New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-18

contractor, mean that il shall be if they can help II.
In Brown. Howard a Co.'S bills for section No ) they
claim not merely for these extra eight inches, but
for all the excavation done. Their claim for ex-
cavating their 1000 feet Of tunnel amounts To
Stills o. The Commission has allowed up TO the
line AAA in the sum Of s4l1 .O13 81 The differ
encc IS $3.50 7Gj o. II the claim for extra excava-
ton kept up in this proportion along the entire line
Of the Aqueduc-and the bills thus far submitted
indicate that it Willis total amount Will be not far
from S2,jOOOOO.
II seems probable that claim almost II not quite
as large this is be demanded as the additional
cost on tunnel excavation not provided for in the con-
tract by errors OF engineers in alignments ana grades
For section No this IS estimated at % per cent OF
the total excavation. and charged for In the sum OF
| Sl42044 49, The Commission dsallows this claim al
together No such errors says, have ever been maze
or if they have it the contractors duty to have
complained Of them when they were committed. ana
no complaints Of the kind have been received some
Insignificant errors Of this sort have II Is true oc
Cured but they have been surprisingly few ana unm-
porant. such they are however. they nave been
duly credited and allowed for already. No clam what
ever can be based them beyond what has been con
ccded and this item IS declared by the Commission 10
be sheer humbug. various small sums OF the " adoI.
tional cost variety claimed, aggregating small
fortune of about $4,000 These are all dlsaowed ul
der Clause o Of the contract, already cited Many
other charges which legitimate of themselves are
increased by an ingenious system Of arithmetic IN sums
which make total Of about 100000. The Com
mission say, that it's own computations are absolutely
accurate; that they have been gone over by dozen
different in a dozen different WAYS ana Vcrlhcd
beyond dispute. The charges that diner from INC"
have all been investigated but in each case disaIio"ed
An especially bold claim is advanced in these words
" To additional cost In construction OF masonry
through the incompetence Of inspectors. errors OF
or.tt.o and dol q tbo
tho tunnel to be lined with masonry, estimated NJ
- per cent Of the whole cost S16,o5o 40 l"'
refers 10 the well-lnown order Of the original ooa-
mission directing that the Interior OF the tuhne' D"
lucd throughout with masonry. The CONTIGUOUS
after inducing the Commission 10 do an utterly useless
bat to them highly profitable thing now attempt
to fine the city because the Commission ala not 40
this foolish and extravagant thing sooner buc 'ho
climax Of impudence IS reached in the final charges
The sum OF $1,000 is demanded as addltlohdl oV'1
for pumping water maintenance OF force use Va
machinery and expense while waiting for the Aqueduc'
Commission TO accept work, after said work Ibh al
been completed the satisfaction OF the cheHc'F'
and Inspector, who supcrlntcndcd the construction OF
it, THIS item Is disposed Of by the simple reharh
that the contract doc, not make subordinate engineers
the judges Of the work. but reserves that RESPONSE
huity to the Commission. The sum OF S1O2"oo j.
charged a, additional cost through extraordinary
change Of plan ia making the Aqucduct capable OF
being used A pressure tunnel THIS represents
the contractors, demand FOR repairing their own de-
fectlyc work. An immense amount Of bad work was
discovered and acknowledged b. the FshRdgway
Commission. and there WAS talk Of tearing down
the who'll, work and u rebuilding 1t anew. But this
would have had many sorts o. disastrous consequent
ce.. II would have delayed the completion Of the
Aqucduct many months. and would have bankup'ed
the contractor, straightway. 1t was felt That TINS
extreme step should not be taken unless it was abso
rrrniss q
n 10 hurry 10 take II. Finally, II WIS decided that
an extensive system Of grouting would remedy all de
f.et, and the contractor, permitted to resort 20
That remedy The Investigations Of the present Com
mission have revealed far more u such work than was
"a pc,tcd and much more grouung was DONE hue
tia, all undertaken hy the contractors u avon
worse necessity. and the idea of their charging
,lo. $40 for having been allowed to do that which
VI, L., costly to them than what they might have
been forced t. do had the Commission rcsOried TO
extreme measures. is strangely prposierous. Inc
contracts especially provide that the work must Dc
well and faithfully done to the satisfaction Oh tlo
Commission. and that all defects must be rcmedied
without charge aud that the engineer Is the Judge Oh
tiic quality Of all the work done. In these crcum
stance, tii. item Of slO235O not allowed and
vi r. also fru an ltcm ~ 100000 for altering ana
rebuilding ma- ury and another of 10000 a. damages
for juc uudcr e~timatou alleged To- have been pfac
t.-ed hy the Commission. Nor was any allowance
made nal ana most curious 'ifEHc ~ F''N''
med AS the expense OF attending the Commissions
cNfort, in their late tour Of investigation. In It's
entirety tlH, remarkable bill presents a grand total
Of debit boz the sum Of l.536,26i Of which @7lOOod 10
i- arLuowlcd-cd by the Commission 10 be honest ana
inst The rest amounting 70 Sfdl97 30 Is declared
To- ,e frivolous and Illegal
o'l,rlcn & Clark bin FOR section No. Is an In
c>plc.blc middle # fact and fiction in most OF the
homes, and lawful charges. either by grossly careless
book lc.pir. or Dr. pursuance ~ some darby my
.cf.04, design. they have cheated themselves but
t.y aupl, atone for all th, when they come to their
,>f-, ,r,r,c- The bill wa, presented last Nednes-
dly. t,1 De-, NOT yet been fully examined Most OF
t. extras, however, far a, they are l'"nlled come
ud.r the contract clause, limiting the amount OF eN-
oyluou 20 Dee paid for. or under that fetal Clause -
which forbid, special charge, ~ all Kinds excepting
those therein specified. which were assumed by both
parties n %, sufficiently generous To cover all eNigen-
c AZ the end Of the account ], am enormous demand
> pressed n these -oucW hat vaguely dro words ITO
damage, for breach OF contract delay-. interest etc.
etc.. etc. .3oo.oJO' Tai, bill Wa, forwarded IN
LAWYERS letter. Eating that uulcs, 10 should be PAM
within thirty day, suit for its collection would az
once De- Instituted The Commissioners VIII not pay
H. ~ IN, total # $l.fi9426 26 demanded thcy |
think that about 1-5oOOO Is legally due. OF TINS |
amount thry have already paid r,2'.-1J -. Ih'} !
Indulge "a lively hope that upon tie uaI tc con !