The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1891-10-24
AN EFFICIENT Off.
GER.
Capt. II. $, Burnett's Push
and Energy Com
Tneuded.

MT. Geo. Il. Willis, correspondent
of the Louisville Times, in a letter
written from this city to his paper on
Saturday, has this to say of the
splendid work Capt. r. S. Burnett is
doing at Lock Lock No. 8.
The gentlemen who have charge of
the contracts to widen the Louisville
and Portland canal and complete the
new Custom house could come to
Frankfort and take some valuable
lessons from a gentleman located
here. He is Capt. r. s. Burnett,
United States Engineer in charge of
the Kentucky river, with head
quarters at Frankfort.
Capt. Burnett has accomplished a
remarkable work in the past six
months and has done it SO quietly
and in such business-like way that
few people in the State knew that it
was even in progress. He has built,
or will have built in few days, abut.
ments, a lock and dam in the Ken
lucky river, all in one season, and the
remarkable part of it is that the
same amount of work has never been
accomplished on any river in the
United States in that length of time.
The lock, which is above Salvisa, in
Mercer county, will make the Ameri-
can Rhine navigable up to near the
beautiful country and scenery about
the famous high bridge on the Gin
cinnati Southern railroad. 1t was be-
gun just six months ago, and has
been accomplished by working a
force of 300 men night and day, with
out moments interlnission, until
now. An old stonemason and expert,
who has had charge of the stone
yards during the big work, said the
other day that he had been engaged
on great many public works, but
this was the first he had ever seen
carried on by perpetual notion"
The night force have worked by
electric lights throughout the spring
and summer, and the result will be
the completion of the whole task by
not later than the last of next week.
Capt. Burnett deserves and is re-
ceiving much commentator from
the authorities at Washington, where
the Chief Supervising Engineer, who
believed the work could not be done
in one season, and objected to it's
being attempted, now believes that
much can be accomplished even on
public works by energy and push,
and that there is such thing as ex-
petition in carrying out a Govern
ment contract.
Burnett, who is yet young man,
took his first practical lessons in en-
cheering in no less school than
that afforded by the erection of the
New York-Brooklyn bridge. His
father was the chief engineer on that
work, and the younger Burnett, as an
assistant, had the task of construct
ing the two big cables. Each of the
latter is composed of something
more than five thousand wires, and
no two of these wires are of exactly
the same length. 1t was the calcula-
ton of the length Of each of these
wires in the proper construction of
the cables that engaged the younger
Burnett for several years and
graduated him in the mysteries Of
advanced civil engineering.
Capt. Burnett also held a position
under General Newton, U. s. Engi-
neer in charge of the improvement
of New York Harbor, and while so
employed had charge of the work of
placing all the explosives which blew
up Hellgate rock. He was with the
party which surveyed the route for
the Nicarauga canal, and has executed
a great deal of valuable work upon
various Southern rivers.
He is by far the best man the Gov
eminent has ever had in charge of
the Kentucky river.