The Portland daily press., 1889-09-04
The Back Bay Mud.

We reprint below an editorial, from the
PRESS of Julyil4, 1887, because it seems to
throw some light on the controversy about
the use Of the mud dug out OF the govern
ment channel in Back Bay fer building the
Marginal Street. A few words of explana.
tion are needed. At the time this editorial
was written the contract to dredge the gov.
eminent channel was in the hands of Mr.
Souther of Boston, while the pres
ent city contractor had just bid for and
obtained the contract to build the Marginal
Street. The city council had passed an or
der requiring that the contract should be
made acceptable to the Back Bay Commits.
sion. The Commission had insisted on a
clause that required the city contractor to
take the mud dug out by the government
contractor, and the former had objected and
appealed to the city council which had re-
fused to reconsider and change the original
order making the contract subject to the APP
proval Of the commission:
LFrom the PRESS OF July IA, 1881
AS is generally known, the contract for
dredging the ship chennel In Back Cove has
been let to Boston parties who were the low
est bidders. By the terms of this contract.
which Is similar to all government contracts
for work OF this nature, the material removed
is to be deposited at such place as the gov
eminent engineer designates. The usual
place OF deposit in our harbOr is the deem
water Of Hussey's Sound. To dump the ma.
terial there of course involves large ex-
Pensse for towage. When the bids for the
Back Cove work were put in 1t was under
stood by the bidders that large part of the
excavated material could be dumped on the
line of the Marginal Way In close proximity
to the channel, and for this reason they were
made much lower than they otherwise would
have been.
The lowest bidder for filling the Marginal
Way was another firm, and the contract be-
longed to them II they wanted it. The city
government ordered that any contract en-
tered into with them should be subject to
tne approval OF the Back Bay Commission, a
t 1SOay Incorporated by the last legislature for
up OF the Back Cove flats. The commission
insisted that The Marginal Way contractor
snOuld use the material dug out nv fine GOV
eminent contractor, or such OF Il as conld he
used without detriment to the interests of
tns former. Iney did not ask that he re-
ceiye 1t on conditions to be fixed by the Sov-
eminent contractor, they proposed in No
way TO place him in the power or at the
mercy OF the government contractor. They
merely insisted that he should receive sncb
81 the dIeaged material, as they, who were
contractors, should direct. Strange to saw
the Marginal Way contractors object to re-
ceiving any 81 the material on any condition.
They insist that this material dug ont with.
in two hundred feet of the hole thew have
contracted to fill and which is rendered them
free of expense, shall be lowed several miles
down the harbOr and dumped into Hussey's
Sound, while they provide their own mate
rial. That is so irrational performance that
il seems incredible that 1t could have hap
pened. Nevertheless 1t has happened, and the
Marginal Way contractors threaten TO throw
up their contract IL they are not allowed the
boon of procuring their own material at
great expense. instead Of taking it free. So