The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-08-05
CITY AFFAIRS.


Saulpaugh made some charges against
the Board of Public Works and City
Engineer of a serious nature. / have
hesitated before making any reply,
but feel that brief statement of the
facts is only justice to US for you can
not hit a city engineer much harder
than to charge him with favoring con-
tractors at the expense of the city.
A city engineer if he is true to his
duties andhis obligation to the city
must necessarily make enemies, and
it is often the case that he must make
an enemy of one whose friendship he
highly prizes. Now when the profile
and grade Of Sixth ST. was adoped by
the city council, | made careful cross
sections of the ninety stations on the
street showing just what was to be
done. The bidders all made their fig
ures by these and these, cross sections
were on the work all the season where
they could be inspected by all and
compared with the stakes | set to
guide the work and, with the exception
of two places, one where we hoped to
save alarge tree and one where house
was in the way, the contractor moved
every yard of earth required to bring
the street to grade. This fact is known
to several beside myself, and this is
just what we paid the contractor for
doing. No more and no less.
1t is well known that new grade will
settle and wash badly for the first
year, and the continued rains .of the
present season injured the work Seri-
ously. 1t is sometimes required of
contractor on such work to keep it in
repair for year before it is accepted.
Ii we had done this the city would
have saved much of the money spent
there this year and would have paid
it to the contractor, for he would-have
added good round sum to his origin
al price and the city would not have
gained dollar.
The culvert there is located in
sharp rayine some thirty feet deep.
Under it is large quantity of broken
stone well rammed down and two
courses Of heavy footing stone each
over foot in thickness. While on
account of the protracted rains and
the nature of the ground the culvert
has settled some, it is still safe and
solid and will stand there without fur
ther injury long after the present
generation is forgotten. Perhaps in
building the culvert / was too careful
to save the city funds and should have
put ain more expensive masonry.
That is question of policy and moth
ing more, but the culvert serves its
purpose well and will stand
AS to the culvert on Vine street,
we only ask of those who think it is
not solid, substantial and adapted to
the purpose for which it is designed, to
inspect it. The city paid $1,000 for
the arch culvert on Front and Vine
and about the same for those on Sec
ond and Broad. Two of these are so
feet long and the other 100. We are
paying this season $3.50 for $50 lineal
feet or only s2.15 per cubic yard. The
Board are perfectly willing to go to
the people on the record.
Years ago. while uperintending the
building Of piers under our big bridge
the writer was often told that they
would settle and get out of position,
that the ice would surely knock them
out, etc. Today we cannot find the
man who said it. We are more than
willing that our work should be in
vestigated. Mr.. Swan has brought
the water works department to a sys-
tim of thoroughneSs it never knew be-
fore. In doing this he has proved that
the hotel which we show to visitors
with so much pride, gets more city
water for dollar than the rest of US
get for three. 1t is rather singular
fact that the proprietor's
friendship and good will towards the
B. of P. W. vanished about this date.
M. B. HAYNES.