Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-10-07
COMMISSIONER MACDONALD'S LETTER
He Fires Hot Shot Local Officials Business Transacted Last
 Nights Board of Public Works Meeting.

tlnS owner has r1gnt 10 protest against his property being injured for the public good without a just and true compensation. Every foot in
 balancing, cut and fill such as youl plan suggested that this 5000 feet be treated, was injuring abutting prop erty and furnishing mortgage for all time upon the financial department of the state in making it necessary to furnish and maintain a railing. It Is the duty of the state pleasantly ac- cepted. in the treatment of all ques- tions of this kind to have an eye sim gle to. the future of every district
 through wh3ch state roads go- Hay ing that in view the state treated this particular section in question just the same as 1t treats all other sections where conditions are equal with those by which this case was surrounded at the time 1t was treated and as it occu- pies ip it's position to-day.
 I can hardly see how computation could be made simply upon the estab- lishment of the center line sufficiently so as to establish either a cut or fill. In the treatment of all grades that particular part of the grade treated in W 4ANA c& AAAA A6 A%AGAS~y G1AANA GAA@b AAAA is over one foot in its depth, the state provides that the filling shall be put in in. courses and that each course shall be finished before commencing another; and also the grading shall bA continued in courses of not to exceed 12 inches loose measurement, until the established line is reached. 1t must be quite obvious to you, gentle men, who are public men and engaged in business, that with the constant travel of teams over the filling such as ,fas suggested by the original plan the amount of shrinkage and waste must have been very large. For there is 10 pressure or weight or roller that is equal to the .compressing force o6 a constant traffic of heavily loaded wagons with narrow tires; hence, the course pursued in our specified ton would have made compact, solid and firm foundation upon which the gravel construction was to rest.
 I dc not find any attention was paid in your computation at all to shrink age and do not see that in the ab- sence of the question of whether the outside slopes in the fills were to be 115 or 2 to 1, how 1t was possible to form any computation in regard to this matter. Another matter perhaps lost sight of is this, namely the direc- ton of the road as presented to me at the time looked 1t over, so that plan was not acceptable to this office tnas- much as with very little expense the line of the road could be materially as- sisted in its direction, thereby giving the line of vision more pleasant asso- ciation with all tangents. This was suggested to the engineer when he came to this office. That line has nev- CT been established and has never been presented to this office. The geo. graphical plan is not in my posses sion now and I have no means of knowing what the character of the center line might be with the change.
 All of these matters have been taken under consideration with a desire to build such road as would be useful not only to the board of public works of The city of Waterbury and the citi- zens of Waterbury, but also to those who might have occasion to use this road and those who are abuttfng upon the section of highway to be improved. The plans were approved of by this department in the interest Of all con- cerned to the best judgment of this department. It would be a very un- happy day and very unfortunate treat ment for any engineer or any depart ment to take as basis of calculation in the treatment of any public lm- proyement the simple proposition of cut an fill. I am very glad you gen RlA InA so that the state might have an oppor- tunity to say why it was that the grades were presented to your board as they were
 I can assure you, gentlemen, have no thought in my mind except the in terest of all concerned In this. matter. There is not grade established upon that plan to-day furnished by this de- partment but what is a grade that any team can trot over. or any team, without unnecessary hardening, can pull as heavy a load as they can pull upon the streets in your city But there is very important matter in the consideration of this question and that is that when this road is treated and if you as representatives of the city of Waterbury and as representa- tive of the state can remove for all time any bill of expense or any possible litigation or question of damage from coming up then 1t is absolutely our duty to so do.
 Coming back to the proposition of your vote as it appears in my cor respondence, it was stated in that vote that it was the question of expense YTJ1nY uuhioh uo,1r 1Hoor5 7nf1cod r.. oo cept the grades sent from this office will allow your board to ask any en- gineer in reputable standing and of large experience in the handling of earth, if in the question of cut and fill upon any contract in the state of Con- nect1cut or out of it, the maximum amount of cut or i'll is not taken as the basis of computation; 1t is not a question of balancing cut and i'll, and when that fact Is firmly established in the minds of your honorable board, asxa the question is considered sn ali its bearings, I do not think your ob-