Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 246, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 October 1910 — Grade at Bark’s Bridge Does Not Meet Babcock’s Approval. [ARTICLE]

Grade at Bark’s Bridge Does Not Meet Babcock’s Approval.

Babcock does not approve the grade recently constructed at Burk’s bridge. He says the commissioners wasted $1,785 and intimates that fraud existed in the letting of the contract and in the constructive work. To make his argument strong he falsifies the report of the work and employs his contemptible inuendo in suggesting that the commendatory article published in the Republican was written with a view to influencing the commissioners in accepting the w.ork. The grade was to some extent an experiment and has sunk some at the old channel and in one soft spot south of the old channel. The weight of the grade has sunk the earth and left some of the piling protruding from the ground, and the engineer found It advisable to authorize one or two minor changes in the specifications with the belief that it was for the best results. The changes did not cheapen the work nor favor the contractor. Road Supervisor Charles Battleday has made repairs and the road is open for travel and has never been closed up except for a short time when gravel was being hauled. Babcock’s article is published for political purposes and Is false with the expectation of deceiving the people and creating distrust of the commissioners.