Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-10-13
BRlDUG MATTERS.
The Sevssty.rsst Hish Central Pier
Leans to the East Twelve laehes.
ALI the Pscts.

The JOURNALS expoee Saturday
,f the questionable procedures In
The C instruction Of the bridge nj So
em har called out general express
ons Of Indignation from the public.
The charges OF the 10, KNAL are
morv than Sustained, except IN the
matter Of the east cylinder piers,
" wbich an, shown to have isen built |
where they now stand, and that NOT |
much Of the bank ia iron, ~ them \
has washed away.
Investigation and admissions Of
the superintendent of construction
in chsrge for contractors, shows that
the middle pier is settling and that
the tall pier has swayed about
twelve inches to the east. Ii ap-
pean frum the statement Of the
diver, who examined the struc-
ture under water Sunday,
that the piling 10 being forced up
the grillage by the weight
Of the pier. All this indicates that
q general Ignorance Of the work
prevails, and that the
Taxpayers have not had the benefit
Of such supervision In their interest
as the construction Of a steel bridge
should require. The pier> as con
structcd will not sustain their own
weight, much lees the enormous
pressure of a steel super-structure.
II Is time for the county courts to
call halt, cancel the contract,
which can now BY no means he
safely carried out, and sue upon the
t,ond, to recover the Sis, 900 already
paid on the contract. 1t would
teach such con,racton . salutary
lesson and might check them in
contracts which they
do no, seem to be able TO manage
The damage to the city and the two
is already great. The pres
ent duty Is to protect the Taxpayers
against ftrther luss and suffering Of
INTERVIEWS WITH CITIZENS.
Mr.. A. Bush, banker: my ideas
about the bridge were set forth in
the report made by Messrs. D'Arcy,
Byan and myself. / have favored
and still do something permanent
and devoid Of jobbery. A steel sus-
pension bridge il rightly built would
be the thing"
A business man: "The contractors
do not seem 10 know the weight Of
their piers, or the crushing point Of
the timber upon which they rest, to
say nothing Of the character of the
bottom Of the river"
E. NJ. Waite: 81 think the first
pier ought not to be accepted, under
any condition, a. it has already
proven detective. and that befUre
the city and county do any thing
further, the~ ought to know wt1sth-,
sr the bondsmen are good for aii1
these io-ses and delaya. Any body
can contract TO build . bridge. but
to erect n good, safe and substantial
one. requires experience 1t least.
w ARE paying large sum of money,
aud salem certainly cannot afford
to have any failure through neglect
or incompetency this time"
&. B. Miller, Of Gervais, says: /
1--WE want \ good bridge. ios can.
not hammer this subject too hard to
suit US. We want your paper to
stand by the interests oflhe people"
Commissioner Watson, Of Turner.
is in the city, and feels rather blue
about the bridge matter.
RoSert Ford ssys it il not the
fault of the contractors.
u. Murphy: at is . bad piece
,f business, and will cause the peo-
pie much inconveniencs and ex-
pense."
Mr.. Boethby: "The work on that
pier is faulty in design oI faulty in
Just who is to blame
,annot yet I've determined"
A brother to one Of tue contractors,
'upt. Bates, said to q JOURNAL
nan: "The piers are settling right
along. We have gauge on the
central pier. II is out Of plumb
welve inches, new. The diver
vent down sunday and examined
t. He finds that the piling under
he grillage is crushed right up into
he woodwork. The mbers are
,reaking in wherever they are cot
m the pi.ing."
County Judge Waldo was seen
nd ssid: 1--WE do mt propose to
,ay any more money unless there Is
good bridge put up. They have
to give US bridge. and
se propose to hold them to the con-
ract."
Judge Shaw: "The bond was
made under my Jurisdiction and /
elieve is properly drawn and has
ood sureties. According TO court
ecisioD a bondsnian is released ,
ihen the county authorities allow
haBges In plans to be made that are
ut according TO the record. A. TO
he liability Of these bondsnIen It
MI depend on what latitude has !
zen allowed by the court and c"n,- '
In changing the plans" :