The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-03-06
STATE OFFICIALS.
HANDBURY'S LAST ESTIMATE.

In response to resolution of Senator
Dolph, the chief of engineers has sub
mitted report containing full informa-
ton about the progress and condition OF
the works at the Cascade locks. In this
report the estimated cost of completing
the works is placed at 81 ,745, 800. That
is to sav, this amount is the estimate
made by Major Handbury under date OF
Feb ID Estimates made since that
time are not reported, but they are sure
to come in due time, and certain to be
larger Major Handbury's report may
be valuable and doubtless is, but it
seems to concern itself more with apollo
getics than statistics. The major gives
two reasons for the great increase of fcost,
over earlier estimates. First, the en-
gineers who made the first estimates
were fools, (the major does not put 1t
that way, but it amounts to the same
thing.) They didn't reckon on making
the hole big enough. Then the major
came along and had to make new 'esti-
mates for bigger hole and more money.
The plan OF one of the gates was wrong,
the stones for the walls were wrongly
cut, there was a new estimate, and $780,
600 of the peoples money was wasted
because somebody was incompetent.
Second, the first estimate reckoned,
perhaps, that the bottom of the excava-
ton would be fossilized remains of de-
ceased army engineers. They found it
solid bed rock 1t was a surprise. There
was "a new estimate. The bottom must
be covered with two and half feet of
concrete to keep the rock from washing
away, and over 100000 more added to
the former estimates. All this bungling,
loudly suggests the necessity of letting
out the work by contract. Yet this is
the very thing that Major Handbury de-
precates. ''He thinks it would be
detrimental to the work to let it by con-
tract" Detrimental how? Detrimental
to what work? Detrimental to past
bungling and past incompetency detri-
mental to the prodigal waste of the pub
lie funds detrimental to hopes deferred
and tedious delay and detrimental to the
luxuries of small army of government
vampires it might be, but detrimental to
the progress and completion of the work,
never.
The major is hard on the newspapers.
He charges them with ignorance, which
may be admitted; he divides them into
two classes, the reputable and disreput-
able, which may also be admitted and
alleges that the editors have no means
of finding out what is going on, which is
true of most of them (but the CHRONICLE
takes the Associated press dispatches),
but when the gallant major places all
the newspapers that passes criticism
upon the works, among the disreputables
there is nothing left but that the CHRoNI-
Gle should rise up in its majesty and on
its own behalf eXclaim, "We demur.''
The report makes one statement that
we must refer to before we close. The
major says if Uncle Sam will let him
have all the money right away, he will
finish the work inside three years, but
he adds that he could spend '$700 ,0OC
by June so, 1884, and we don't doubt il
IA bit, and $500 900, next year, and we
believe every word of it; but these sums
amount to 81 100000 and the query O
the CHRONICLE is, ''If we let the major
have these two sums as he wants them
how, on earth, would he manage to ge
along with the balance of the amour
his last estimate calls for till the tire,
years are up?" We suppose he woulC
have to make a new estimate,