Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-01-19

A. Miller were the contractors MT Ney nan the |
work al street and at Englsh's break, and Miller |
at the two other points where work was done. The
English break not entirely completed; the bulk
of the work was done. IL began late in the |
season. and it hazardous to the con- |
tractor December lst it was feared work must
be suspended for lack OF MEANS and he was ordered
to do more than absolutely necessary. The levee
this side the Commissions work had to be re-
formed ia my opinion, it was in bad condition.
Witness conferred with Mr. Bryte and Others and
he expressed qualification that what had been done
had been accomplished 1t was agreed that he and
Others were to work on the levee reformation to
where it joined the other work, and witness would
20 on with the revetment work. The work could
not be said to be finished until the levee work was
completed There were specifications for the work.
The work was by contract for all the work The
contractor did not do the whole work, be-
cause the levee this side not reformed.
The leyee work was in the contract. The
work closed about December 10th. The
first Sc of water / can't say when, but all of
ten days before that water some three feet and
then receded. 1t rained all this time, and it would
have been difficult TO cart earth to the levee. 1t
had to be hauled the average 500 to 800 feet.
Scrapers cannot be used for 800 feet, and need
a direct route. After the rains the material was
soft and while work viii not say couldn't be done,
yet 1t would have been very doubtful The earth
work alo deficient. / was engineer in charge.
Got instructions generally from Mr. Hall, State
Engineer. The contract was based on the specifi
cations, and substantially the work was so done
the lack was the earthwork aud for that there
was a reason. / understood cessation of
the Work was prudential ACT on the part oil the
Commissioners shouldn't nave lald out to have
the levee reformed, had not deemed 1t necessary.
The work at Todhunters was solely levee work. |
don't think the work at English break would have
stood, except you Air Bryte) mad gone on and done
the work the leyee, in view Of the rains have
had All the work we put there at the end OF the
brushWofk TO JON the leVee, thlhk would nave
stood as it has.
The testimony of Commissioner searles was here
read given at the DreYiOus meeting of the COM
mittee'
witness wilson, resumlng-Betore we closed the
Work and determined what part we would go on and
do under the contract, had conversation with
Mr. bryte as TO ms and others dong the leyee
WORK IL was agreed the county would go on anu
40 ~. IL WAS agreed the county would 90 II ana
That they would put IN spurwork. AT that time
our dam was far from complete The ieYee IS pub
lie road. The contract called for but 200 feet OF
earthwork next the reyetmeut; the levee road was
not IN IT, understand the work was stopped solely
Tor lack OF funds The stoppage was not to the ad-
vantage OF the contractor. Could he have gone on
he would have made some money. The work we did
was substantially done as per specifications. | had
discretion to reform 200 feet OF the leyee besides,
and as result OF agreement with Bryte it was un.
derstood he and the county would do the leyee
work. There was time for them to do it, The con-
tractors work was done satisfactorily. The work
ceased under orders OF the State Engineer. | IN
derstood Yolo county was to and he's reimbursed
Mr.. Bryte did not solicit Bryte to do the work.
| told him of the state of aairs-tha had laid out
to do 200 feet OF the evee in excess Of the contract
but found couldn't do it, and that was the work
6ryte went on and did. The object of doing
the work of the Commission at the English
break, and building the waste Weir, was to
retain the water in the river aud to
build it as it is to not force all the volume of
stroy all the levees below which are VIGOROUSLY in
secure Thus to certain hight We got securing
capacity, and at another hight the water would
escape and prevent the stream largely leaving the
| Oh md tba
work ON the abutments done al 80 cents per cubic
foot, and it cost the contractor 50. 1t cost him
much to put the lumber in as the lumber cost The
total amount OF the contract was between SIT, 900
and SlI O0O The contractor must have lost 81 COO
| on the lumber and like material 1t seems incredi
BILE that any revetment work like that there could
have been done for six cents. The Washington work,
| Of like nature, cost from 90 to % cents The work
| included excavations about 800 feet OF Joining
levees, excavation beneath the dam, etc The pile,
| lumber and brush work was all included i'll brush
| and lumber work at % cents per cubic yard. Part
of the brush work of different nature, let at
| IS cents per square yard
| E. T. Morrison sworn: Resident of Yolo county
Know Bryte, and know the levee work at the En-
| glish break and the brush Bryte put on the leyee
| did that work 1t took nine days on that piece
1t took four days hauling and five days plnning it
down. There was 3l6 yards of it NEXT the break,
and in the other piece $50 1t took 1911 days to do
that part-sJ days of hauling and IL days pinning
| it down. The cost was 81 day for team and man.
and 81 50 without team.
| Mr.. Bryte-The brush was already cut
Witness-I did not cut it.
| Mr.. Bryte-Ney had left the brush and we gath
cred it up 1t took as long to gather as would to
| have cut it.
MIR Parks-Then the cost of cutting is not in
| cluded?
| Witness-No. sir
John Hoaeland sworn: Have had experience in
levee building. Have lived long on lands where
! Ievees need 10 be built. | was Superintendent of
| the work under Mr. Wilson, at the English
| break When the work ceased the leyee was not
completed as originally intended-i e. the reforma-
| tion of the leyee some 200 feet further down The
| county had its Roadmaster there extending it's
| bridge. with view OF meeting the end OF the new
| formation and thence TO the old leyee When we
cot orders to cease work told Mr. Bryte of it, so
| he could have knowledge of it. and | believe the
the work saw the work to day, and it is now safe.
and hardly any likelihood of its beng damaged
When the work ceased by the Commissioners the
work was safe except in case Of extraordinary con-
tingency-as high wind and very high water. 1t
was safe for all the water we have had up to this
time. | don't know the amount of excavation done
| there. never did such work under contract Such
BAGS as put there cost with filing and placing
about Is cents or TO cents Those on the abntments
cost more to handle than those on the dam
Patrick Ney sworn Was contractor al the Eng
fish break. Had like contracts in 1867 on the
wabash Valley and St 10 River Canal The cessa-
ton OF work at the English break was not to nv
advantage had a right to continue it and use up
nv material The material Mr. Bryte used was
mine He has no idea of the brush work If he thinks
hauling and putting it down is the cost It is not
51Oths OF it, The heavy cost is cutting and sorting
the brush lost by the stoppage of the work
lost the cost of cutting brush used that Bryte
used mp | had men cutting and hauling | had
three men cutting small brush for week for the
sDurs and reyetment that was not used /
paid the men 81 Il day. This was beside the cost of
hauling Cutting aud punching is the great cost
A team NAV haul ten or twelve loads a day. No one
can tell what amount OF brush he will need and it
won't do to be short and SO kept the men cutting
of the stoppage of the work. have no accounts to
show what | lost. Mr. Bryte says he used 1,275
wards Of brush that cut. lost only By reason of
loss of material There is claim have that shall
seek To have the Commissioners allow as the actual
work was more than contracted for | lost by eX-
cess of material, as for instance, | sold
Bryte lumber at Sl4 that cost me SD
| gave bond | believe, for 5000 or
So 600 l have been paid on the contract to date
between 81 600 and 81, 40 in warrants Ny bill is
between 81 600 and SI2 900. gave Friend 4 Terry
A mower to draw my money! as they went on my
bond They tell me they have not drawn EXCEPT
the sum named. have claim for about 81 600
extras don't know if it will be allowed. | think
the estimates were for S10,500. The engineer re-
fused to allow my extras / mean by extras for
instance piling that was to be Is feet and they
made me nut in "a feet piling and so on They
found the shorter piles wouldn't do The cut brush
left was over five and probably under ten acres We
c,It every pace we could find rood brush here and
there and wherever We could find it. Cannot
saw what il costs per acre to cut it-no one
can know The brush was not scattered
about it was piled up; no workman cuts
and settlers it, figured the prices OF everything
before bid for the contract / paid some of my
men. Chittenden some and Friend & Terry some
7