The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1939-11-23
ROAD WORKERS
JUMP THE GUN
Eat Thanksgiving Dinner Two
Weeks Ahead of Time at
Ely Conference.


eating oil, applications for snow plow-
ing of private roads, and expenditures
for the remainder of the fiscal year
were among the items of business dis
cussed by superintendent, clerks, and
purchasing agents of the st. Louis
county highway department at their
November meeting conducted here last
week.
Getting the jump on Thanksgiving by
exactly two weeks, the 80 county work
ers and a number of guests present ate
a bountiful turkey dinner, with all the
trimmings, to start off the meeting.
Commissioners from the various dis
tricts, usually present at most of the
meetings, were kept from attending
because of a board session.
Five Duluth men arrived about two
hours late, hungry, tired, and in a
hostile frame of mind. Reason was
that they had to hitch-hike the last Is
miles to the city. They were F. A
Haakensen, division engineer; A. F. ALL
gren, superintendent, fifth district;
George Elliott, superintendent, second
district, and G.. G. Johnson and Var
Brunt, clerks.
The group first encountered cal
trouble, 10 miles south of Eveleth, wher
tire blew out. -Four miles east Of
Tower, their auto refused to run, sc
they piled out and started thumbine
for ride. A truck finally picked then
up, the men climbing into the bach
end for a cold, rough trip to the city
I. A. Graves, Duluth, chemical en-.
gineer from the Minnesota Testing
| Laboratories, was guest at the meet
| ing and gave detailed discussion o.
gasoline and lubricating oils. Graves
assisted in preparing the specification
for these products, and for diesel fue
and oil as well, when the county re-
Gently complied with the new state Law
requiring it to ask for competitive bid:
on these items.
The subject was discussed thoroughly
by those present. County Engineel
George Deibler, Duluth, who was II
charge of the meeting, stated that TIT
specifications were not necessarily fixet
and that the county expected to altel
them as the conditions demand.
The difficulties involved in making
specifications so that they will include
enough manufacturers to put the bid
ding on competitive basis were out
lined by the chemical engineer.
Tests are constantly being made
throughout the county to see that TIT
products delivered to the county arr
kept up to the required specifications
it was pointed out.
Superintendents and patrolmen wer,
driveways or roads unless application
for this service were filed by the partie
involved. The county is liable TO
damages and in case of non-paymen
of the fee it is impossible to attach tn
cost to the property if no application
for the work has been made.
The county engineer emphasized tina
care should be exercised in expenditure
so that oVerdrafts at the end of tn
fiscal year on Dec. 81 could be avoided
Several districts were taken to accoun
for present overdrafts.
E. A. Young, Minneapolis contractor
was a guest
A crew in charge of Chef Matt
Kapsch prepared and served the dinner
The next meeting will be held in Duluth
December %.
Attending the meeting, besides thos
named above, were:
Virginia-Marco Verbon, superinten
dent; P. E. Barker, construction en-
gineer; John G. Fabish, Walter !
Gomsi, and I. I. Whiting, clerks.
Duluth-R. F. Mcdonald, assistan
county engineer; w. A. Larson, engin
eer, and Rene Fortier and A. w. John
son, road department accountants.
Chisholm-Fred Pietila, clerk, and J
A. Brancich, patrolman.
Buhl-P. g. Decker, patrolman.
Cook-Orlin Olstad, clerk.
Hibbing-Joe Beasy, patrolman; w. j
McCabe, purchasing agent, and Jacl
RIVAL, clerk.
Eveleth-R. L. Skramstad, clerk.
Ely-Ernil Kosk, engineer for tn,
northern half of the county; John 7
Richards, superintendent; Emil Norby
engineer; John Smrekar, purchasing
agent, and Frank Schweiger, clerk.