Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-10-20
that ORPHAN BRIDGE.
Judge waldos Theory Nee ting Of
the County Csurts-New The
ory Suggested.

pie to obtain anything reliable and
of interest In relation TO the botched
bridge which nobody IL willing to
father. the JOURNAL sent out rep .
ressntative this morning on hunt |
for the desired news. The first man
met was County Judge Waldo, who
upon inquiry, Informed the reporter
that no word has yet been received
from Engineer Thielsen, to whom a
telegram was sent last week. In re-
lation to probable action and exist
ing conditions, Judge Waldo said:
ut is in my opinion too late now
to do anything this year, So the pier
will ie let stand until next spring,
and II 1t stands until then and goes
through the high water period
safely, without injury, shall insist
upon using 1t.
~ was out to the pier myself, aud
nobody can see by the eye that ii
has settled any. Dropping plumb
line down, the top of the pier is still
in three feet from the base IN accord
ance with the tapering process oi
construction. 1t ie p ,ssible the diff
ference in the level of the top of thu
pier may be the result of ihsrc'iracI
in putting in the layers of cement.
aud that there has been no settling
at ali"
J. +. Mccoy, superintendent of
construction, was next seeu aud
upon explaining Judge Waldo's
theory to him, he said there Was a
possibility of its being correct, but
he WAS i'm doubt about il, although
he said If the plumb line showed
regularity of outline from base to
summit at both ends, he could not
see how there could be any settling
NEW THEORY ABOUT THE CON
TRACTORS.
The hue and cry in relation to the
pier settling was raised by the COLI
tractors themselves, aad II is now "a
we'll settled belief with our coolest
business men that they raised the
/ cry to form an excuse for their fail
ure to carry out their contract.
| From some cause, either from fin
aucial or executive disability, Oh
both, their WORK is and has been in
such shape that they could not build
the bridge according to contrac,
aud finish it at the time agreed upon
Their material has not been on the
ground, nor could they give any
satisfactory reason why it wasn't
hence the natural inference is thai
they were incapable from one caus.
aud another, to perform the work
agreed upon, and some excuse be
came necessary for this failure.
The contractors sent for diver
who upon investigation reported
that the piling Was working its wa,
. up through the griliage, causing th'
pier to settle. This report was givei
, out and created an alarm which re
:, suited in the work being stopped
!. the very thing apparently desire'
by the contractors.
JOINT MEETING OF COURTS.
The county court of Polk count.
sent word to Judge Waldo Saturda.
to have the commissioners of thl
county brought together to day ant
o they would he here IL hold a join
a meeting TO consider what to do. Ii
, accordance Herewith Jud Ses Stout
fer and NcLench, of Polk and al
:. the members of this county cour
met this afternoon, but the uncer
, tainty Of the condition of things !
80 apparent that nothing was don,
=, The courts will await The report o
r Engineer Lederle, who vii be b n
. tomorrow with q diver and make
. thorough examination. MIR. lie 1
erie is said 10 lie one of the best en-
, gineers in the United States an
will he remembered as the gentle
man who made the examination o.
the river last spring ior The c. m
mittee-Bush, darcy and Byars
: He is now in charge Of the brid se
across the Columbia at Vancouver,
to which place A1r. J. II. Albert
went yesterday aud secured his SER
vices for the above purpose.
A reporter listened "a long time to
q conference this afternoon between
Mr.. Hoffman and engineer, and the
county commissioners aud Mr. r. s..
Wallace. They all seemed to agree
that the pier was in a bad condition,
but how to remedy the evil was as
much mystery to them all, as it is
to the rest of us poor niortals.
Mr.. Hoffman stated that there is
material enough OH hand to put up
the first span If the pier was ready
for It.
A CORRECTION.
In the statement above attributed
TO Judge Waldo there is an omission
which might leave a wrong impress
sion. He further explains that while
the eye could not detect the settling
plumb line establishes it, as the
top Of the pier Ia one foot nearer n
perpendicular line with the base
than the other side. showing that
from some cause, whether from set.
lling or faulty construction of the
cement work, the pier Is leaning.
The developments Of Engineer