But loose as it is thrown in upon the surface of this lagoon, it has been washed away; and I think that it is the source of the sand that has been carried in here."

Now, Mr. Whiting has said in his report (p. 21,) that the whole amount of sand carried into the harbor is 30,500,000 cubic feet, equal to 1,113,000 cubic yards. He also stated (pp. 17 and 18,) that the abrasion of the bank and bluffs on the northerly shore, near the inlet, amounted to 408,000 cubic yards. This, according to his theory, has all been carried out into the harbor. Deducting this from the whole amount which has been carried into the harbor, there remains 705,000 cubic yards carried into the harbor from other sources.

Now, Mr. Mitchell says, (Report, pp. 21 and 22,) that the area of East Harbor at ordinary tides is 463 acres; at high spring tides, 924 acres ; the average is 700 acres. Mr. Mitchell thinks sand enough has blown into East Harbor to fill it solid. Of course he means up to high-water. How many cubic yards will it take to do this?

I do not find in any of the reports any statement of the depth of water in East Harbor at high-water. If it is only one foot deep, it would require 30,500,000 cubic feet to fill it, besides what would be required to fill the channel,-perhaps half as much more; if two feet deep, twice that quantity, equal to 2,226,000 cubic yards. But we have seen that after deducting from the whole amount which Mr. Mitchell says has gone into the harbor the amount which has been abraded from the bluffs, there remained only 705,000 cubic yards to be accounted for. But if Mr. Mitchell is correct in saying that enough has been blown into East Harbor to fill it solid, then at least two or three million cubic yards have blown in, and according to Mr. Mitchell, have all been carried out into the harbor. Where is it?

Look for a moment at the absurdity of this proposition in another light. Mr. Mitchell says all this has been blown in and carried out. Now, ninety per cent. at least of this lagoon is marsh, with not over two feet of water at high-water. Only ten per cent., then, of the sand has fallen into the channel. But Mr. Mitchell's theory involves this impossibility that not only the sand which has fallen into the channel has been carried out, but also that which has fallen upon the marsh, where there is no current which could by any possibility move sand away from the grass!

:

EXPENDITURES.

Before the legislature commits the State to this work, I implore them to look well at the cost,-immediate and ultimate. A hundred and fifty thousand dollars to begin with, who knows how much more, even for the dike at the inlet. Every engineer familiar with such

works tells us that nobody can be sure that it will stand a day. Who knows what it will cost? Nobody tells us. Mr. James Gifford and Mr. Paul Whiting tell us (Report, p. 7:)

"From the nature of the work, it is impracticable to make a reliable.estimate of its cost. In making the following estimate, we have consulted those having most experience in the details of such works, and have endeavored to make allowance for all ordinary contingencies, but this work will be subject to extraordinary contingencies and uncertainties, for which we can make no estimate; such as great storms, scouring of the bottom, depth to which the sheet piling can be driven, &c.!!!"

Who are the persons consulted, "having most experience in the details of such work?" There was no attempt, at the hearing, to show that these estimates are reliable. Mr. Gifford and Mr. Whiting have no confidence in them. Why not tell us who made them, and let us, the tax-payers, judge as to the confidence we may place in the results of their "experience?" They have not produced a single hydrographical engineer to indorse this plan and these estimates—and they cannot.

Again, on their theory of danger of a breach at the ocean beach, a dike at the "wading-place" will be indispensable after one is built at the inlet. If a breach is made, the current, on their theory, will inevitably break through Beach Point. Here, then, $150,000 more will be needed. Where will they stop?

Again, there was not the slightest attempt to show that General Benham's and General Foster's plan of a pile structure, to cost $5,000 to $8,000, is not better than this expensive plan. Their only reply is abuse of General Benham,-whose plans have all been approved by General Bache, General Foster and Major Blunt,—the highest authority in hydrographical engineering in the country. Mr. Collins is brought out to prove General Benham incompetent, and a member of the Committee so far forgets the proprieties of a judicial position as to suggest to Mr. Collins (Evidence, p. 59,) a sneer at General Benham's "scientific" capacity, for the purpose of ridiculing the work which General Benham started as an experiment, which all the engineers approved, and now approve, and which has been entirely successful.

P. S.-APRIL 25. It is sure proof of the consciousness of a bad cause that its advocates find it necessary to take a snap judgment. The Resolve making this appropriation was recommitted with instructions to examine engineers and report the evidence to the legislature. The Committee having had several long hearings, the report of which made a pamphlet of 79 pages, reported the Resolve back to the House, and on Thursday it was ordered to be engrossed before the document of printed "evidence" had been distributed in the House-of course, before any member could possibly have read it!

THE INTOLERABLE BURDEN.
Francis William Bird.

By

The House of Representatives, by a vote of 106 to 93, adopted the amendment moved by Mr. DANA, of Cambridge, to the Tunnel Bill, striking out the appropriation of six hundred thousand dollars for work on the tunnel; and immediately adopted by a vote of 120 to 87 an amendment offered by Mr. PACKARD, of Abington, appropriating FIVE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS towards constructing the Hoosac Tunnel. How could the House so suddenly take the back track? This can only be accounted for from the specious, delusive, fraudulent form in which the proposition was presented. I do not charge fraud upon the gentleman who offered the amendment; but I do charge fraud upon the authors of the amendment. This amendment was drawn up at a caucus of the tunnellites, held on the evening before it was offered, and they knew it was a fraud, Janus-faced as their policy always has been, appearing to give the State some security better than it had before, but so artfully drawn up as to cheat us under false pretences. After appropriating "two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, to be applied to the completion of said railroad; and three hundred and fifty thousand dollars to be applied to the payment of interest," Mr. Packard's amendments are as follows:

"And provided, further, that after the first day of October next, no part of this appropriation shall be used in payment for work done in excavating the tunnel, unless the same be done under contracts approved by the governor and council; and they are hereby authorized to contract for the whole work of constructing the Hoosac Tunnel: provided, that a contract, with satisfactory guarantees, can be made for the completion of the same within a period of seven years, and at a cost not exceeding FIVE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS."

Section 2 authorizes the governor and council to make a contract for the completion of the road and tunnel.

"SECTION 3. When a contract is made as provided in the first section of this act, the governor is hereby authorized to draw his warrant on the treasurer of the Commonwealth for such sums as may be required from time to time for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act, and the sum of five millions of dollars is hereby appropriated, and the treasurer of the Commonwealth is hereby authorized, upon the warrant of the governor, drawn as aforesaid, to issue scrip or certificates of debt to the amount of said appropriation," &c., &c.

Section 4 abolishes the board of commissioners after the contract is made, and authorizes the appointment of a superintending engineer.

The following amendment to the first section was also adopted :

"And further provided, that in case a contract should be made by the governor and council for the completion of the tunnel, there shall be withheld from payment under said contract a sum not less than one million dollars, until the final completion of said work, and the acceptance of the same by the governor and council.”

Now the fraud of this transaction consists, first, in this: that it implies that the State gets any additional protection by having this work done by contract. Remember that the contract system was tried last year, and the contractors broke down.

Then again, it is provided "that a contract with satisfactory guarantees can be made," &c. Satisfactory to whom? To the governor and council. They made one "satisfactory" last year, and it proved worthless; may they not be mistaken again? It is well known that the governor, the lieutenant-. governor, and a large majority of the council are as thoroughly committed to the tunnel as the craziest tunnellite in North Adams. Possibly their opinions may bias their judgments as to the "satisfactoriness" of the guarantees. The disastrous management of the last two years has taken place under their supervision.

What "satisfactory" guarantee can be given? A railroad corporation, in making a contract, reserves twenty or twentyfive per cent. of the contract price as guarantee. Under this

plan the contractor does a dollar's worth of work and receives 75 or 80 cents. If he fails to complete his contract, the company has a dollar's worth of work done for seventy-five or eighty cents, and this protects the company to that extent. No such contract can be made in this case. The amount is too large. and the uncertainties are too great to make it safe for any contractor to assume such a liability, unless he puts his price high enough to cover the proportion reserved-seventy-five cents worth of work for that amount down, and the balance if he completes the work. In other words, the State must agree to pay twenty-five per cent. more than the work is worth.

But a million of dollars is to be withheld! This is a characteristic specimen of holding the word of promise to the ear and breaking it to the hope. What does it mean? Does it mean that the contractor shall do five millions worth of work, and shall receive four millions only until the whole is done? This might be some protection if any contractor could be found insane enough to make such a contract; but the supposition is absurd, that any responsible man will agree to complete the tunnel for five millions.

It means only this, that the contractor will agree to excavate the tunnel at a price agreed upon per cubic yard, and the governor and council say to him: "We shall withhold one million dollars." "Yes; but you are to pay so much per cubic yard for work done?" "Yes." He does not care how much they withhold. He commences work; gets his pay according to contract-so much per cubic yard. Of course, the price must be such that he can at least make his ends meet. He goes on till his work amounts to four millions of dollars. He sees that the other million will not finish it. He has nothing to do but stop. What benefit has the State got from withholding the million? Only this, that she has spent four millions instead of five, and three, five, ten millions more must be added. The proposition is a delusion and a fraud. The only purpose is to get the State so much deeper in. It is a transparent cheat.

Mr. FRANCIS, of Lowell, estimates the cost, from this time, at $7,929,644. No estimate has yet been made which subsequent experience did not prove to have been at least fifty per cent. too low. But here is an estimate by a friend of the tunnel of a cost of eight millions; and we are asked to believe that a