The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-02-01
nELnAIREs Goop ROADS.

The other Side to the Pike Controversy
Haye Their sa%y-Engineer Dawson's
statement.
The Belmont County Commissioners
met at st. Clairsyille yesterday, accord
ing to agreement after hearing numer-
GUS complaints at Bellaire on the 18th
inst. concerning the work and manage.
ment Of the.hew pixies now about som
pleted in tie vicinity OF Bellaire. 1t
was 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon before
the hearing was commenced, and there
was quite acrowd OF complainants pres
emit as we'll as the engineer, contractors
and workmen on the pixies. The engi-
neer was charged with permitting the
use Of stone larger than the specifics
tions calledEfor; with spending an un.
due portionof the funds on the sections
Of road farthest from Bellaire, and with
negligently or corruptly certifying to
more stone than was put upon the road.
In reply to these charges Engineer
Chalkley Dawson, through his attorney
Dewitt Danford, filed an elaborate
written statement, together with twenty
afidavits Of Joseph McClain, Herman
Reese, w. NJ. Drugan, w. o. Cochran,
Charles Canlley, William and George
Shannafelt and others, who had worked
upon these pixies and other pixies, as to
the quality Of the work. The atidavits
were all in support Of the statement OF
the engineer, who says no did not re-
quire all the stone to BIO crushed to sizes
Of four ounces or less, because tho
crushers made too great a proportion OF
fine stuff, and that his judgment in this
matter has been fully verified by the
work done mol, and that the stone
has been crushed fine enough to make
lasting road. He says:
" standby my work in this respect
and the pixies are as smooth as new
pixies are customarily made" lie says,
~ might also add, 1t is customary to
complain OF tho roughness OF now
pixies and adds that the same COM
plants were made about the roughnesa
OF the Finishing pike he built twenty
years ago, yet II became a smooth and
solid road throughout and has stood the
test Of time and use.
Then he completely refutes the
charge Of spending an undue proper
tlQu VI tl6 lQlluu VII tllo ueCblVh5 lhIuu-
est from Bellaire and makes 1t quite
plain that about one-tourth OF the
money and work has been put upon the
Bellaire sections. He gives the figures
on this work and charges unfairness
against the principal complainant with
reference to the statements on this mat
ter, AS TO the charge Of negligently or
Corruptly certifying to more stone than
were put upon the two roads complain
ed most OF, no says he adopted the
method OF measuring the stono as they
lett the crushers, believing 1t to be the
fairest and most accurate, and that no
one will dispute that fair and just meas
urement cab DO had in this way; that
he could not personally see all the stone
measured and loaded at oil OF the crush.
efs and that he had men employed
whose duty IL was to see that tho boxes
at tho ctnshers were Allied and loaded,
or II not filed 10 report tho short.
age, that he certified tho amount
81 stone that Messrs. w. o. Cochran
and w. NJ. Drugan reported TO him, re.
lying upon their honesty and believing
their reports correct, and that at no
time didiany Of the complainantg init.
mate that either OF them w0s acting dis.
honestly and that only once was 1t hint
cd TO MIN that full loads wero not being
pit upon tho roads, and that no thon
visited tho urusheEs and told the mon
IN chargp what lo had learned and In.
etructed them that they must DO careful
and strict about the matter, but that
this occurred ouly last fall. He says he
went upon tho roads frequently In.
broad daylight aud undisgulaOd, and 10
uetonished at tho statement that he was
rarely seen by the complainant on the
Rock Hill road He says no cunscien.
tioualy and diligently discharged his
duty, taking 0vUfy reasonable precAu.
tion 10 secure fair and honest measure.
meht, aud submitted the sworn state.
monts Of all those connected with tho
crushota who knew Of the facts.
Mt pAwe0n says tho attack upon him
~ unfair and uniustI that the com.
pllinlanta aver IL the four alidayite