The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-04-11
SLIGHT HITCH BETWEEN COM.
MlssloNERs AND CONTRACTOR
TIME LIMIT is EXCEEDED
Hewitt Asked to Pay Extra Expense
Incurred Because Of Lengthy
Delay.

From Wednesdays Daily Gazette.
completed across the Yellowstone, east
of the city, meets with the approval
Of the board of county commission
ers, but as to the time when it should
nave been finished there is a hitch in
the matter of it's acceptance.
The board met in special session
yesterday for the purpose of acting in
the matter Of accepting the bridge.
Mr.. Haviland, the foreman represent
ing the contractor, Mr.. Hewitt Of Min
neapolis, was present and reported
the bridge completed. Messrs. Park
er, chairman, and Deverili, a majority
Df the board, Commissioner Jacobs be-
ing unable to attend. in company with
the county surveyor made a visit to
the bridge and found it to have been
built in, accordance with the plans
and specifications and they expressed
themselves as satisfied in that re-
gard.
When it came to the matter of max
ing final settlement a hitch occurred.
The contract entered into with Hewitt
contains a provision that the bridge
shall be completed October l., 1901.
OF thereabouts, and this part Of the
contract has not been iulfilled,- as
about six months elapsed after the
contract time before the bridge was
finished and rendered to the county
for it's acceptance. The commission
ers were of the opinion that because
Of this lapse the contractor should
bear the burden of the expense incur
red for supervision by the county at
ter the lapsed time and submitted a
bill for 1851, the perdiem charged by
the county surveyor for visiting the
bridge and acting as the county's rep
resentative, which they claimed the
contractor should pay.
Mr.. Haviland not being a principal
to the contrac. did not feel at liberty
S.s8s NAIOW Vi LILY oAAlOulLElOAu VI ulduG oil
earnest plea in behalf Of his employer,
saying that because OF the nature Of
the ground and other obstacles en-
ccuntered in constructing the bridge
the delay had been unavoidable and
for that reason he did not consider ii
fair that Hewitt should be asked to
stand the mulct. The commissioners,
however, could not see things in that
light and held out for the allowance.
1t was finally agreed upon between
the two parties at interest that the
county should pay the contract price,
$1O,74O, less the sum Of 1851, the
mount in dispute, the county to have
the right to use the bridge pending a
settlement with Hewitt, to whom Mr..
Haviland has sent a statement Of the
case.
Want a Road.
Paul Mccormick appeared at the of.
fee OF the county clerk this morning,
thinking that the board was st:'l i,
session, to make an appeal for the
construction of a road on the east
side of the river and leading to the
new bridge.
He said that much work would have
to be done between Huntiey and the
bridge and that at least one bridge
Should be constructed across.a coulee
and the road graded in a number Of
places before the bridge would prove
the convenience and benefit it is in
tended to be to those resulting on the
other side.
He was informed by Clerk Carwile
that the board would not meet again
until the last of the month, when the
matter would be brought to the atten-
tion of the members, In the mean
time he advised Mr.. Mccormick tc
see the road trustees of that part of
the county and ascertain II relief
could be obtained from them, a rather
doubtful proposition, as the road dis
tricts have treasures remarkable for
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