REPORT. OFFICE OF THE STATE ENGINEER AND SURVEYOR,} ALBANY, February 15th, 1877. To the Honorable the Legislature of the State of New York: The State Engineer and Surveyor, in obedience to requirements of act chapter 777, Laws of 1850, has the honor to submit herewith his annual report, for the fiscal year ending September 30th, 1876. ENGINEER DEPARTMENT. By act chapter 385, Laws of 1876, important changes were made in the organization of the engineer force. Prior to this enactment all members of the engineer force, below the grade of resident engineer, were appointed by the division engineer, with the approval of the Canal Commissioner and State Engineer and Surveyor, acting conjointly; and all disbursements, for engineering expenses, were controlled by the Canal Commissioners. Under the new law, the power to appoint and remove all members of the engineering force is vested solely in the State Engineer and Surveyor; and all disbursements for engineering expenses are made by the division engineers, who are authorized to draw for funds on the Auditor, their drafts being subject to the approval of the State Engineer and Surveyor. All expenditures for engineering purposes in the canal department are thus subject to the control of the State Engineer and Surveyor. He has now full control of his department; subject only to the provision tha the number of assistants, employed under the division engineers, cannot be increased without the consent of the Canal Board. These changes impose complete responsibility upon the State Engineer and Surveyor, and afford him better means of discharging his duties. A large amount of professional work has been done by the engineer force during the past fiscal year. Much time and labor has necessarily been devoted to the settlement of old contracts, involving remeasurements and new estimates in nearly every case. The survey of the Erie canal, ordered by act chapter 425, Laws of 1876, has been nearly completed. Plans and estimates for the improvement of the Champlain canal, involving partial resurveys, have been completed. Plans and estimates for repairs of various structures on the canal have been completed, much of the work has been executed, and more than the usual attention has been devoted by the engineering force to ordinary repairs. The following exhibits the expenses of the engineer force for the fiscal year: Summary of engineering expenses for the year ending September 30, For the three months ending December 31, 1875 $32,462 10 18,325 17 15,453 38 $66,240 65 $7,985 63 4,698 19 Of the total expenditure, the sum of $20,927.04 has been disbursed under act chapter 385, Laws of 1876, reorganizing the engineering force. The expenses of engineering for the past five years have been as It will be seen that the engineering expenses of 1876 have been $78,238.35 less than those of 1875, which reduction has been accomplished since January 1, 1876. The expenses for the three months previous to January, 1876, were $23,956.91, against $19,338.96 for the corresponding quarter in the preceding fiscal year. The expenses for the three months previous to January, 1876, were $23,956.91, while those for the last nine months were $42,283.74. The monthly average for the nine months since January 1, 1876, is $4,698.19; for the three months immediately preceding it is $7,985.63. This reduction results, in part, from the better organization of the engineer force, made possible by the new law, and in part from the decrease in the quantity of work done as extraordinary repairs. With a view to improve the efficiency of the engineering force, a system of examination has been established for all applicants for positions below the grade of resident engineer. The applicants are required, in the first instance, to present satisfactory testimonials as to character; they are then permitted to present themselves for examination as to their professional knowledge and aptitude. From those exhibiting the necessary qualifications, selections are made to fill the various grades. The results of this policy have been very satisfactory. The engineering parties organized in this manner have executed the work intrusted to them rapidly, skillfully and accurately. It has been usual to appropriate $24,000 annually to meet the ordinary engineering expenses. This sum pays the salaries of the division and resident engineers, and the incidental expenses of their offices. It will not, however, cover the expenses of a field party, which is at all times required on each division of the canals. Additional assistance has heretofore been paid for out of special appropriations for extraordinary repairs. It is recommended that $40,000 be annually appropriated, out of the revenues of the canal, for engineering expenses, that is, the usual appropriation of $24,000 for division and resident engineers, and $16,000 for expenses of a small field party required on each division. This is less than one-third of the expenditures for engineering in 1875, and considerably less than one-half the expenses for several years back. from October 1, to November 10, 1875; under Charles A. Olmsted, division engineer, from November 10, 1875, to February 28, 1876; and under Wm. H. Searles, division engineer, from the latter date to the close of the fiscal year. Byron M. Hanks has been resident engineer throughout the year. SETTLEMENT OF CONTRACTS. The duty required of the State Engineer and Surveyor, in the settlement of old contracts, under act chapter 425, Laws of 1876, has been one of much labor. It has involved a critical personal examination of all the estimates and records relating to them. In some cases the data required to arrive at well-founded conclusions were wanting. In all the cases, however, all the available information was carefully considered before making recommendations. The recommendations in each case are founded upon professional considerations only, without reference to the questions of law, or of policy involved; they leave the matter of compromises entirely to the judgment of the Canal Board. Thirty-one contracts have been settled by the Canal Board, and twenty-four remain for settlement under the act. In the settlement of the contracts included in table, page 11, deductions from the claims of the contractors have been made, amounting to $25,017.44. The report of the State Engineer and Surveyor on this subject, made to the Canal Board in compliance with the provisions of the statute, is appended to this report. |