Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-06-08

The Improvement Program
Period covered by work, 10
years, beginning July, 1902.
Total expenditure, $1,513,496.45.
Engineering expenses, fees, sal
aries, including designing and SUI
pervision. $14s.4s4.7S.
Percentage of whole cost for
engineers, etc, 80 per cent
Saving on type of dam designed
by MI. Fuertes alone, $125,OOO.
Expended during year June l,
1914, to June /, 1915, $2O3,62O.66.
Engineers, supervision and de-
signing, $~11,440.5S.
Percentage, 5.6 per cent
Work yet to be done, amounting
to 1900, as follows: River wall,
$500, including cost of plaza at
pumping station, to be paid for by
water department. but supervised
by boards engineers; Paxton
creek, $4,000; river dam, $500.
Approximate time for com
pletion for all work, weather and
water conditions permitting: Pax
ton creek, July Is; wall, August L
or Is: placing of remaining slabs
on dam, same time.
Approximate cost of engineer
ing expenses to complete jobs,
$500.
The board submitted its statement
in answer to councilmanic action of
last Tuesday, when definite action on
the Gorgas resolution calling for the
dismissal of all the subordinate engi-
neerS and employees of the board on
July 1 and the completion of the
works by the City Engineers office.
Asked for Postponement
~ - TA-,I~, TUt1
liam Bowman and E. G. Thompson,
members of the board. and ]. D. JUS
tin, the boards engineer, attended the
meeting.
Commissioner w. H. Lynch asked
for Indefinite postponement of the
Gorgas resolution, taking the stand
that the work was so rear completion
that it would be folly to turn the jobs
over to the City Engineer'e office at
this time. The engineer, 1t is under
stood, under any circumstances would
have to employ practically the same
men as are now employed by the
Board of Public Works to complete the
work because of their familiarity with
the situation.
The Statement
The statement of the board in full
is as follows:
The activities of the Board of Pub
lie Works cover a period of thirteen
years, beginning with July. 1902. Dur
ing this period the city has entrusted
us with the expenditure of $1,513,-
496.45. This figure is the total cost to
date of all the Improvements with
which the board has been entrusted.
Out of this total cost the sum of
$~149,4S4.78 was spent for salaries, fees
and expenses of the engineers and as
sistants who designed and supervised
the improvements. Thus the engi-
neering cost of all these improvements
was 90 per cent! of the total cost.
1T should be borne in mind that
without the employment of compe-
tent engineers the design and construc-
ton of Harrisburg's public improve
ments would lave been utterly impos-
sible. Engineering costs properly vary
widely with the character of the struc-
lures involved and with the speed with
which the work is executed by the
contractor. II the bids are low the
engineering percentage will, of course.
be higher than Is though the con-
tract were greater. A complicated
structure like the filter plant would,
Of course, show a higher engineering
percentage than a simple vitrit1ed pipe
sewer. When structures are located
in or neal water courses this fact has
the tendency to increase the engineer
ing percentage. for floods hinder and
delay the work.
The Saving On the Dam
Accordingly it is not always just to
use the engineering percentage on the
structure as an index of the efficiency
with which the work was designed
and executed. Had our dam been built
in accordance with any of the stand
ard designs for such structures known
to the engineer the cost would have
been at least three times what it was
Mr.. Fuertes originated this type OF
design at a saving of at least 1925. 000
over any other design hat could have
been used. The engineer cost in either
case would have been about the same
but the engineering percentage for the
more expensive structure would rave
been less than one-half that for the
structure as actually built.
During the past year, June l tc
June /, the board has expended on the
various improvements the sum oil
$203, 620.66. OF this total ~$11,440.5s
was for the salaries Of the engineers
including Mr.. Fuertes' only bill of SIS
This is an engineering percentage oil
SIS per cent, which is considerably be.
low most engineering percentages
This low engineering cost is partly
accounted for by the efficiency of the
engineers themselves. who at certain
seasons work both at night and day
To inspect construction work from
7 a. m. to 5 p. m. and then work in
the. Office until II p. m. without add
tional compensation is more than Is
expected of most city employees.
Only S13, 600 Worth to be Done
tIt Is a fact that the improvements
are nearing completion. There still re,
mains to pc done approximately
s13,0 600 worth of payment work, di'
vided as follows: River wall. $500
including the wall at the pumping sta.
ton, which is to be paid for by tn.
Department of Public Safety, but SUI
~pervised by you board of engineers
Paxton creek. $4,000; dam. $500. Ii
addition to this there is work totalinI