New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-27
THE EAST RIVER BRIDGE.

REPORT OF TIE COMMITTEE WHICH CONFERRED
WITH The PRESIDENT OF THE EDGEMoOR COM
PANY-TIIE TRUSTEES INDIGNANT BECAUSE THE
CHIEF ENGINEER DID NOT MEET THEM
A special meeting of the Brooklyn Bridge Trus-
tees was held yesterday afternoon to hear the re-
port Of the special committee which conferred last
week with Colonel William Sellers
president of the Edgemoor Iron Company.
The committee reported through Mayor Low the
chairman. The report was III substance "nat was
printed IN The Tribune Oh sunday. Alter setting
ioath the delay Ill making and receiving the eyepaiS
the diagonal braces OF tine trussesl, which are
nrouIsed for October 81, the report said that the
Whole amount of ste was promised Tor that date.
No prov sion was made for extraordinary delays.
If all the pieces wore received II proper order,
and AL by October 81, the maternal coa.d he Put
up by March 81. As 10. fastening the
work. that vas impossible. CoioneISelIers sald thdt
f paid dOAbie the contract price the work could not
he hurried forward. Appended to the report was a
letter from Colonel Sellers II stated that every eff
fort would DC put forth TO finish the delivery OF the
steel Owing 10 uns titled engineering details at
the time of the second contract Tor steel
on December s, 1881, 1t was Impossible
There were still some steel blooms 10 be received
from the Cambria Iron Works, and they would not
be finished until the middle OF July. On account
of the unusual and extraordinary character OF the
work mich delay had occurred, and. III fact, the de-
tail drawings and thc work had gone forward side
bv side Colonel Sellers SAID III concIus that ne
expected to be able TO furnish All the steeI Dy
General A. c. Barnes moved that the committee
be continued and directed TO ascertain whether "a
new contract could be made with the EdgeInoOf
Company with q forfeiture clause OF $1,000 day
for every days delay i'll delivering the needed steel
at the rate OF 5OOtons month, and failing III ms
to ascertain whether any other con FACTOR would
take the work on the same terms, with
wow of cancelling the Edgemoor contract.
General SlOcum seconded the notion lie SAID IL
would be wise to find out whether Colonel Sellers
was willing to add forfeiture clause 10 the con
tract - l..
look tn a contract
| If might be well to continue the committee, but
not to hamper IL with Instructions. -
Mr. Mcdonald sad that there were many dlihcul-
ties in the steel business IN TINS country.
| lie was satisfied TO stake his reputation
| that no other company could FURNISH the scGl ia
the time CoiOnel Sellers said he could do It, All the
engineering questions had not been worked OUT and
| they had caused some delay. lie thought Colonel
Sellers had done all he could to supply the steel as
| he promised If attempt was made to antago-
| ME him. ii would not be wise. MAY or Low hoped
| tliai the committee would be continued with gem
| era powers III the matter After all the delays he
SAID, little progress was being made III the Work
II the steel came fast as II had Tor the last lew
| months 1t would all be on hand before November
| Controller Campbell said there was talr
and reasonable probability that the steel would be
delivered 10y DC oucr 81, and 1t would not be wise
| 70 lake any summary acton.
Mr. Stranahan urged that the committee he
continued, with n reference TO 1t OF Mr.. Banes 5
resolution. After further discussion General Barnes
! again read his resolution, modifying
| 1t so to provide Tor 800 tons
/ a month, and that ali the steel should be
| delivered by October 81. Mr.. STanahan then
moved to continue the committee ana refer to II
General Barnes's resolution. Mayor Low seconded
| IT, and the motion adopted ~ vote Cl ii 10 !.
| Mr. Agnew asked why the pavement on the APP
! proaches was not beng LAID. MT Murphy replied
| ihat the Committee on Transit had been consider
! ing ine question OF horse railroad over the
! bridge ana reported that il was lnadVisabie. 1hls
related TO the question OI paving. lhe report was
! adopted. ,
Resolutions of respect to the memory of the late
Erastus w. Smith, a trustee. adopted. AT their
| last meeting the trustees adjourned 10 meet with
! Chief Engineer Ruebiing, VIII was requested to
| oppear at tue trustees rOOm Mir Roebllng did not
| aunear Yesterday, but sent a telegram from New
port to President Murphy III response to the letter
of the latter asking hun to come, say ing that he
could not he present As he assigned no reason, tbe
| matter caused considerable discussion. Genera
SlOcum remarked with considerable spirit that II
woutd be much better for Mr. Roehling to be before
the trustees than to lie in Newport Controller
| Campbel said that there were cettan questions
which he wanted to ask OF the ChIeI Engineer ana
he was exceedingly disappointed at his nOn-appear
auce IL W, e not near the close OF the work
| Mr. Campbell said he would again suggest the ap-
! pOintment of an ac; We Chief Engineer and the
| making OF Mr. ROebling Consulting Engineer. Gen
| erai Slocum then moved that the Chief Engineer be
requested to meet the trustees at their July meet
| ing Mr.. Stranahan mildly suggested that II was
! not possible for Mr. ROebllhg TO come before the
| trustees owing 20 the illness which he had con
| tracted in the caissons of the towers Mayor Low
urged that it behooved the Engineer, If he was un
able to meet the trustees, TO sa So lhey had con
| tractor whom they cOulI not belieNe anu an CD
| glneer who teegraphed TO them, and as one OF the
| managers of great public trust he was tired OF
| childs play. The resolution OF General Sl0cun
! was afteTwar adopted. Owing TO the lateness 0
| the hour written statement from eX-COntfOIlt
| Steinmetz of Brooklyn, rs 10 the way the contract
| was made was deferred until the next meeting
| Mr. Agnew said That he desired to make state
ment in regard 10 the letter OF resignation oil kODer
Roosevelt, but would wait until the next meeting