The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-03-01
LEVEE BOARD MEETING.

Spirited Discussion as to Whether
Bondsmen OF Contractor Who
Fails to Complete Levee on Time
Should be Relieved of RESPONSE
bility.
A special meeting of the board OF
commissioners of the Iafourche Ba-
sin Levee District was held here
Tuesday, with President E. G. Swartz
of st. James in the chair and the fol
lowing members present: +. B.
Lemann, Ascension; Robert Martin,
Jr., Assumption; George Lorio, st.
Charles; A. Champagne, st. John;
Charles Viering, Jefferson; R. E.
Perez, Plaquemines; T. V. Thaggard,
McDonoughvil1e, representing the
railroads. Secretary w. J.. McCune,
Levee Inspector Hector Himel and
Assistant State Engineer John Klor-
er were also in attendance. The only
absentee was Commissioner ]. F.
Wigginton, of Lafourche.
Communications. were read from
Governor Hall and United States Sen
ator Joseph 3. Ransdell, indorsing
the objects and purposes of the Mis-
sissippf River Le9ee Association, and
recommending that the levee board
make an appropriatlon TO assist III
maintaining the organization. John
A. Fox, secretary and manager Of
the association, appeared before the
board at it's meeting in January and
solicited an appropriation for this
purpose, but action on the matter
was deferred. Since that time ap-
preparations have been made by the
Orleans, Lake Borgne, Pontchartrain
and Fifth District Leyee Boards, and
On motion of Commissioner Perez,
seconded by Mr. Thaggard and
adopted unanimously, the Lafourche
board appropriated $1,000 a year for
five years to assist the association
in carrying on it's work for the i'm
provement of the Mississippi river
leVee system.
The matter of settling with Con-
tractor ]. S. Brady for tha balance
due him for work on the T 9f@7
levee was taken up, and precipitated
. lengthy and spirited discussion.
Mr.. Brady's contract called for he
completion of the levee by Jan l,
1913, but the board, finding that the
work was less than so per cent COM
pleted by Jan. 8, contracted with the
Eagle Construction Company to fin
ish the embankment, so as to have
it in shape to withstand the high
water then coming down the river
The Eagle Company began work on
the leyee Jan. IA and put in approx
mately $4,000 yards of earth, Mr..
Brady and his two sub-contract
putting in $4,000 yards. Mr.. Brady
has been paid for all but two or
three thousand yards, and he seeks
to have the board settle with him
for the small amount due and re-
lease his bondsmen.
1t was shown that the 1evee had
cost the board some s37, 900. when
II Mr., Brady .hadsss lived up~>to the
terms Of his contraet it would have
cost sonly 81 5, oul6, and some Of the
members objected TO paying the con-
tractor the balance due. Mr.. Brady
appeared before the board in his
own interest, and after stating his
case was requested to retire while
the matter was considered. After a
long discussion, Mr.. Thaggard moved
that the board pay Mr.. Brady. the
balance due him and release his
bondsmen, the motion being seconded
by Mr.. Perez. Mr.. Martin moved as
a substitute that no further money
be paid Mr.. Brady, and that the
board proceed against his sureties
for the amount of the bond. v A vote
on the substitute resulted in. tie, /
Messrs. Martin, Lemann, SWartz and
Champagne voting in the affirmative,
and Messrs. Thaggard, Viering,
Perez and Lorio. IN the negative. On
the original motion the vote was the /
same, and the matter was left in
abeyance.
Mr.. Brady's sureties are his son,
D. P. Brady, Jr., president of the
Alluvial Land Purchase Company, and
henry Pedarre, president of the New
orleans Tent and Awning Company.
The amount Of the bond is $4,000.
During the discussion of the sub=
ect, President sWartz stated that
ne board had been "stung" to the
amount of some $4,000 the past year
through the failure of contra ctors to
i've up to the terms of their con
racts. Mr.. Martin thought 1t was
ugh time the board should take &C.
ion to put stop to such an unnec-
.ssary expenditure of its funds, and
le advocated making an example in
MS instance. Mr. Thaggard urged
hat Mr.. Brady be not selected as the
capegoat, when no other contractor
las ever been held responsible for
alling to carry out the provisions of
IS contract. He pointed out that
lr. Brady is a Confederate veteran,
+ venerable age and long residence
4 the state, and that he had done
Il he could to facilitate the board
building the leyee, having stayed
\ the job faithfully and worked hard .
complete his part of it. All the
conceded there were extern !
atlng circumstances connected with :
II. Brady's failure to complete the i
eyee at the time specified in his |
ontract, but Messrs. Martin, Lem
m, Swartz and Champagne took the {
osltIon if a contractor could under :