The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-06-09

ton, would be outweighed by Inat fact.
Such a parry would nav to be made uD
by calling in unemployed surveyors from
outside, with no knowledge OF our streets,
| grades or lines.
This outside work in construction has
cost in nine months since September 1.
| when construction commenced, S2,S43.50
Ii it could all have been done by one
party continually employed, aud it is
doubtful il it could (as 1t is the usual case
that contractors wish to commence
work at different points at the same time,
and require tak at these points, the
cost would have been about
One Surveyor, nine months at $125.
S ,125.
One Transltman at $50, $50.
One Rodman at SIS, 500.
TWO Assistants at $50, $l,0S0.
Montaly allowance for cost of level,
transit and other instruments and repairs
at SIS, S135.
Expenses of party at s25 per month,
S422.
Stakes. 5000 at 2 cents, $50.
Rent of additional office room, SIS per
month, $l35; making a total OF S4.245.
This SHOWS a balsnce in favor of the
present. plan for this particular work. of
Sl.401 so, with the probability III the other
case of a large part of the work being
lone wrong by reason of the unfamiliar
Icy of stIange surveyors with the local
surroundings.
To cover the whole fourteen miles now
under construction, and the proposed
Weehawken branch. will require at least
three such parties, provided the work is
pushed vigorously.
BRIDGE PLANS.
During the same nine months there
has been paid tor outside work 1925,
covering preparing plans OF proposed
bridges which we're presented to the
COMMITTEES, aud by them ordered chan ged
to meet certain e~xigencies and in cal
culations and measurements at different
points along the whole line of road
needed to make up the estimates upon
which contractors were asked to bid.
AS to the broad charges of extrava-
| gaDce:-
IN total expenditures, including
| claims now before your board, for ofice
salaries for the past nine months, sin ce
construction commenced, are as folio VS.,
| not including salary of Chief En- gineer,
&, 1886.
COST OF ENGINEERING.
This, I fluid by going over the books,
should he apportloned as follows
On account of acquiring right of way
and preparations for appeal cases.. S2,366 81
General office expenses, including
clerk, messenger and part of type
writer expenses 2,015 %
Construction work, whole road. ....... 1855 %
Outside surveyors services, construc-
tion work, whole road...-....... - 625 90
Outside surveyors services, construc-
ton work Contracts !, 2. 4 and
Bridge b 2,S43 so
Contracts l. 2, 4 and Bridge B (3) aggre-
gate in amount $l20.6l3, ana cover 5 7-l0
miles of the road. Proportioning the
cost of construction engineering for the
whole road TO this $40 miles, gives
1891. so for the distance covered by con-
..-r.1 81 Q nr Adlf,r - rkfr ,N,r
of outside survey ors on these contracts
81 43. so, gives cost of engineering
charg. able to these contracts to date,
So, 833.30 Q. 1t will require about $3.50 more
on these contracts before f1ual esti mate,
making Si,0S5 30 In all.
The generally accepted cost of engi-
neering work on construction is 5 per
cent. of amount of contracts. Your
board allows Az per cent. on the contract
for HackensacK River bridge. At 5 per
cent. the engineering work on contracts
1, 2, 3 and 4 would amount Co Sc. 030. 35 or
nearly so per- cent. in advance of amount
actually approved by me.
At New York City, rates for engineer
ing work on similar street work. and 5
per cent. for sewer aud bridge work. the
amount would be S. 1872, or 81, 800 in adj
vance of amount actually approved by
me.
Taking the rates paid by Township of
West Hoboken, for ordinary street work,
the amouttt would be 1925, or about
$500 in advance approved. While the
rate approved by Hoboken, for ordinary
street work, in narrow streets, would
give So. ITO, or only S375 below what it has
cost for the engiuee ring work on the con-
tracts for 100 foot wide road, and an i'm
p~ortant iron bridge.
The actual cost, 81. 0S5. 80 on an expeR-
diture of $3.50 ,6l3 is about 34-10 per cent.
The amount of field work required III set
ting curb and paving contracts, Is less
than The work now under way. while the
contract cost per mile will be three times
as great, therefore the percentage for Gu
gin eering work on the paving and curb
ing contracts will be much less, and the
average of the whole construction will be
below 8 per cent. 1t must also be re-
membered that in the cases of New York
City, Hoboken and West Hoboken. all
the plansa and details are according to the
established maps and grade plans, mad g
aud paid for long befoi g.
Ihave not Included the Chief Engin-
GERS salary In this comparison. 1t, or
even the office force is not included in
the computation of New York rates, nor
is it usual to include 1t in liking the per-
centage on parts of large work. 1t would
be very difficult to apportion the salary
of the Chief Engineer with any fairness
to each of the several contracts.
AS for the cost OF wagon hire for the
Chief Engiueer:-I hardly think the criti-
cism of this claim was made in earnest.
The Committee on New Public Road
considered this matter last fall, and
i5 was then directed that the Chief
Engineer should secure the use of horse
aud & while the work was in pro-
gress. The whole fourteen miles are
now under contract. The horse ls used
daily either by myself or the Assistant
Engineer. The cost Yin nine months has
been SAT-. The salaries of the Chief
Engineer and Assistant aggregate about
81 per working hour, aud IL the board
concludes chat the saving OF time Is no
object. arrangements for wagon can be
cancelled.
The cost of inspectors, or the salary OF
the custodian Of buildings is not a proper
charge against the engineering depart
ment.
Respectfully.
ELBOW w. HARRISON.