The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-02-19
RANDALL AND THE NEW JAIL.

public money is being handled there are CON
slant temptations to indulge in grabs and
there Is need Of unrenll,ted watchfulness.
There was mystery to which we had occa-
sion to refer before the last meeting OF the
Supervisors, connected with the cagerness of
the building committee to employ Mr. Randall
rs Jail architect At a cost of per cent on the
whole building when other architects. with
plans quite rs good rs his, offered to do the
work for 3 per cent, and even that lower per
centsge to cover only the cost Of the building
aside from the iron work and while that mys.
terry was never cleared up, 1t continues to
deepen The singular confidence Of the com
mi,,ee III Mr.. Randall, instead of being check
in the Board of Supervisors, has gone step
further, and the committee, instead of con
cocting iheir own advertisement for contracts
to build the Jail, turned the matter over to Mr..
r., and in last Sundays Chicago Times his adj.
vertiscmcnt duly appears.
Now it is to be borne IN mind that Mr..
Randall's estimate Of the cost of the JAIL cx.
elusive Of heating apparatus and furniture, is
$50, LAG, at which sum he says he has reponSi.
Bile bidders for the work. This estimate IN.
c!udes SIC, $50 for the iron work for "a cells,
ia the construction of which he proposes, AT
that price, to use common wrought iron But
the best authorizes agree that the cages or cells
should be constructed of carbonized iron, or
rather OF what IS called chrome steel, composed
of iron and steel in alternate layers, rolled to-
geher at welding heat, or" iaminaed." The out
er layer being steel canno, be filed cut or sawed
while the middle layers of iron won't break
when force is applied. The cost Of using this
material, according to Mr. Randall's estimate
Of wrought iron, would raise his figures on the
cost of the cells to $4,000 or more.
Now it happens that long before Mr.. Rand
all inserted his advertisement for proposals ia
the Chicago Times, the Messrs. p. j. Pauley II
Bro, of st. Louis, patentecs of "Paulcy's Steel
Clad Iron Cells" we're communicated with,
and in letter to he chairman Of the building
committee, dated Dec. 30lh, 1880, they offer to
pu, in the cells Of IRON which Mr.. Randall es.
Inmates to cost $l6 $50, for 1000; they offer to
$4,000; and a fve.ply chrome iron spoken OF
above for $1,000 And they offer to build the
whole jail, in accordance with Mr.. Randall's
plans for $2j, 900 not dollar to be paid until the
jail is completed and accepted by the county.
Messrs. Paney & Bro. go further and they
say: I'VE furnish our customers with plans,
specifications and all the necessary details free
of cost to the county thus sariHg you an orchi-
tct frc."
"All right" will be the natural ejaculation
of most people,"if the Paucy brothers can
do all that at such prices, Let them put in their
bids, and no doubt they will get the job"
Well we don't know. The Randall mystery,
at first deep, then deeper. approaches the su.
perlative degree and Will soon be deepest In
careful reading Of his advertisement for pro.
posals 1t Is discovered that by its peculiar
wording he shuts out the Pauley brothers as
bidders. We understand that Mr.. Flaberty,
a member OF the building committee, has tax.
steps to have the wording of the advertise.
mcnt changed so as TO let them in, but whelh.
er it has or will be done we are unable to say.
At any rate, rs Mr.. Randall gets his per
cent on the whole cost of the building, it Is
his interest to make ii cost $4,000 instead of
sos 900; and if chrome steel for the cells Is
insisted on instead OF wrought iron 1t is to his
interest to have that item 100000 to 1000,
instead of $4,000, As proposed by the Pauleys.
And that chrome steel will be insisted upon
by the committee instead of wrought iron we
have not the slightest doubt, when they come
to look at the matter. But few weeks apo
we had an instance of the efficiency OF Mr.
Randall's wrought iron cells IN the case Of the
escape Of several noued characters from the
Morris jail. They were found to have in their
possession the TIMES, little saws mere threads
so small that they could conceal them IN
their mouths; yet with these they saved away
Mr. Randall's wrought iron bars aud castings
with the sanc ease as ii they were pine wood.
OF course, with chrome steel work which the
Paulcys warrant file and saw proof, such i'm.
plcments would be- wholly inefficient and use.
less