The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-01-03
CITY WEAKENS.
Changes the Specifications for
Sixth Avenue Viaduct.
Loses Penalty Provided for in
the Contract.
A HOT EXCHANGE.
EXCHANGE.
C0uncilmen Holiday and Jordan
in a Clash.
Second Ward Representative
Blames Delay ON Council.

By resolution the city council
Thursday afternoon changed the
specifications for the repair of the
East Sixth avenue viaduct and there
by affected the contract that the city
had with the Topeka Bridge company.
Whatever hold the city council had on
enforcing the $25 a day penalty from
the contracting bridge company for
a failure to complete the bridge on
the first day of July last, is thereby
lost.
The councilmen who voted to
change the specifications were: Coun-
cilmen Blakely, Howard, Van Ness,
Holiday, Kutz, Montgomery and
Tandy. Those who voted against
Jordan. 1t is simply history repeating
itself. The city makes curious threats
to enforce the letter Of its contracts
and then always weakens when it
comes to a pinch.
The city in the past three years has
never had on it's hands such an I'M
satisfactory contract as the one that
! called for the repair of the East
Sixth avenue viaduct due to the dila-
tory tactics pursued by the contrac
tors from the beginning. From the
| beginning the bridge company at
| tempted to offer other materials than
| that specified.
! Considering all this it seems a little
| strange that now when the viaduct is
nearly completed the council should
agree to change the contract against
| the advice of the city engineer, but at
| the request Of the contractor.
! Some six residents of the Second
ward who live just east from the via
duct appeared at the special session
| of the council and urged that the city
make a change in the contract so that
the bridge company might be able
! to complete its repairs quickly
The delegation was headed by
George Butts, Chris Roof and o.
Purdy. The city contract called for
the top flooring to be laid transversely.
The bridge company wanted to lay the
! flooring horizontally so that they
| could use fourteen foot lumber which
they already had on hand. The city
engineer stated that this would not
| wear so well.
AS compromise measure the coun-
| Gil amended the specifications so that
| the top floor should be laid at right
angles to the first floor and that all
joints between the two floors must
be carefully broken and a lap of at
least three inches provided for.
Holiday Blames Council.
During a warm interchange be-
| tween Councilmen Holiday and Jor-
dan, Councilman Holiday made a
rather remarkable statement in plac-
ing the fault of the delay on the coun-
Gil.
st criticize the council, I criticize
| the last council, the last administra-
ton, the man who had a hand in the
| drawing up of the specifications for
making such a contract as this said
| Holiday. 'That lumber is entirely
too nice that they are putting down on
! that viaduct. 1t ought to be in your
parlors and not on that viaduct for
horses and buggies to pass over and
dirty I'D. I said from the beginning
that we ought to have some rough
| lumber. Why that floor will out wear
the viaduct I would like to know the
man wro drew up those specifica-
tons"
"It has not been the fault of the city
i council that this viaduct has not been
completed said Councilman Jordan.
! There has been entirely too much
| quibbling. The contract has not been
satisfactory. Everybody wants to see
the viaduct completed but we want the
company to toe the mark. 1t occurs to
me If the bridge company has done
what they should have done there would
not have been all of this trouble" He
then made some reference to Holiday
| looking after the interests of the cor
porations rather than that of the city.
Several of the delegation then urged
the council to act and hasten the COM
pletion of the viaduct.
THE city is getting what they paid
| for" said Fred Cole, Of the Topeka
Bridge company. They are getting
more than they paid for" He then
quoted the increased price that they
were compelled to pay for the lumber