The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1915-02-05
WAS THE CITY BUNCOFD
OUT OF $11,596.22?
The Report Of the Investigating Commit
tee Points to that Conclusion
Final Report Next Week.

A the council meeting held January
10Th the clerk and treasurer were in
structed to make report on the cost
OF the water system. to which commit
tee City Engineer Barnum was added
at the meeting held on January 26 Al
the meeting held last Tuesday night
Mr.. Barnum made a report which he
stated was incomplete but which he
said would probably be complete by
the time the council met again next
week. He read so much of his report
as was complete, covering the letting
OF the contrst to Seaman & Quigg and
final payment to them.
Following is a summary of the in
complete report:
r. E. Brown drew the plans and pre-
pared the specifications and made an
estimate of the cost Of the system,
which he estimated to be $43,750.53.
After bids were called for the contract
was awarded to Seaman & Qulgg oi
Wenatchee, for $39,500. Some time
after the contract had been awarded but
before work began, in the summer oi
1912, Mr.. Brown resigned as city en-
gineer and A. ]. Cook was employed.
Drown returned to Hillyard where he
had formerly been city engineer. There
he with other city officials was shortly
after indicted and fed to Canada } Mr..
Cook recommended some changes and
additions to the plans and submitted an
estimate oil the cost of tbs same, and
recommended that if they could be
made at cost within the bond issue
OF S44, 900 by Seaman & Quigg that
the matter be arranged without delay.
The recommendations of Cook were
submitted to Seaman & Quigg and in
open council they agreed to make the
changes and additions as provided for
in Mr.. Cooks recommendations for the
sum Of $4,000, which was the differ
ence between the contract price, $3o,-
500, and the bonding limit of $44,-
600.
The report then goes on to state
that the total amount of the warrants
drawn in favor OF Seaman & Quigg in
pigment for the Leavenworth water
system is $55,5o5.22, or 11,5o6.22
more than the price agreed on by the
council according to the records and
papers on file in the office OF the city
clerk.
In this connection it is pertinent to
add that Engineer Cook resigned some
three or four months before the system
was completed. After he resigned the
city was without an engineer.
For a year or more there have been
runors that there was something wrong
with the cost OF Leavenworth's water
system. that il cost too much accoding
10 the estimate and contract price.
While the investigation is not yet COM
plete it has progressed far enough to
show that somebody has got money
from the taxpayers Of Leavenworth to
which they were not entitled, and that
the town has been buncoed-worse
than buncoed, because they have not
only paid about twelve thousand dol
lars more than the amended contract
price, they yet have faulty and un-
satisfactory water system.
Comment will be withheld pending
the final report. In the meantime, IN
response to numerous requests We are
giving the names Of the guardians oil
the towns rights and interests when
the contract for the building OF the
water system was let and up to time It
was accepted and final payment au-
thorized.
During 1912. when the contract was
let, F. E. Carlquist was mayor and 0.
B. Robertson, Paul Weigand, Charles
Mischke, Joe Massie, Frank Davis, J.
r. Schubert -snd CA. CaWp9sll weIs
the councilmen. G. A. Hamilton was
c;tv clerk. L. J. Nelson city attorney
and John Koerner treasurer. In 1918
FE. Carlquist was mayor, and the iol-
lowing were councilmen: J. E. Schu-