The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-09-25


(ynu, w11eh Nl1l eegvo . ~ hasls
II 81 sotl1oment WltA IL yxaS1f-|
G6V1D CcqstyuE4toa comDany o. -
49, -, sW63ea ooDDa1y -
6Gtno1Gled the work.
snxn1ly ung1noee 1foleA1sr $50
IT. that uh1es ~ eeatsae4 WA
1<ote1ty ~ OsugtSncti6a company
4Dron11lled he tDtAl DayDeot q
Qogea5.3e. 1his suan i ee,er.3 .
&RbsD fhan ~ total bond Issue ~
18keoo vota1 last summer 70 COM
n1oeasboth ~ Sixteenth avenue aad
NEl1-alxth street drains. !.
Reason Tor the wide, variance h
Tat The pfice of material and Ia
~ scared 70 higher heights be-
twesn TIE time that the bonds were
ypted and the time that . contract
could b. obtained on the work.
The difference will have to be made
~ out Of the general fund.
TO date the city has paid the COM
,pauy $sS.3s4,43. which constitutes
~ per cent Of the cost Of the work.
The remaining IL per cent will not
s. paid until the Job II finally &C
copied BY the commissioners in y
toaf Of inspection. (which will be
made soon.
s4 Jeb Was Noolee.
Certain Of the city oficials claim
th14 the JOB was hoodoo from the
beginning and caused the city more
trouble than any municipal i'm
Increment In the history Of Rock
Inland. The work started in 1915.
IA contract was reached with the
Independent Construction company
d Davenport Troubles arose with
tie c., r. I. 4 p. over whether or
not the company should pay DOR
the drain beneath company tracks.
The Independent Construction COM
peny did not care to take up the
Nprk' until this phase Of the case
had been settled. The railroad
company maintained a position that
. Il could not be forced to pay for
me drain underneath its tracks, but
dhAlly agreed to accept the costs.
- Z matter Of policy. Prices had
gone up, In the meantime, and the
City had some difficulty in getting
the Independent Construction COM
pany to take up the work. The
company finally began on the job
and carried seven by 10 foot con-
crete construction from the rail.
road tracks to Third street, q dis.
lance Of three blocks. Prices kept
soaring and the city released thu
company from its contract.
Property Holders Complain.
The work being abandoned prop
erty holders began to renew com
plants over backwater from rain
and even foods during heav,
storms.
The $4,000 bond issue was pu
mp to the vote1s on Aug. 10. 1919
and was carried. The sum was q
that time deemed sufficient to fin
ish the Sixteenth avenue drain from
Sixteenth avenue and Third stree
up to Fifth street. north to Fiji
teeuth avenue, east to Ninth street
north to Twelfth avenue and cas-
to Eleventh street, as well as leav
ing q sufficient sum to complete th,
Forty-sixth street drain. which wa
being constructed jointly with tn!
city Of Moline.
However. material, labor an,
freight costs kept soaring and thi
spring 1t was seem that the Six
teenth avenue drain could be car
ried NO farther than Ninth stree
and Fifteenth avenue. and at re
duced size. this being q i've by two
and-one-half 4 pot concrete construc
ton with a efoot segment blocl
arch. The Frazier Davis compan,
won the contract. and had Just com
pleted the Forty-sixth street drair
The company has completed tn
: work and floods In the west en-
district are claimed will be avertet
Costs In Detail.
City Engineer Treichler gives tn
following detailed cost Of the worl
A distance Of 2.137 feet Of storr
drain At $33 PEI. foot. $70.521; IS
cubic yards rock excavation at 81
per cubic yard. $500: one thros
connection to Z by 10 foot drail
500: seven manh0les ut $50, eacl
$3.50: $50 pounds Of steel dove
pins at 10 cents per pound, SIS
labor for cutting and setting dove
pins. $3.50; "a and 36-inch drai
connections ~ per bills, $l,359.53
euicksand - per bills, $2.450.25
total cost. $S1,017,2s.
The above contract price h Or
4 proximAtely twice as much as til
bids rendered In 1916, when 4 larg
saving was iost through inabilit
TO get the work going when mate
rails and labor prices were low.