The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-12-21
MORAR'S VELVET
IS RECOMMENDED
Engineer Presents Elaborate
Explanation to Justify
Bonus of So $50. &
RECORDS ODDLY MUDDlED
LETTER DATED. DEC. % WAS
WRITTEN ON FEB. 9.

The finance committee of the city
council yesterday decided that P. j.
Moran, the contractor in charge of the
| Big Cottonwood conduit should be al
lowed bonus of $3.50 for completing
a portion of the conduit sixty-one days
ahead of the time specified in the con-
tract. The council viii be asked at it's
next meeting to ratify the payment of
| the bonus
The members of the committee haV-
ing at the investigation in charge were
Councilman A. J. Davis, chairman, and
Counciimen T. r. Black and c. T.
Crabtree. Others who were drawn into
the discussion were City Auditor Ru-
dolph Alff, City Engineer l.. c. Kelsey.
F. r. Christensen, clerk of the board of
public works, and Contractor P. J.
Moran.
Letter is Presented.
letter from the engineers office
was read in which it was stated that
letter had been sent to Moran on
Dec. "a, peremptorily stopping the work
on the concrete on that date because
cold weather had set in and the work
could not be properly DONE
The engineer presented an elaborate
compilation of figures to show that Mr.
Moran is entitled to collect his velvet
in the sum of $3.50.
The statement shows that the orig
inal time set for completion of the con-
duit was July 10, 1906. He then al
! lowed lightweight days for the sus-
pension of work by order of the board
of public works, giving Moran until
Oct ii 1Ql6 "a
The actual time of completion was
Aug. 10, 1906, margin of sixty-one
days in favor Of Mr. Moran. At $3.50
( a day, the bonus is figured at $3.50.
The engineers statement in full is as
follows:
Under his contract to construct Big
Cottonwood conduit, dated Sept 6, 1905.
Laying concrete in the open stopped
by order of the board of public works
Dec. "a. 1905.
Concrete laid contrary to orders OF
board of public works in the open, Jan.
Z, s. 10 and 18th. four days Feb s to
l9 inclusive, fourteen days; total eight
cen days.
Laying concrete suspended by order
of city engineer on account of pro-
posed change of plans. Plans changed
and laying of concrete resumed April
Z, 1906.
Laying of concrete suspended April |
16 and II on account of excavating for |
blowoff at Talbot creek
Summary.
Laying of concrete in the open sus-
pended from Dec. q to April Is inclu- |
sive. 104 days: less number of days on /
which concrete was laid in January |
and February, IS days; plus two days, /
April Is and II. leaves So days.
Contract time of completion of con- !
duit except back filling, July Is, 1906.
PLUS time of suspension by order of |
board of public works, So days
Time of completion as per contract 1
Oct. IL, 1906
Actual time of completion, to sta
ton No. 577, Aug. 10. 1906
Difference, 81 days.
AT $50 per day, 1915
Contract Seems Regular.
AS soon as these documents were
read, Councilman Black said that it
seemed to him that the contract was
in regular form and that the estimate
was correct and in accordance with the
contract. Auditor Alff was asked what
authority he desired to issue the war
rant for the amount
THE approval of the board of pub
lie works. said Alff
'At 4:50 o'clock Monday afternoon !
Chairman Leonard asked me to verify
the account and he said that he would
send the papers down to me the next
day. The papers did not come' said
the auditor. THE board told me when /
l asked for the Verification of the mat
ter that there was no data in that Of
flee on the subject. The matter must
go through the board of public works
before l will approve the warrant.
Moran Breaks In
Moran, who had been listening in
tently to the discussion, said:
Il understand that this is referred to
the committee. which will report to the
council as to whether the amount
should be allowed or disallowed. The
authority of the city council is suffi-
cient to warrant Ma. Alff to go ahead
and issue the warrant
'sAll I want is authority and protec-
tion,'' said Mr.. Aft Those matters
usually go in this manner. An estimate
is prepared by Mr.. Kelsey, the city en-
gineer; it then goes TO the. board of
public works, then to the auditing de-
partment. and then to the council. |
insist that this course be followed"
No Records in Office.
Clerl, f. r. Christensen of the board
of public works was then asked for
I'VE have no records. There is moth
ing in the Office to justify the extension
of the contract There is nothing on
the records to show that the contract
was extended
A minor sensation was sprung at this :
point when Clerk Christensen made the
statement that the letter dated Dec "a.
1905. was not written until Feb. g. 1t !
was also brought out that the letter i
was copied in the Office copy-book on
the later date.
The explanation of this was that the !,
to discontinue the work
had been given verbally on the night of I
Dec. %, and that the letter confirming {
that order was not called for by Moran
until Feb O