The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1916-12-22
RETAINING WALL
NOT INSECUREAS
ClONTRAGJORSAy
Harbor Board investigates
Charges Made BY Ed. Lord
Regarding Work On Piers b.
INSTRUMENTS SHOW THAT
STRUCTURE is SECURE
Commissioners Decide However
To Be On Safe Side and
Reinforce the Work

The statement made by Ed Lord, e
the Lord Young Engineering Company
contractors who are building piers y. s
and 10, at the meeting Of the harbOI
board Wednesday afternoon that the re
tanning wall of pier had given Way
and bulged five inches out to sea was
found to be entirely unfoundcd yestcr,
day, according to members of the har
Dor board, who visited the pier yestcr.
day morning and watched measure.
ments being taken.
Lord told the board that his fore.
man on the job, Winslow, had tod
Inspector Greger that the retaining ~.
had bulged out five inches. According
to statements made yesterday by three
Of the commissioners, instruments put
on the wall yesterday morning showed
bulge of only one quarter of On inch
and most of this was inward instead #
outward, and all of it was due merely
to an excess of cement, which was IN
advantage rather than the reverse
In regard to the anchorage of the
retaining wall, which Lord declares is
insufficient and liable to give way and
let the wall go out, the members Of the
board expressed the belief that, in or.
der to be on the safe side, it might be
well to increase the strength Of the
stirrups,' or steel bars by which the
wall and cylinders are fastened to the
Land. This, they say, can be done easily
and at small expense now.
Will Reinforce Wall
There is to be a FIJI behind the re.
tanning wall, and Superintendent Forbes
estimated that the pressure of the earth
upon the wall would be ninety pounds
per square inch, while the opposing
pressure of the water on the other side
OF the wall would be but sixty. We
pounds per square inch, leaving a net
outward pressure against the wall Of
twenty five pounds per square inch
1t was estimated that the wall itself
was of sufficient strength to absorb this
excess pressure, but in order to be on
the safe side, it is now proposed to re
inforce the anchorage.
1t was over this question primarily
that Lord and Forbes had their wordv
alteration at the meeting of the board
Wednesday.
Another matter over which they ar
gued angrily was that of payment to
the contractor for "extras," that is
for work done outside of the specifica,
tiOns.
Lord asked payment on bills aggre-
eating about 100000. Inspector Greger
makes the amount owed the contractor
$1,000 less. The only way the matter
can be adjusted, members of the board
SAID yesterday, is to 60 over the whole
amount, item by item, and check il
all up.
Some time ago, when Lord rendered
the bills, Forbes, without the knowl.
edge of the board, agreed to pay him
the cost of his work and materials plus
twenty per cent. But when the bill
reached Auditor Fisher he turned it
down and pointed to clause in the
contract which provided that in the
case of extras the contractor should be
paid cost plus only fifteen per cent.
However, since the contract was exc.
cuted the cost of material has greatly
increased, and if the amount were
based upon the cost Of such materials
at the time the contract was signed the
contractor would get much the worst
Of it.
Decision OF Board
IhIS, the mtmDtGS or the board saw,
they feel would not be fair, and they
propose to pay the contractor actual
cost of material and labor plus the if
teen per cent specified in TIC contract.
But there is material difference of
opinion as to what actual cost was, and
1t rs that which must Dc adjusted be.
fore the bills can be paid For in
stance, the contractor was required to
drrdge out 1900 cubic feet not men
toned in the specifications. He says it
cost him one dollar yard TO do this
work, but the inspector 10 his figures
allows but $400 for the entire Job.
The engineering company, according
to members of the harbor board, has
been for months trying to have Inspec-
tor Gregor removed. They say the
contractors want in his place an in.
sPcctor who is "friendly." But the
hoard is determined to stand by its in.
spector, AS was demonstrated Wednes.
day when it adopted a resolution ex-
DrpSsi no nntira cOn6danca IN