Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-10-27
Loads To Be Limited To Two
Tons and Speed To Be Cut
Down To 3 Miles
PATTERSON SUGGESTS
PLAN TO RAISE MONEY
VIII Take Two Years To
Build Bridge, Which Is Why
Old One Is Repaired


ette river at tais city will be repaired
to handls light traffic for about two
years while Polk county is working out
ways and means to raise the money nee.
essary to pay its part of the new
structure. Nothing was done about the
ferry at the meeting held yesterday af.
ternoon at the court house and it is es-
timated that the bridge will be out of
use entirely for about a month while
1t is being repaired!
Assistant State Engineer Sadler, OF
the bridge department of the highway
en- gineer, stated that it would be nee.
essar to pull up the floor of the bridge
over the joints to make an examination
and that pilcs would have to be driven
under some Of the approaches where
it would not be possible TO raise the
bents with mud sills. Mr.. Sadler said
the repairs would cost less than $4,000,
but would admit only light traffic, not
even tho traffic for wdich the bridge
was designed but about 90 per cent
less than the traffic 20 years ago and
no loads over two tons could be hauled
safely across the bridge by horse drawn
vehicles.
Some Legal Phases.
Judge Charles McNary was present
at the meeting which jammed the cir
, cult room to the doors and was called
upon for his legal opinion as to tae re
Sponsibility of the county courts fo
accidents that might happen. He statet
that the county is undoubtedly labl
, to damage suits IL the bridge shoul,
, fall AZ it has been held that any persoI
8 who drives upon the bridge presume
q the structure to bo safe, If II is opel
. for traffic, and the county must pay i
a heis damaged If every traveller wer
t warned tnat the bridge were unsaf
e and that ho was crossing at his ow
risk the county would be relieved bu
NJ If the county courts posted noticel
o only, "a warning, every man. who wa
t injured would swear that he never say
Q the notice and then the responsible
o would come back to tho county. .udg
!. McNary also said that if the count
!, courts admitted light traffic TO the us
Of the bridge tnat the courts would b
y responsible for any injury that nigh
@ be sustained by any lightly loaded "
!. hicle.
d They Tapped Judge McNary.
d For many Of those present this wa
$ the first opportunity that any Of thei
Il had enjoyed to secure competent legi
i advice for rothing and Judge McNar
IS was swamped with questions from a
. corners Of the room until the leg
y phases Of tao situation had been tho
4 oughly aired
]. Tho Polk county commissioners sta
g ed that while thoy might raise II
D. money by taxation that 10 would |
necessary to call a special election an
II there was great probability Of n
n proposition being voted down and |.
!. Patterson, Of Eola, then presented h
Al proposition as 10 the raising OF u
g. funds necessary
N Plan 10 Raise tho Money.
q. There s u law in tnis state pass,
by the 1916 session OF the legislatu
ID which limits the increased tax le,
u. for county purposes 10 a per cent I
ID crease Of the budget for either Of Il
ic previous two years. In 1913, said NJ
40 Patterson, Polk cOmty's budget call,
rs for S2ss,OO0 and in 1914 for s273,Oi
I'd and OF this S273,O00 and some 5000
70 we're used 10 pay off outstanding WI
M rRnts. Now II six per cent increa
over the s2ss0OO were made IL won
n. provide budget Of about S305,Ot
81 Then II the county were run az chen
~ as last year and no outstandii
warrants we're bought in the brid
M fund would bs enriched by the d
III florence bctweel 100000 aud $243,0(
u. or about 100000 10 this might be ad
ed $4,000 from the general Fund viii
N, was sl07 900 last year aud by 500
81 from the road fund which was s5i o
q, lnAt year and this would add 900