The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1893-05-10
A GOOD SHOWING.
Reliable Report that Day Bros. Are
Pushing Things.

CASCADE LOCKS, Or, May 10th, 1898.
EDITOR CHRONICLE:
A trip down the picturesque middle
Columbia aboard the Regulator with
Captain Sherman and his crew, deserves
more than passing notice, but believ-
ing that you readers are more interested
just now in knowing just what is being
done here towards opening the grand old
river navigation, what the contractors
are doing, and what the government
knew, I set myself at once to the task
of finding out, not by the usual method
of an hours superficial view of the i'm
mense acknowledgement, between
boats, but by interviews with Lieut..
Taylor with the contractors, and leading
citizens of the Locks, also by personal
visits to the Herman creek quarry and
other points of interest, and as result
Aof these inquiries, extending over two
1days so far. While do not pretend to
know it all by long shot, yet my eyes
have been opened to some facts that may
interest you. In the first place it is un
| fortunate that feeling has been grow
ling, melted, no doubt by enemies of the
Iwork, that there existed a certain
amount of friction between the officer in
charge of government works here and
the contractors. Mr.. Day, who is evil
IDENTIFY an experienced business man,
land who is now working on the third
llgovernment contract of this firm, knows
Thoroughly his own right and respects
Ethe rights of the officer in charge. He
| is emphatic in the assertion that he has
asked nothing of Lieut.. Taylor, but what
that gentleman has courteously con-
ceded; that he has asked nothing to
which he was not entitled under the
terms of contract, except in those minor
matters of detail which will arise, and
in these he has been met with civility
and Kindness.
Lieut.. Taylor expresses himself as
well pleased with the contractors work
SO far and confirms his statements as to
the Apleasant business relations existing
between them. I had an opportunity of
seeingeome of the working plans pre-
pared in Lieut.. Taylor's Office for the
guidance NQf the contractors, and was
impressed With the fact of their thor
eughness of detail and how almost i'm
possible it would be for disagreement
between the twoA as long as these in
structions and details are carried out
conscientiously. M Day says that the
preparation of these detailed plans saves
him large item of troAble and expense,
and as he not only intends but is pre-
pairing to carry them out, Nhe can see no
reason either for friction between parties
or for adverse comments on either party
until some part of the contracN has been
violated.
And now as to the work. The ophion
seems to have existed among some folks,
that large force of men should, have
been put to work before high water in
actual construction, but it looks to me
that if this had been done we should
have just cause for suspicion of the
motives of the contractors. A brilliant
show would have been made at first.
But as soon as the first grand flourish
had exhausted itself, and the rock al
ready cut had been laid in the wall, then
the collapse would have been inevitable.
The contractors would have been de-
pendent on sub-contractors and wholly
at the mercy of the engineers, without
even business foresight to plead in ex-
tenuation of delay.
| AS it is they have made and are maxi
ing Rigaptie pxsparafiops to push the