale of
10000 was effected with the First National
bank of st. Paul, and $4,000 with Mr..
West. Mr.. West offering $1O3. The
$4ooOo given to the First Ma