Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 181, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 July 1916 — New $27,000 Bridge Over Kankakee Crumbling Down. [ARTICLE]

New $27,000 Bridge Over Kankakee Crumbling Down.

Goodland Herald. O&nsdderaible complaint is coming down from the north end of the county concerning the condition of the new .wagon bridge erected across the Kankakee river north of Lake Village last year. The bridge was erected by the St. Louis Bridge Company at a cost of about $27,000, Newton county's share ‘being about $5,000, and the bridge is almost ready to topple over into the river. The abutments are crumbling away and are badly cracked at points where the bridge wtas bolted down. The commissioners of Lake

county were in charge of construction. ' Ray Seeley was engineer and A. B. Jenkins represented Newton county as building superintendent, and a Mr. Roush of Schneider represented Lake oounty. The superintendent and engineer, in accepting the bridge, made affidavit that the same was constructed according to the plans and specifications and that the required

amount of material was used. If these statements are correct the trouble then lies in the fact that the material was inferior, and the bridge company should be held responsible. The bridge at Water Valley, built at the same time by the Rochester Bridge company, and from the same plans and specifications, is in good condition. We are advised that (the commissioners of Lake county are withholding about $2,000 on the contract price, but this is not sufficient. If the bridge is as faulty as represented the erecting company should be compelled to make good, or stand prosecution for den frauddng the taxpayers of the two countiejs