Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-02-03
COST or T he
AMBOY BRIDGE:
What the County Paid Last Year
for the Structure Never
Been Used.
EXPENSIVE PLAYT HI N C.
The Hearings Caused by C. 4.
Bloomfield Have Been No
Small Item.

NE W IOhhANkO W iN$N' j W. 4 nt
Amboy bridge cost the county of Mid
dlesex $16,748.63 last year and out
side of the payment of balance due
Sandford & Harris, the builders of
the bridge. the chief expense was
brought about by the hearing upon
the writ of certiorari secured by
Charles A. Bloomfield against the
Board of Freehoiders and which is
still pending with the end not in
sight.
Bloomfield Hearings Expensive.
The cost of this Bloomfield hearing
so far as it has gone amount to ST.
299.4S and in examining the bills in
connection with the hearing it APP
pears that two of the witnesses for
the freeholders in this matter were
allowed witness fees of s. day by
the board. These two witnesses We're
former Freeholder f. e. DeGraw and
Miss Emma A. Dayton.
The first lot of bridge bills charg
ed against this account are found to
have been paid last February. These
include two bills of $50 each, for the
steam roller used in testing the
bridge There was also another bill
of $23 85 for merchandise for the
bridge work.
Cost of Breaking Ice.
In April there was great danger of
the ice carrying the bridge out with
it when it became broken up by a
spring freshet and in order to prevent
this the freeholders had the ice bro
ken up as a cost of $625. In May the
firm of Sandford and Harris was paid
balance of $12,1S4 remaining on
,,the bridge account and the supervis-
ing engineer, lhomas H. Mccain, re-
ceived S244. Edwin Thatcher, the
expert engineer, who examined the
bridge to see that it was ell right,
got $1,000.
Just about this time the steel span
discussion came up and bids for such
spans to replace the wooden struc-
ture in a section of the bridge, were
advertised for in three papers at
cost of $26 40. The specifications for
the spans for the bidders had to be
printed, which cost $57.25, and Engi-
neer Mccain had bill paid of 1915
for services on the steel span project.
The total cost for spans was S45S. 65
but the spans are yet to come.
Then the Bloomfield bugaboC
sprang up. Testimony pro and con
was taken by the yard, the hearing
being continued from week to week,
day or so at time, until the last
adjournment several weeks ago, since
which time the matter has been sleep
ing the sleep of the just
Special Lawyers Fees.
Solicitor Willis was allowed the
assistance of Lawyer Alan H. Strong
in looking after the interests of the
freeholders in this case and he receiv-
ed an extra counsel fee of $500 for
his services. Lawyer Strong was paid
$375. He has since been made coun-
sci for the freeholders and if the
hearing is continued there are some
people who are wondering if Lawyer
Strong will continue the hearing
alone or have former Solicitor Willis
assist him. Turn about is fair play.
Witnesses had to be subpoenaed
for the county and for this work the
cost was $4.3 Two of these wit
nesses who were summoned, F. Z.
DeGraw and Miss Emma A. Dayton,
were paid for attending the hearing
at the rate of $5 a day, Mr.. DeGraw
getting $40 and Miss Dayton IS.
Miss Dayton was the only woman
called on either side as witness. She
testified to owning some of the prop
erty which had been considered as
suitable for the South Amboy ap-
proach and to being told by one of
the freeholders to put a big price on
It, She said she thought this quite a
joke.
Pictures There Too.
A set Of pictures was introduced at
the hearing on the part of the free
holders showing how the bridge had
been damaged by the ice last winter
and which damage has since been re-
paired, and how the bridge looked at
the approaches and throughout its
entire length. The taking of these
pictures cost S27.20.
StenOgrapher's Fees.
The heaviest expense in connection
with the hearing was the payment or
the stenographer and special master
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