The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-10-30

donovan COntrhct, leaves t0bJ.bl a. the sum
that would have been saved TO the city had
no part Of the work been given TO Donovan,
but TO the lowest bidders, excluding his bids.
Much has been said about sasiuE being
effected BY using the surplus earth from one
street In making embsnkmeuts In another
street. II was admitted by all who gave EVIL
denco on this point that contractor could
not, under the terms Of the contract Ia qucs-
ton, be required 10 haul surplus earth from
NJ street to either First or @ streets, and
none from NJ street could DO required In X
street, as that street had surplus. Il there
fore follows that all the saving that could be
made In the manner In question was In the
use Of the surplus earth In X street In the
embankmeut OF @ or First street. But this
surplus earth amounts TO but $3.50 cubic
yards, which, at IL cents per cubic yard,
would amount 10 only t23, y29, sum less
than the difference between the amount called
for by the Donovan contract and the sum Of
the lowest bids for those streets.
There Is, therefore, no avoiding the con.
clusion that the work on those streets was
not given to the lowest bidder.
II the Mayor had q right to include X
street In Donovan's contract when he ad-
mitted that Mcnamara was the lowest
bidder for that street, then he would have
had the right to have given McNamara
contract Including the three streets for
which he was not the lowest bidder.
Mcnamara said to the Mayor, as his evil
dence shows, "Mr. Bowen, consider, sir,
that you have the same right to give my
property on Capitol Hill away as you have
to give X street away to anybody else,
being the lowest bidder. Now, sir, claim
that street." Says he, 81 cannot let you
have It," "well," says I, "Mr. Bowen, you
say this man wont do the other streets unless
he gets X streetip eyes, I do" says he
Says I, "a never like to ask for anoth her
mans bid, but as long as 1t Is going by cleo.
ton, and you are trying to do the best you
can for the corporation, will mike you this
offer: give me the four streets and will dc
them for $500 less than all the lowest bids. y
"Well, says he, "come to me the day aftei
tomorrow" 81 called on him the day aftei
tomorrow and found he had made the
award to the other contractors" Now
4 Donovan's contract called for S54 ,343 more
than the amount Of all the lowest bids. By
adding this $500 to that sum, II will b.
seen that McNamara's offer would have
saved the corporation 81, 0+3.43. Mr.. McNa
mara, when on the stand, was asked the
following question
"If you had understood that you were Il
get the money before you commenced the
work, aud also as fast as you could do IL
would you have offered to do It at even O
lower rate than that contained in your bdP
To which he replied as follows: eyes, sir; al
q great deal lower rate, and for this reason
| IL had got the contract for doing thos,
streets | would have had TO 90 outside ant
borrow the money, for which, Of course,
would have had to pay a heavy discount
that Is, II l had expected to walt until tn,
work was completed before getting my pay
II, however, l had been told by Mr.. Bower
or encouraged by him to believe that woult
get money once a month, why, OF course,
I would have been saved the heavy discount
aud could have done the work much
cheaper"
| In answer to another question, which the
reporter omitted, he said he would hav,
offered to do II at least one cent per yarl
cheaper than the rate he finally offered to d,
1t for: 7S,039 being the number of cubi
yards OF embankment and $3.50 squar
yards the graveling, l65,5sl is the numbe
Of yards, and one cent per yard make
l,655.sl. This added to the Sl,043.4a
makes s2,G99.2I which the Mayor coul
have saved the corporation. Certainly thi
sum was worth saving.
To recapitulate, the Mayor gave Done
van contract for doing the work In ques
ton at s5i3.43 above the lowest bid
for the same work.
: The Mayor let the said contract at 1868,
above the lowest bids, excluding Donovan
The Mayor let the said contract at 81, 043
40 above what Peter Mcnamara offerc
to take 1t at. when he found 1t was to let b
election.
The Mayor let the said contract at f2, COS
"a above what be could have got the sam
work done by Peter Mcnamara, by offerin
to pay him In the same way he has paid 70
the work under the Donovan contract.
. ! (,antlpmpn tho Cpuncit hayp askpl w
whether the contract for that work were |,
to the lowest bidders. You have the eyident
. before you and from that you have
: answer, that the contract has not been give
Y to the lowest bidder.
, Mr.. B. argued at length the other tw
questions which the Council required Il
committee to answer, as mentioned In
| opening, but the latcness Of the hour pr
! vents our giving the balance.
The Poe MANSION IN GEoRgETowS-
= SCRAP OF HIsToRY.-Among the landmar
around Georgetown Is the large white bull
y ing on West Bridge street, known to near
II all our citizens as the "Poe mansion" T
structure was erected about the year 1871
u by the directors Of the bank Of Columbi
and was used as q banking house, with &c
y John Mason as president Of the board, I'M
' 1925, when the bank collapsed. The edit
I Is built of freestone aud brick, and cost abo
100000. 1t was very strongly constructc
and there is now In the building the large
ire-proof vault In the District Of Columbi
: The iron balustrade over the massive fro
9 portico was so peculiarly arranged that I
" words "Bank Of Columbia" were distinct
read In the railing, portion Of which, no
&c ever, was so reversed by the subseque
y owner that the name was Ineligible.
i In 1895 the building was purchased by I
u late George Poe for the sum OF "a, 500. I'll
&c low price was caused by the famous ga
&c hill sand" infection with which the natl,
er of Georgetown arc familiar.
Y Immediately after its purchase Mr..
~ had the building so altered as to be convert
CT into a private residence, and lived there
some years with his family. 1t Is said Il
NC the copper roof on the building when pl
y chased by him nctted him by Its sale nea
"a the cost Of the property, which has now be
x sold by his heirs. During President Har
CT sons administration he visited GeOrgetOv
O. and the corporate authorities procured
IN use of this building, which was then Idle,
& his reception, and after being met at
. gate by procession Of children with flo
u offerings he repaired to the house and he'll
levec OF the citizens generally.
G. The property was sold yesterday by
JOnU d. BOgue LOT tine sum OF tSU,UUU ca
VI Purchaser, Frederick Sawyer, esq.
AGREEABLE ESTERTAISMENT.-Col. Jc
W A. Joyce, Of the Internal Revenue BureI
u has been appointed to accompany Gene
re- Mcdonald to Arkansas to look after inter
A. revenue matters In that State. They lei
this evening for Little Rock to enter VI
70. duty. Last evening Colonel Joyce gave
US entertainment at his residence on Cap
re Hill, which was attended by about fifty
aI' vited guests, youth, beauty and female 10
illness predominating. 4 bountiful rep
ur was furnished by his amlable and acct
eu plished lady, not forgetting some excel
venison prepared from deer shot by
u own hand In the forests of northern n
I'd York last summer. Miss Kate Wood,
a the choir connected with St. Johns chur
~ sang several gems in her usual excel
NJ style, after which, at a late hour, the asst
IN blage dispersed.
LABOR CONVENTION OF CoLoRED MES
ut A convention Of colored men and women
az held last evening at Zion church, for
en- purpose of making arrangements to 8
Nv delegates to the National Colored Labor
He vention, to be held at Washington. The
N. II. Tyfen presided. A series OF res
~, tons was adopted claiming for colored !
III and women equal rights and OppOrtunl