Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-03
VALUE OF LOCK NO. Z
Being Argued Before the United
States District Court.
GOVERNMENT OFFICERS OBJECT
To the Amount Reported by the Viewers
for Condemnation.
COMMON PLEAS AND CRIMINAL COURTS

The appeal of the United States from the
Board of Viewers report in the condemua-
tioa OF Dam No. z, assessing the value at
S209, 600, was on before Judge Acheson, of
the United States District Court, yesterday.
The condemnation was by an act of Congress,
and it is considered SAC, 900 too high.
The case was opened by George Shiras,
Jr., who appeared for the Monongahela
Navigation Company. He spoke of the
time when the Monongahela was a shallow
stream, navigable only at high water stages
and when up-river trips were not thought
o. The Monongahela Navigation Com
pany was formed, having as its object the
building of the up-river trade, and at an
immense outlay OF money succeeded in
making navigation what it now is. The
coal men got an idea that the tolls were
enormous and appealed to Congress for a
free river. The subsequent passage of a
bill to condemn Lock No. :, and the award
Of the Board o! Viewers was then dwelt on,
and Mr.. Shiras stated that the company
would prove that the present valuation of
the property was much more than its original
cost.
STATEMENT OF THE COST.
William BakewelI, Secretary and Treas
urer OF the Monongahela Navigation Com
pany, was the first witness called. He testified
that he had been secretary for the company for
IS years and treasurer for 90 years Mr.. Bake
well presented detailed statement of the
actual cost of lock and dam No. :. which was
Sl6l,732 Is, but there were other expenses, such
stone for abutments, damage TO property
along the river, etc. which made the total cost
SlS0,5ll 50.
n =
the Monongahela Company, testified that the
Nonougaheia river Is a hard one on dams.
Floods are frequent ard come at the most un-
expected times. The ice in winter is also very
hard on dams Colonel Roberts then described
dam No. :. giving its dimensions, and the
amount of materials used in its construction.
The actual value of the dam to-day, the wit
ness thought, exclusive Of the natural increase
In the value of property is Sis, GOO and to this
should be added $4,000 for outside expenses.
The loch and dam are worth more to-day than
when they were built. for the reason that it has
wlthstood the test OF years. Taking all these
things into consideration the property to-day
should be worth at the lowest estimate S236.543
Lock and dam No. had but recently been
completed and was somewhat similar to No. Z,
and cost S25O. .OOO. After careful examination
of the work Colonel Roberts thought that the
work done on lock No : was very cheap.
SHOULD LAST FOR YEARS.
On cross-examinatIon Colonel Roberts stated
that the cause of the sinking of the river wall
oI tne lock was that II had settled and was not
TWO inches out of plumb. which did not in the
least affect the integrity OF the structure The
stone Is scaling of on the dock, but that did
not signify anything, every lock on the Mo-
nong1hela river scales. No stone can be found
that Will bear the exposure of water and
weather. The lock should last for so years, and
At the end of that time be substantial. Locks
Nos. and are over 90 years old, and Lock No.
IS better than either.
William D. Stratton. of New York is a con-
tractor aud built Lock No. for the Mononga-
hela Navigation Company in 1884. He also
built the Baltimore and Ohio bridges at Glen
wood and Rankin's station, also the Jones &
L2uEhlIT bridge. and was therefore acquainted
with the character of the stream. The river
sometimes rises very suddenly. Its bottom is
soft and loamy- The witness never saw Lock
No. 4 but knew the kind of material twas
built Of. The witness then went over the list
or cost as handed in by Nh. Bakewell and stated
that from his own experience would say that
the work was done at very fair price. The
dam. he thought, became more valuable from
having stood the test of five or six years and
was therefore worth more money to-day than
when 1t was new. The durability or life of
dam kept in ordinary repair without being torn
out by an ice gorge is everlasting. AS to the
timber used in dam it did not roI. The wit
ness had taken timber out of a river that had
been in Use for sc Years and it was still good.
The witness thought that the Monongahela
Navigation Company. with its plant and appli-
ances, could do the work % per cent cheaper
than an outside contractor.
The case will 20 to-day.