Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 229, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 September 1910 — Long Grade at Burk’s Bridge Completed by the Contractor. [ARTICLE]

Long Grade at Burk’s Bridge Completed by the Contractor.

Contractor Ben McColly Friday noon completed the long grade on the north side of the river at the Burk’s bridge, and the work looks good and will apparently overcome the long bridge proposition. The grade is 525 feet in length, just that many feet of bridge having been disposed of. The bridge was let down by sawing off the piling and the grade constructed right over the heavy timbers. Special attention was given to the weak spots, including the old channel by doubling up the heavy planks and in some places making them three or four thick. Three feet of earth and a foot or fourteen inches of gravel constitutes the grade, which is 16 feet wide on the surface and consequently about 20 feet wide at the base. While it is probable that some repair work will have to be made in the grade as time goes on, it looks like a very sensible way of repairing the long approach to the present channel and that Mr. McColly gave careful attention to the specifications of the contract there can be no doubt. The writer visited it a few days since and inspected it thoroughly. Mr. McColly has done more than he was bound to do. He has had Alex. Hurley in charge of the dumping and leveling of the earth and gravel and had instructed him not to stop with the bare number of loads required if more would make a better road. The result is a solid grade that will be a big improvement over the old frame ramshackle. That the planks may rot and let the grade down in spots after a good while is probable but it would seem that the repair of the grade would be much cheaper than the repair of the bridge. If it proves a success the commissioners will do well to have the south approach similarly altered. Probably in time a 100-foot span steel bridge will be all that the river at that point will require, which will be a big improvement over the 1,500 foot bridge that was required before the dredge was

completed. i On the north side of the river and the east side of the grade, a ditch has been dug that will conduct much of the water to the river before it reaches the grade and it is probable that a similar ditch wUI be dug on the west side of the grade. The contract Mr. McColly had was for $1,785. He will probably make some money at that figure. That is what a man is in the qontract business for, but the job was advertised two. different times and was open to any responsible party that wanted to bid. That he has done his work well we feet confident and that the plan will prove successful we also have great hopes.