The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-02-26
LIGHTING OF
BRIDGE; ROAD.
PAYMENTS UP
Highway Commission Con.
tinues Probing Into :
Twichelrs Contracts
PAYING FOR LIGHT
PAYING FOR LIGHT
State Pays and Expects Coun.
ties to Reimburse Com
mission, Says Black

Method of lighting the Missouri
River bridge between Bismarck and
Mandan and Federal Aid projects in
Sargent and Richland county for
which Treadwell Twichell of Fargo
was contractor comprised the chief
part of the testimony adduced this
morning at the hearing of the House
Highway Commission investigating
committee.
Mr.. Black said that money for
lighting the bridge was paid from
the 10 percent fund Of the Highway
Commission and that reimbursement
from the counties of Burleigh and
Morton was expected. Asked if he
thought that the state could take
money from this fund to pay for the
lighting, he said that he thought
this could be done. Asked if it were
not considerable more work than if
the counties were billed direct, he
said bookkeeping was entailed, and
that the lighting, which was plan
ned only during the winter months,
was ordered when the Mandan paving
job was under construction and
there was barricade at one end =;
the bridge.
Road Settlement
c. A. Myhre, assistant chief en-
gineer, was questioned concerning
settlement on the Twichell contract
in Sargent county and in Richland
! county. There was an addition Of
something over $4,000 paid on the
Sargent county contract. Mr.. Myhre
said that Twichell presented claims
for work ordered and Oliver knut-
son, resident engineer, was called
in and the work was figured over
from the blue prints and the amount
of money due the contractor arrived
at.
"Was this not part of maintenance
work required of Twichell?" the wit
ness was asked.
"No, sir" was the reply.
Myhre said there was shrinkage
factor on the fills and Twichell had
to 60 back and fill out the shoulders
There was brief tilt, during which
Mr.. Myhre refused to answer ques-
tions "yes" or mo" and insisted on
right to explain the matters.
He sal the Twichell work on the
Sargent county job dragged over
three years and that much of the eX.
ira work was ordered by engineers
prior to 1922 and that the manner Of
these records was so lax, that final
figures had to be made over. He said
engineers would make changes and
not report on them.
Asked if supplemental agreements
were made for extra work, he said
that supplemental agreements cover
ed new work but not alterations in
existing plans.
"Then it is the practice of your
department to accept the report Of
the contractor for extra work done?"
he was asked.
'No, SIR"
He declared that the Twchell
claims were Investigated and sub
stantiated by Knutson's records.
Revised Estimate
On the Richland county job re-
vised estimate as high as the award
of the board of arbitration had been
presented to the government by the,
Highway Commission prior to the
award of the board of arbitration.
Mr.. Myhre said there was nothing
strange about this; that it was a
foregone conclusion that the settle
ment would go to court or some tri
bunal before final settlement, and it
was necessary to give the govern
ment the full possible award so that
Continued on page three)