The Daily Morning Astorian

Yesterday's Work.
A Considerable Amount to be Done at Fort Canby.
The government has for some time had in contemplation the building of a large bulkhead at Fort Canby to protect the fort and vicinity from the waters of Baker's bay. Bids were advertised for in The Astorian and were opened at noon yesterday at the fort by First Lieutenant L. A. Chamberlin.
The work consists of a single row of piles driven five feet from center capped with planks 4x15 inches and faced on the outside with three-inch plank spiked on. The rip-rap work is to be laid smooth on the outer face and packed against the bulkhead on both sides, not less than three feet thick at the top and sloping downward. The whole work is about 3,500 feet long and six feet high.
There were sixteen bids in yesterday from all parts of the country. Supernant & Ferguson and Gill & Clinton of this city each bid $5 per pile, and the bids on driving the 7,000 piles went from that figure up to $9 (bid by Smith & Paque of Portland). Dean Blanchard of Rainier bid $5.50 to a certain height and $1.20 for each four feet above that height making his bid $7.85 a pile. The bids for the rip-rap work varied considerably. All the bids will be sent to Vancouver to-morrow for examination and at that place the award will be made.
The job is rather an extensive one, and involves the expenditure of nearly one hundred thousand dollars. Some time ago $40,000 was appropriated for the improvement of Fort Canby, and of this amount $7,000 has been expended, leaving an available balance of $33,000. It is the intention to let the contracts and go on with the work as soon as possible. As soon as the piles are driven and the riprap constructed there will be a big lot of earth filling from the shore side to be done. This, however, will be done by a gang of twenty-eight prisoners, who will be brought here from Alcatraz island.