New-York tribune., 1908-08-05
ORDER BRIDGE PAYMENT
City authorities Act Before Report
on BlackrceIPs Structure.


Final vouchers upon the contract for the
erection of the steel superstructure of the Black
wells Island Bridge over the East River have
been passed by the city Bridge Department
and forw arded to Controller Metz for payment
in spite of the fact that the safety of the new
structure is being investigated by the engineer
ing firm Of Boiler & Hodge at the request Of
the Board Of Estimate and Apportionment.
The bills passed by the Bridge Depart
ment call for the payment-by the city to the
contractors Of S6S3000 The examining en-
gineers of the Finance Department have recon-
mended, it is understood, that payment of
$4,000 be made at once. and that S167, 900
OF the amount due be retained until the inves-
tigation into the safety Of the structure is
finished. The most important phase of this
practically final settlement with the Black
wells Island Bridge contractors is that it will,
in all likelihood. be followed by release of the
bond for 100000 which the contractors were
compelled give the city when the contract
was entered into in order to insure the faith
ful performance Of the work called for in their
contract
When public attention was called by The
Tribune TO the conviction expressed in engineer
ing circles that the new bridge was being dan
gerously overloaded more than two months
ago. Controller Metz publicly announced that
n
contractors until it definitely ascertained
by means OF an expert examination whether or
not there was any truth in the report that the
bridge was unsafe. It was Controller Metz
personally who took the initiative and named
Boiler & Hodge 10 conduct the investigation,
and his action in that regard was afterward
ratified and confirmed by the Board OF Estimate
CONTRACTORS SEEK PAYMENT.
Il has been well known for some time that the
contractors for the superstructure of the Black
wells Island Bridge have been working hard 10
secure final settlement Of their contract with
the city At present the city holds S6S30Ho due
upon the main and supplemental contracts for
the bridge superstructure, besides a bond for
S2Gp0O0O as a guarantee for the faithful per
forrnance Of the contract If the payment now
recommended is made and the contractors are
released from their bond. the city will have in
its possession only $4,000 OF the total amount
legally due the contractors upon their contracts
when the report Of the experts who are now in
vestigating the safety of the bridge is made
AT present no one knows whether or not the
Blackwel's Island Bridge is safe. The investi-
cation which is being carried on will de-
ter1nine that fact. II will also determine who is
responsible for defects If any exist in the struct
ure Under the terms of~the city charter all
contractors doing work for the city are COM
PEELED 10 put up a bond for the faithful per
formance of their contracts in order TO insure
the taxpayers against possible loss As ad-
ditional safeguard the city is empowered to re-
tain in its possession q holdback on all contracts
until the work done is finally passed upon by
examining officer and certified in accordance
with contract
The fact that an investigation has been or
dered and is now being carried on into the safety
of the plackwelis Island Bridge is a virtual
admission that there may be serious defects in
The structure which viii afterward have to be
remedied ar somebody's cost, The s2.6s3, 600 of
the contractors money which the city holds
might 90 long way to remedy defects in the
structure. If any are found TO exist and il the
contractors are shown to be responsible for
them If the payment now proposed is made TO
the contractors the city will lose the guarantee
against possible loss provided for in the city
charter by voluntarily giving it UP during the
course OF an investigation held for the purpose
Of determining whether the work has been done
in accordance with the terms of the contract
OPINION OF EXPERTS
When the Tribune published facts two
months ago which went TO show that the bridge
was being dangerously overloaded, il was as
serted by the officials Of the bridge department
that the matter was one which only technical
experts could determine. At the time The
Scientific American a technical journal
cepted the facts published in The Tribune and