The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-18
.PAGO-PAGO
CONTRACTORS
START WORK
Steel Piles to Be Made
at Pittsburg.
TOTAL COST TO BE 100000
CONTRACTS FOR CAST IRON TO
BE LET HERE.
Healy, Tibbets & Co. Prepared to
Start the Expedition in Febru-
ary-Forty Men Will Be
Taken From Here.

The contractors for the Pago-Pago
coaling station. Messrs. Healy, Tibbets
& Co. Of this city, are already well under
way with their work. Although the con-
tract was only let a couple of months ago,
all the preliminary preparations are now
completed, and the work of manufacture
ing the piles and other material required
for the wharf and coaling sheds is about
to commence.
1t is pretty big contract and will
mean the expenditure of a good deal of
money on this coast. The tender origin
ally accepted by Commander Tanner was
for $4,000, but since then the Naval De-
partment has decided to add five bents
to the t piece of the wharf, frightening
its eighty feet. This means an additional
outlay of S21 ,000 Then there is the grad
ing and concrete work ashore to prepare
the foundations for the coal sheds and
caretaker's house. This is paid for by
measurement, at so much cubic yard.
Altogether the work will cost Uncle Sam
at least 5000, 900.
I'VE have all our drawings completed"
said Mr.. Healy yesterday. I'VE have
had six draughtsmen at work ever since
our tender was accepted. We have let the
contract for the manufacture of the steel
piles and material for the superstructure
and sheds to the Carnegie Steel Company,
Limited, of Pittsburg.
linus the biggest ana most
portion of the work goes East, away from
this coast but this is unavoidable under
the present conditions of trade. No Cali
fornian firm is prepared to compete with
the steel makers of the Eastern cities.
The contract made by the Carnegie firm is
for the manufacture of 100000 pounds of
steel principally piling. The piles are of
all sizes, some of them with screws, for
boring through sand, others with sharp
ends, for driving through the coral rock.
The largest piles will be eight and three
quarter inches in diameter and seventy
feet long, weighing over seven tons.
Lieutenant Chambers, who is represent
ing the Government in this matter, left
last night for Pittsburg. to supervise the
manufacture of the steel work. With HIM
went j. B. Leonard, an engineer employed
by the contractors. These gentlemen Will
keep their eye on the manufacturers from
beginning to end of the process, and wall
take CAFE that nothing but the very best
material Is. turned out.
Still, California is to get something. The
contracts for all the caSt-iron work are to
be let here. Shoes for the piles, bits for
the wharf and various other minor arti-
amount to about $50 900 pounds in weight
and $4,000 in value. The method of trans
portation has not yet been decided. upon.
I'VE would PREFER remarked Mr..
Healy, ito send everything in one vessel
from this coast; but considerations of
time may render this impossible and it
may become necessary to ship the steel
work manufactured in the East from New
York by steamer. The rest of the ma
sailing vessel. But if we can manage to
get every thing across the continent in
cars it would be better, for the whole
expedition would then leave San Fran
cisco in one ship.
I'VE have to complete the work by Sep
TENDER next, so there is no time to lose.
The ship must start in February or March
next. Mr.. Tibbets of our firm will go
down in charge of the party, which will
consist of the engineers and forty skilled
mechanics. For the rougher laboTing
work we expect to employ natives. Once
we get the material landed it will take US
about four months to erect the wharf.
1.-The coaling shed alone will be a big
piece of work. 1t is to be about $50 feet
long by 100 feet wide, and will accomnro-
date several thousand tons of coal. The
wharf will be 256 feet long, with a T piece
352 feet Then there is a house for the
caretaker and all kinds of subsidiary
time -