The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-12-12
WE GET A MELAN BRIDGE.
The Journals Efforts Are Crowned
With Success.
THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ACT.

They Wisely Listen to the Voice of the
People and Make the Contract for
the MeIan Bridge Plans.
The STATE JOURNAL and the people
who believed in the will of the majority
of the people being observed, have won
victory. The county commissioners
have decided to go ahead and do their
part toward the erection of a Melan arch
bridge across the Kansas river
The men who tried to defeat the will
CT the people are beaten in the first bat
tie. They have another resource, an
INDUCTION, for they have the money TO
employ attorneys and that is all that is
necessary.
In awarding the contract for the plans
the county commissioners did their plain
duty and what the JOURNAL has repeat
eddy urged A bridge is needed. The
people have said they want a Melan
structure, and the county commissioners
would have been false to their trust if
they had not taken the necessary steps
to secure what the people want and have
said they will have.
The contract for the plans is one that
names a very low figure, and it is sur
prising that the Melan company made
such concession. The commissioners
we're afraid of the "patent" because the
people had been misled by the Capital
on that point. They knew that they
would have to pay royalties if an iron
bridge were built, but preferred to leave
the question alone, and SO nothing is
said about royalty in the contract for
plans.
The county commissioners entered into
a contract with Keepers & Thacher of
Detroit, the representatives of the Melan
company, for plans of the new bridge,
at 4:15 last evening. The price agreed
upon for the plans is three aud half
per cent of the price at which the con-
tract for the bridge is let, which will
make the price about $4,000. The plans
will be filed with the county clerk, and
they are to be so clear and specific in
every detail that any contractor may I'M
derstand them.
The county commissioners preferred
to leave the question of royalty entirely
out, and nothing is said about it in the
agreement This leaves it to the indi-
vidual contractors to make arrangements
with the Melan company for the royalty.
The agreement contains one important
feature. 1t provides that the Melan rep
resentatives shall submit a bid of not
more than $l35,oOO for the construction
of the bridge, removing the old
bridge and caring for the travel while
the new bridge is being built. This
means that if any contractor cares to
bid on the bridge he must understand
that his bid must be less than $135,000.
The plans are to be submitted Tor ap-
prevail to an engineer of national
reputation to be selected by the county,
and he is to be paid by the Melan COM
pany. The company also agrees that if
the county is prevented from building
the bridge, nothing is to be paid the
Melan com pany for the plans.
The whole thing is hedged in SO care
fully that there is no posi- bility of mis-
take and the price agreed upon for the
plans is less than any engineer considers
fair price, as per cent is the usual fee.
The engineers of the Nelan company
say that unless they get the contract
they will lose money on she contract for
the plans.
W. H. Keepers said that the plans will
hardly be ready before February 1 and
that the contract will probably be let
soon after, so that as much work as pos
sible may be done before the spring rise
in the river. He says that it will require
from six to eight months to complete the
bridge ready for travel. The bridge will
be paved with brick, but the fills will be
macadamized, Both macadamizing and
filling is to be included in the contract
for the bridge.