The record-union., 1893-11-06
TWELFTH STREET TRESFLF.
Tine Piles Being Driven and Grading
Work Well Along.
The City's Plans Much More Solid and
Durable Than Those of
the County.

The work of building the Twelfth
street trestle for the city has commenced
and the piles are being driven rapidly.
They are thirty feet long and are driven
twenty feet into the ground, which will
render the chance of their being washed
out by the current almost an infinitesimal
one.
The trestle is the one which crosses the
old bed of the American River, Begin
ming at the foot OF the railroad embank-
ment on B street and replacing the old
one at that point. The bridge will be
four feet above high-water mark and
eight feet above the present one.
r. Silva, who has the contract for fill
ing in the grade beyond the trestle, is
well along with his work, being ahead of
the trestle contractor. The quality of the
dirt he is using is first class, and the
grade is becoming we'll packed already.
The charge having been made that the
city was paying under the contract about
double what the county is paying for its
trestle, a RECORD-UNION reporter made
inquiries on the subject and received the
information that the plans for the two
trestles are very different.
The city's trestle is across the old bed
swiftly and is much more likely to wash
out the piling and bridge than the current
over the flat, where the county's trestle is,
and which spreads out in high water over
a much greater surface. For that reason
the piles on the city's trestle are driven
down twenty feet, whereas the piles of
the county trestle are ten feet shorter and
driven down only eight Ieet. The city's
piles are round, while those of the county
are square, the former being the more
costly, as they have to be straight, and
are stronger. The city's bridge is to be
bolted, while that of the county is only
spiked. The city's bridge will necessa-
rlly be in use all the year round, while
that of the county will be in use only in
the winter and spring. The city's will
have only sixteen foot trestles, while that
of the county was originally twenty feet,
and has been reduced to eighteen feet in
order to make it stronger, which will in
crease its cost.
The majority of the bids for the county
trestle ranged at from 81 to s. so per foot,
and when the contract was awarded it
was freely stated by other contractors
that the amount Of the bid would not
much more than cover the cost of the
lumber. 1t has been Iumored, however,
that the successful bidder was able to
make his proposition so low on account
Of the fact that he had secured a large
amount of lumber through the failure of
a lumber company, at such prices as en-
abled him to largely underbid his COM
petltOrs, but as there was not sufficient of
it for both trestles he was not able to bid
SO low on the city job as he could have
done if his supply of lumber had held
out.
On October 18th Mr.. Layden appeared
before the Supervisors with proposition
to construct the county's trestle on the
same plans and specifications as the city's
trestle at the same price the city pays,
stating that there was a great difference
between them, that of the city being
much the strongest and most durable,
and that although double the cost of
the county's, it would be the
cheapest in the end. The Supervisors de-
clined to make the change, and Layden
said he would go ahead with his contract,
but it would give satisfaction neither to
himself nor the board. 1t would stand in
close comparison with the city's trestle,
which is much better class Of work.
When the bids for building the city's
trestIe were opened in the Board of Trus-
tees there were two bids from San Fran
cisco firms, one Of whom secured the con-
tract, and one from S. Carle of this city,
who is we'll known TO be a close figurer
on contract work and who was the next
lowest bidder to Layden IL Co. on the
county trestle. The bid of the latter was
accepted by the Board of Trustees, they
believing that good work would be
cheaper than trestle like the county's,
and stating so at the time, as reported in
this paper, and voting unanimously
for it.