Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1898-06-24
YAQUINA BAY WORK.
Reasons Why Contracts Have Not
Been Advertised For.

(Oregonian.)
J. r. Mays, of Elk City, writes to the
Oregonian that a great many people in
that section are anxious to hear some
thing about the letting of the contract
for the improvement Of Yaquina bay,
He says that they hsve been informed
that Captain Fisk, United States engi-
nccr, had received the approved specifi-
cations from Washington some time
SINCE, with orders to let the contract i'm
mediately. He also asks whether the
letting of the contract must necessarily
await the appropriation of the money
for the same.
The answer to this query is found in a
Washington report to the Oregonian,
published yesterday, which is to the ef-
feet that though the contract has been
authorized and the secretary of war will
probably make it, it is possible that ap-
preparations for this improvement will
be very hard to obtain. There is very
strong impression among men who ham
die the appropriations of money in the
house, that there is no good reason why
the improvement at Yaquina should be
made. 1t is believed from the reports
that have been made that the expendi-
ture of 81 ,0O0,000 at this point is not
warranted by the commerce, either now
or in prospect.
As to the return of the approved spec
ifications, Lieutenant Potter, United
States engineers, who had charge of the
government work on the coast of Oregon,
sent the specifications for the improve
ment of Yaquina bay to Washington
some three months since, and asked for
authority to advertise for proposals for
the work. Authority to advertise was
received, dependent on the specifications
being ap proved, and, in order to hasten
matters, Lieutenant Potter prepared and
sent Eastern engineering journals copy
of the advertisement to be inserted. The
specifications, however, did not come
back, and Lieutenant Potter, not being
notified as to whether they had been ap-
proved or not, was obliged to recall his
advertisements. Finally he was ordered
to join the expedition to the PHILIPPINES,
and up to the time of his departure the
specifications had not been returned and
he naturally supposed that in the hustle
of war preparations they had been laid
aside till more important matters could
be attended to. When Lieutenant Pot
ter went away some four weeks since, he
turned Office and matters in charge to
Captain Fisk.
For the past three weeks or more Cap
tain Fisk has been at the mouth of the
Columbia experimenting the planting Of
submarine mines and torpedoes. On
his return to Portland at noon yesterday
the approved specifications for the i'm
provement Of Yaquina bay were on his
desk awaiting him. AS he has not yet
completed planting mines for the pro-
lection of the Columbia, he will have to
finish this work before he can give at
tention to the Yaquina bay contract,
and before advertising for proposals for
the work will probably find it necessary
to go over the specifications prepared by
Lieutenant Potter; SO just when the con.
tract about which Mr.. Mays and Others
are so anxious, will be advertised, can
not definitely ascertained.
Whenever the Oregonian has any
thing to say about the Yaquina improve
ment it always works in that old, worn
threadbare tale about it being so hard u
get money for this appropriation, etc
For the benefit Of the Oregonian we will
say that we will waive all that stuff il
the future. We will admit that the Ore
gonian will publish all that stuff, and il
the future let the Oregonian publish tn,
news item only, and leave all that othe
stuff out, and we will consider it pub
lished. We know that it is the desire O
the Oregonian to publish all such stuff.
<%e~%
I. L. Patterson, Of Salem, ha!