Semi-weekly herald., 1912-03-21


man down here that knows more about
smoking cigarettes than he does about
bidding on bridges? You say in your
letter, 1-6 feet by IL floor beam, wood,
has less than one-half the strength
required to carry a fifteen-ton road
roller or traction engine as specified
You know absolutely nothing about
what is specified. II the suspension
bridge falls down as you say it will
and as you said the stone bridge, will
it cost you anything?
You have been so careful to give a
simple formula for figuring the live
load capacity of your own bridge,
/ will ask the readers of this article
to take your own figures ITO pounds
live load capacity per lineal foot and
multiply it by the length of fifteen
and thirty-ton tractors. I will agree,
no bridge engineer would consider de-
signing for anything less, you would
have the average person believe that
the 192,500 pounds or sc IA tons ca
pacity could be piled up and carried
at any point on your bridge.
| You condemn the suspension bridge,
Why did you bid on it? Your bid I
think reads as follows:
To the Board of County Commission
ers of La Plata County, Colorado
Gentlemen:
The undersigned hereby proposes to
| furnish all tools, labor, materials, sup
plies, ETC., and to sustain all expense
incurred for the complete erection of
the 26O-foot suspension bridge to be
built near the town of Ignacio, Colo
said bridge to be constructed in strict
accordance with the plans and speci-
fications prepared by the county engi-
neer, for the following price, to-wit:
$9,O50.
AS a guarantee of good faith and
responsibility of the undersigned there
is enclosed check on a Durango
Colo, bank in the sum of 1905, being
10 per cent of the amount bid.
(Signed)
The Patterson-B -Burghardt Const. Co.
| 1t seems to me that you took very
desperate chance when you handed in
the above bid. Please note, it says
that you would build strictly accord
ing to design for s9,050, no one doubts
you would but when you find that
there was bid agreeing to do the
same thing for $6,496 and the con-
tract awarded to that party, you i'm
mediately proceed to condemn the
bridge, and / want to say that am
well aware of the movement on foot
to keep that party from proceeding
with construction.
When your man and other steel men
were in my office, offered them all
a bidding sheet to use for bidding on
their own design of suspension bridges
these they refused, saying that our
plans were good enough for any one
to bid upon. 1t was the desire of my
self and the board to have variety
Of suspension bridges to select from
but no, you all tried your old game
and are sore to think that you were
caught at it. You all knew the ad-
vertisement called for suspension
bridge bids and that it stated bids
would be received on your own design
as well as ours, if this bridge will
not carry its own weight, why didn't
some of you submit plans of your own
and be safe instead of bidding on
something that would fall down as
you say it will.
No wonder you are angry after 60
ing to the trouble to call on COM
missioners after they have retired for
the night, trying to fix matters and
then get let down as hard as you
have. l don't blame you for not COM
ing back the second time. lint it a
fact when you came into my office
you proceeded to tell me of the 1900
foot steel bridge you were putting in
at San PHILIPPE Indian village, New
Mexico? Possibly you are, but l had
occasion to camp below this village
for about six months during the years
of 1899 and 1900 and have crossed the
river many times to visit said village
and positively know that | could throw
stone from one bank to the other
at that time. l have pictures of this
village taken from the east bank of
the river, also pictures taken of the
river about one-half mile down the
stream from the village where we
worked many weeks driving pile
across the river its entire width for
the construction Of dam. There are
few down here that have been out
side the county boundary. l under
stand you made the same kind of a
spiel about this wonderful bridge to
not only the commissioners but 9TH
ers.
Mr.. Patterson, am very much sur
prised to learn that man represent
ing a construction company that has
the reputation that you claim yours
has, would stoop SO low to write