The Committee adjourned for a week. They were to take up
the question at the next meeting. The vote was unanimous
against Mr. Eads's Bill. When the Committee came out of their
room he was waiting outside the door to learn his fate. I
saw the look of disappointment and despair on his face when
he was told of the vote. I asked him to come with me into
another room, which he did. I told him that I was satisfied
from what I had heard that his plan was a good one, although
I had voted against it with the rest of the Committee. It
seemed to me that it would be presumptuous in me, having no
special knowledge in such matters, to go against the practically
unanimous report of the United States Board of Engineers.
But I said: "Captain Eads, can you not frame a bill, which
will provide that you shall not have any money from the Treasury
for your work until you have accomplished something. If you
deepen the channel of the river a foot that will have done
some good. Suppose you provide that when you have deepened
the river a certain number of feet you shall have so much
of your pay, when it is deepened further so much more, and
so on until the work is done.
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