The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-09-27

other contractors who were ANXIOUS 70 ~ 80
" illiam Heard, AN old and fcsponsiOic con
tractor, on Jan. applied t. Fowler ior perinis-
sion to put in bid, md Fowler put MN ~ % on sly
ing thnt he would send word TO him II .thef ue-
cIded to Give out the contracts, Engineer
Adams returned from Europe and on jan. y
ls7g the iids were opened There are nuiner-
otls stories Of the legerdemain tnnt attended the
opening one COZ tractor gives MS word mat
Edward Freel. an invited bidder after receiving
siDUU from Kingsley to nut in a bid nj a high
nrure, cunuingly cut down his bid tlWUN, and
when the bids we're opened in tho Water Board,
the astonishing discovery was made that Kings
ley was not tho lowest bidder There was a |
oiIick a iorrnment, and in short time the |
lids were announced as fOilOws;
. g. Mhtc siiss3T
tdw1rd ...........'.'.... ,5stl99
James Mcdonald. llVilo0
According to the traditions Of the City Hall,
when tho bids were lrst opened Ffecis was
Sl.T1llO, and kingslcy's sli6l.12j. II the
scheme had worked as Kingsley intended,
freels bid would nave been opened NJ SlAiI10O
The figures were quickly altered, and Kingsley
siill had the lowest bid. Mr. william Beard
once proposed to build and complete tho reser-
voir for $,3l,01. His bid was ignored Col.
Adams wrote to the board fayoring the accept
ancs Of klngsiey's bid, at the same time sug-
gest'ng that the sum hroposed fot the excaya,
n ss ,&SGd Which % @ esns 1aS SqsS tssS sS Sd
Beard asked to do the work for
RICHNESS.
In February. ls7i. tho Legislature had passed
n second bill. winch by a shrcwd design was en-
acted To legalizo what had already been done.
This bill provided that the whole expense OF the
reservoir, and all Things connected with IL,
should not exceed Sl,tCO,OD THIS Is the way
Fowler obeyod the law. In January, 1877, he
awarded the contract To kingsley, IN spite Of the
and the weakly uttered protest Of Col. Adams,
that tho prices for excavation were too high.
The first schedule ofexpenses was as follows;
kingsley kc,hcl iSa!s3 90
APPROXIMATION Tor ani...'..''........''' llg tsi 80
MisceiSnesa, coSl5 IS
,i,iaoHa as
Before a square inch OF the sand was excava-
ted, fuwe er had already his an made to ex-
ceed the legal allowance by SaG,ii340. Fowler
had fixed ali Of the prices for the work; lie had
allowed 81 cents ward FOR oxcavating which
Beard had offered to do for b, and wnich other
enginecis said that they could make money by
doing for %. He had allowed IS u cubic yard
for broken stone lining which Beard mad offered
Kirrsley for excavating sand. one item s5i.7UO
more than sir. Beard offered to complete every
thing for. Again, Fowler made neat little pro-
vision that kinrsley should nave three cents
2OOO feet. There was another provision that
substantially < We the engineer leave to vary
nom the original designs. provided that the con-
tractors were employcd TO make the change.
FORTUNES IS SAND HEAPS.
Kingsley and keeney went to work. The
skilled engineers laughed In their sleeves. bat
all offers or suggestions tending to economy
were sneerpd at. The general work that Kings
ley had to do was to huid dam across II emp-
stead Valley, excavAte 2jl acres Of sand and
loan, and provide fnr the impoundng of one
thousand million gallons of water. twenty-nine
feet height, with a surface area Of 81 acres. The
work was simple and c,sy, ani there was no
blasting. lie worked his mcn here aud there In
the sand, digging. excavatinG, and hauling.
Nothing WIS heard until November. 1874. Then
II was suddenly announced that SS0.UOD more
WAS necessary to complete the work. and The
circular. for another water panic were II pre-
Jared. Inquiry was made. and the W ater Board
responded that Instead OF llJ0OuO Yards uf ex-
cavailon, 1t had been thought advisable To exca-
vate l.6si,ON wards, and that It was necessary to
excuNate 5nUO yards moro. They said that
under tue contract Kingsley ana keeney were
entitled to three cents a hundred feet for extra
haulage over 2.gN feet. and that they had hauled
| lGS3O,n yards-tne entire ,xCavation-2,2DD feet.
| They thus had II claim of cent yard extra,
making an extra hnuage bill II slOl 90. = his
/ was most surprising. The ordinary width OF Tie
reservoir WAS l.2n feet and the widest part ex-
| cavAied wa ouN @ep Ictt. Bi hauhng FROM
| centre to bank, or from bank to bank. the con-
tractors woul still have carried their earth less
| 100 feet. How they did maui II "a not cx-
! Ilained nor Can there toe AN honest expl inatiOn
! OF the device 10y which every yard ~ eXcav itipn
| paid for In the mrs. place at % cents an exor-
! bitant prce can he charged to the city 1t Gl
cents. In this way tho one Item Of excavation
was made to cost ~ iisl0O. kingsley asked 70
be paid by further APPROPRIATION Bl cents a ward
for the remaining jOU,OOO yards. nali ling cost Of
81. 81 go s5Gi 80 more than Mr.. Beard would
have done the work for.
OFFICIAL NEGLIGENCE ALL AROUND.
BY the terms ofthe contract twenty per cent
Of the whole sum which Kingsley w. 10 receive
| was to be retained and half Of this S2j7,OOl
NN HNlaa al FNlaH
TsssTvoiT and me remainder six month, later.
| after the 1nvi nc,. .nt.T"e ~ tbe w,ori, TLis
| pesetv has bsen n ii nut ille,,lly and oniv AZ.
Al r,,raius "a =, ia .he tnt,'ntr'iic,'s nm a
- - E,nruisv 81 0la ,rs" untyarran,.hlv n@d ~,
ia ~ 10 Ia, ~ tha, f,untroiicr S,''r.,. az
, i,,p ~, " ~ ~ 10 i,,neI n rtirrnnt ~ sS, ~,
",nr, wp, 81 ,yI vbnu : a. pos,.u ,vas n,da t,n,no
~ lr T ha n.is Slno Co1 and this in tore of ne
sr", ,hat az nn ne,. ~ t,n,siev ana ktensv
int.d % ~ ~ inr,ng ycrn ini,i,let el rrservnr "a
,I,, 1d a. .,,rc,,i- 80 ina ritv an aui"hcJ
a., m,ati.he cd bS,ks nm, xrnvat"d nr~a ,,,d
Iilr itr'it tbe bootNiacH' VINO having polished one
| hot demands twenty r.nts a pefure ms will conn
vie,s ,ha In Ki,CsinX cn"Ilv dsmandad
| tsS1too - 1nIsb ina VOL, Ex-SfnVNr pntvei
80 T,t K kinv.iev mad Sis0 00o worih ~ seci,rI
,viin incomnfives mi mac chiner, nnd this vii IA
- ~ c,i,, ot tloi IN ~ ex,,a hauiage ,yn,,tn
10 guerantee cnoiirh Tor tie civ frr The cnm
| nietinn ~ the work: and hence IL. was but fair
| 10 pay them. Mayor Hunter excuses his signing
tho warrant bV the saile hguh.h,, aunihs
| thdi the s2,'lv' .ne rel.'iiah' u Ino 'eseINe'
could DE helu as guaranteed
| ANoTurn uAIp MELLON wASTrn
,''''. -, -, -
Last winter lne i.eE'9i.lMlis M AZ 1nntHtoiizeu the
adultl9hhl tApcnolui5 ui N"u"4v, ,he 'oln-
mon Cnunc. ApploVeu tne, ,pIuJeCt' me ques-
toh was ielcirtu 70 the JViht NVinllll,tce' ol
Law ana DTaln1ie, Wno sun nave ~ uhucr Soil-
s'Gerallon. fEbllc lnecilnEs were nelu' thd tne
most soma anu rpputepIe men IN brooA!Ih
| J Iliuci III NhOlcSdo pIpltSt5 .hEhin-l tnt