The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-11-04
City and Contractors Clash on
Fillmore Street Bridge.
Matter May Go to Court fol
Final Settlement.
CITY BLAMES OTHERS.
And Iron Works Say 1t Is Fault
of City Engineer.
w. S. Fulton Makes Last De-
mands on Bridge Workers.

From the present outlook there are
few chances that the Fillmore street
''boxcar'' bridge will be completed and
! ready for traffic before the next two
years. The outlook is SO apparent that
the city officials admit further COM
pIications in the construction of the
bridge are to be expected if the pres
ent spirit is maintained by the con-
tractors VINO built the structure.
The city, through the city engineer
works rebuild the bridge at once. The
Capital Iron works declare that the
bridge was built according to the speci-
fications, approved by the city engineer
and if it is not safe it is not their
fault.
The two have come to a deadlock.
Court proceedings are the next course
and if this bridge proposition is taken
to the courts it is figured that two
years will be the average time for set
Element. xxx
And this isn't all.
1t looks as though the city was
holding the sack"
It has been discovered that up to
date the city has paid out to the
bridge contractors an amount of $3,121
or but $573 less than the contract
price of 1864. 1t means that the
city has given to the contractors al
most the entire contract amount de-
spite the fact that the bridge was not
belng built right.
The city officials fear that with all
but about 5000 on the contract. the
contractors will pay little attention to
the bridge. They have practically all
of the original price and $500 wouldn't
pay them for the trouble of demanding
more.
The question as to whether or not
the city had right to pay the bridge
company 1921 when the work on the
bridge was poor and when it had been
reported to the city engineer that it
was defective, is the main source of
information for the city attorney to
untangle.
The Fillmore street bridge over the
Shunganunga is-or was supposed to
be-the most important outlet over this
creek to the southern roads leading into
| Topeka. The other bridges are in poor
shape and it was planned to make the
| Fillmore street structure capable of
handling all heavy traffic leading out
of and into the city.
The bridge cost the city $4,100. If the
settlement means two years in court
| it means that the interest of Az per
| cent will amount to about $1S5 year
! "a dead loss to the taxpayers.
The city claims the iron works con-
Structed the bridge and failed to make
| it safe 90
| The contractors come back charg-
ing the bridge was built under approved
plans and if the city engineer had con-
demned the plans at the time the trOu-
BILE would not have arisen.
In letter to the Capital Bridge &
Iron works w. S. Fulton, city engineer,
made the following statements:
November 3, 1910.
To The Capital Iron Works, Topeka,
Kansas, & H. K. Brooks, Topeka.
Kansas. President of said The Capital
Iron Works, City.
Gentlemen:-
On February "a, 1910, The Capital
Iron Works, entered into a contract
with the City of Topeka to construct
and complete in first class workman
ship manner and strictly in accordance
with the most modern practices, a re-
inforced steel wagon and foot bridge
over the Shunganunga creek on Fill
more street in the City of Topeka, Kan
sas, said bridge to be constructed in
strict conformity with the proposal you
| submitted and the plans and specifica-
lions on file in the City Engineers Of
| flee.
This bridge, you agreed was to be