The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-20

mo-
invited before this body, and testified M
der OATH A special committee was a.
pointed 20 make preliminary investiga-
uon. Their duties were laborious p
merous witnesses being summoned ma
oath' and careful inquiry into each ora
gr,y Phase OF the charges was made
4Heir report has also been adopted Nv 81,
body, and is here given In fun helms ~, ..l,s
part OF these general presentments.
Mr. Foreman and Members of c,ro.,.,
SulS-1 our special committee, appointaS
LOT the purpose of investigating the ~
gatlons made before you by Mr.. WfJian,
n sI reiative 70 the management of the
ar'iln, VI TINS county, have infinitely ex
ahmed them, and after the hearing =.
huch oral testimony, and searching 20
many books of record, now reauest to s,,I
init their report as follows: SUI
we nave divided Mr.. Kehoe's writ4o,
statement In sections, and win take the
up separately and in order: '"elh
Section I reads:
Superintendent Chaphn's reports - -.
cost OF building the Waters road and FS
tln avenue, published in the Savan,-L
Press July g. 1897, giving the cost of hniis
ing l-lO miles of graveled road. cost .,
gravel. $17. 4S5. N0S' ot
AT $lSo a cubic yard, the price supnosoa
70 nave been paid for the gravel delivered
at savannah, the $17, 4S5 reported bv M
Chaplin as the cost, would purchase 70 go
cubic yards I0'4Oo
Mr.. Brown, the assistant Superintendent
stated that the average depth of the ero1,s;;
put down on this lilo miles of road uas
five 90 inches. was
At an average depth of five N, ,noho-
- 45O cubic yards of gravel Womb go,
o lilo miles of road for a width of o,o,. .,
feet. The average width of the road is la-s
than Is feet ID ieSs
We report as to section l.
The official records show that 9S2 cars %
gravel Were used in constructing EstiII
avenue and Waters road, MONTGOMERY v
ROADS, Skidway road, and County Far1o
road, and we find that official daily renort-
showing measurements of 1852 cars 80
corresponding paid freight bills for Qeo
cars, we know that the county received ae0
cars of this gravel that they paid for
Out OF these (S62) cars, the official state
ment of the cost of the EstiIl avenue ara
Waters road originally showed 6s2 cars az
being used thereon, but during the progress
OF our investigation, am error has been
Claimed as to those figures, and the state
ment has been amended by a note TO the
effect that GA cars were actually used In
constructing the road, 20 cars were placed
along the road for the purpose of repair-
ing, and that 10 cars were charged to that
work that went to the Montgomery x
roads; we are unable to determine from
any source, except the statements referred
to, whether these % cars and 10 cars were
placed as stated, but accepting that state
ment as true, it leaves 614 cars TO be ac-
counted for in the original construction Of
Estill avenue and Waters road.
All of the evidence shows that the
length of the two roads is 1-10 miles but
there being a diversity of opinion and tes-
timony as 10 the width and thickness. or
depth, of the layer of gravel thereon, your
committee made personal inspection Of
the entire road, taking measurements as
to width and depth al various parts of it,
and also taking measurements of the
amount of gravel now standing alongside
of the road, to be used for repairs from
time to time, we find that the width, whist
not informally is feet, viii average that
much, the depth of the gravel varies from
2 to inches on the sides, our measurements
averaging 31a, and from to inches on the
crown, or center, our measurements aver
aging AZ, so that we believe that the road,
as it now stands, would measure 61-10
miles long and an average of is feet wide
and about inches thick. We believe that
the gravel was spread for a thickness of
inches, all of the testimony being that
the pegs, which were set on the road TO
designate the height to which the gravel
must be laid, before rolling, were inches
high and then it was rolled by a fifteen
Q5) ton roller, COMPRISING it to inches,
the testimony being that under such CIR
cumstances the shrinkage by compression
would be 80 Is per cent; therefore, If the
road before any rolling was done, was lilo
miles long, 10 feet wide and s inches deep,
it would have required $50 $40 cars or 49,
1876 cubic yards to cover that space, which
is n cars, or $40 cubic yards less than the
official reports show as being charged 10
and used in the building of Estin avenue
and Waters road.
Sections 2 and of allegations read:
Made private trade for thousands of dol
lars worth of gravel, when the law plainly
says it must be advertised eight weeks,
and successful bidder must make affidavit
that he or they did not influence any other
bid or prevent free competition.
After several shipments were made at
81 20 per cubic yard, the price was advanced
10 cents per yard TO $1.30, without con-
sulting either the committee on roads and
bridges or the board
We report as to sections 2 and 8:
We find that AL of the gravel used by
the county prior to the Dale avenue work
was purchased without advertising for
bids; when Ogeechee road was being bultt
the Augusta Gravel Company made snip
ment of their material as a sample, Which
proved satisfactory and cheaper than other
materials used on that road for which they
advertised for bids. The gravel being SUIT
able as to price and quality, the commls-
Augusta Gravel Company, as it was re
quired for other roads that We're being
built, the matter of price therefore being
arranged by interviews or correspondence
without any duly advertised bids beihg
called for; we find that after the Samples
of gravel was tested and found satisfactory
that on Aug. u, 1885, Mr.. Kehoe presehteu
a motion at meeting of the board,
authorizing the use Of the graVel
and adopting 1t as paving ma
terial The commissioners clam
that bids were not regularly callee
for because at that time they kne" %
only one concern who could furnish inc
material, and the price of their arucle
was cheaper and the quality superior u
other materials which they had adVel-
tised for and had experimental with' we
believe that the county secured Its grdVel,
purchased in this manner, at as low price
as said gravel was sold to any one eise,
difference In freight rates to dlfefeh.
points being considered; We tnd that tlo
advance from $1.2O to $1.30 was due 10
transfer charge in Augusta on shipments
over the Central Railroad for use on A t.
7 1G fhAT