The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-02-29
MAYOR DEERING'S COAL.
A Tour of the Public Buildings
TESTIMONY OF THE JANITORS
REGARDING THE COAL,
without Disagreement They Pronounce
1t Much Inferior to the Coal of
Former Years, and Neither Hard,
Clear, aOr Lasting.
THEIR REPORT CONFIRMED BY
PERSONAL EXAMINATION.

Conclusive Answer to the Mayor s
Claims Concerning the Quality
of His Coal.
Yesterday afternoon reporter for the PRESS
visited the schoolhouses, heated by steam, and
was shown the coal furnished for the present
school year, heard what the janitors had to say
about it, and made personal inspection of it.
Mr.. John Fl Dennison, janitor of the
Smaller school, said that at the beginning OF
the school year he had about 25 tons of coal
left over since the year 1872 This coal was a
nice, clean looking article, and Mr.. Dennison
said that all the coal furnished before Mayor
Deering's administration was of excellent
quality and properly screened. In the last
school year about 70 tons were used at the
school. At the beginning of this school year
there were go tons Of coal put in, and Of this
coal only about three tons are left, and there
would have been none leftif the old coal above
spoken of had not been mixed with it, At the
present time about fve-eighths Of the Winter
ere gone and three-eighths left to be provided
for. The coal put in this school year is very
dirty, dusty and soft. There appears to be two
kinds of coal mixed together. This was Mr..
Dennison's statement. The reporter can verify
the story, as far as the appearance of the two
kinds of coal is concerned. That Of former
season on hand was clean and hard, as stated
above, and that of this year showed the Goals
lying in coal dirt, and when a shovel or rake
was applied, the coal rolled down, or rather
slid down, on the dirt at the slightest touch.
The school gear, during which the schools
have to be warmed, commences in September
and ends in May. In those eight months last
year Is tons of coal were used; in five months
this year nearly 60 tons of this coal besides
some of a former supply have been used.
The Monument street school is also under
Mr. Dennison's charge. The coal furnished
here this school year. Mr.. Dsnnison said, was
of the same kind as that provided for the
Smaller school, but was in rather better condi-
ton. To this school 40 tons were furnished,
and three tons were left over from last year.
OF this amount two-thirds have been consumed
since the school year commenced September
18th.
The North School was next visited. Mr..
Kirwan is the janitor. Mr.. Kirwan said he
had about rs tons put in at the beginning of
the school year, and had about 20 or 80 tons OF
old coal on hand. The coal furnished this
year he thought burned, and furnish ed steam
as well, as that provided the year previous.
He had thus far burned up his IS tons and had
about 20 or 80 tons left to carry him through
the season. He said that perhaps he had
better luck with the portion of the coal which
fell to the share of his school-house, for while
it was soft, and had good deal Of dirt mixed
with it, it was in better condition than the
coal the others obtained. The reporter found
the coal evidently less dirty than that of the
Smaller School but still not at all like that left
over from a former year. What amount oil
coal he burned last year Mr.. Kirwan couldn't
| state. He said he had never kept record oi
the coal burned each year.
Mr.. Godfrey Massey showed the reporter
about the High School bins. 1t is no exaggera-
tion to say that such looking lot of stuff the
reporter had not seen for a long time. To ap-
| pearance it was almost three-quarters dirt, but
| probably such Judgment would not be just
Mr.. Massey produced the weigh bills for the
coal. They footed up 185 tons provided at
the beginning of the school year. When the
| school began he had five tons of old coal left
over from the preceding year. Mr.. Massey
| said he had about 45 tons Of coal and coal dirt
left; it was not lasting coal, like that of the
| year previous, and was much softer. The coal
dirt made it a very wasteful coal to use. He
had never seen such dirty coal before, since
he had been janitor, with one exception, and
that was over twelve years ago. He consider
ed the coal furnished lastyear a clean, hard
Lehigh, not like this coal.
| Mr.. Joseph Harris is janitor of the Butter
School. Here little over 100 tons were put
in. The coal was sad looking lot. In places
it was completely covered with coal dirt just
as the coal at the High School was. Mr..
Harris said he had 70 tons of coal furnished a
| year ago and before the season was over 1C
more tons were added. He consumed 80 TONS
leaving five tons at the beginning of the
present school year. He had, at present, about
50 tons of coal and dirt left from this school
| years supply. Last years coal was a hard
coal and this is a much softer article. Eyes, u
said Mr.. Harris, sit is terribly dirty; mostly
| dirt" This year he has removed ashes twice
and shall have to do SO again before the season
ends. Last year he had to remove them only
once. There are apparently, two grades Of
coal mixed in this seasons supply.
The result of these interviews shows that all
the ianitors considered the coal SOFT dirty
coal; not a clean hard coal, and the weight oi
their evidence demonstrates that it is a waste
full coal requiring a greater quantity to last 6
given time than that furnished in former
| years.
What Mayor Deering Has TO Say.
The Advertiser of yesterday afternoon pub
| lished the following statement as the reply oi
the Mayor to the article in the PRESS yester
day morning:
Mayor Deering said that when the bids fcl
| furnishing coal to the city were opened, it wai
| found that there were three bids sxactly alike
and these were lower than any of the others
One of these three was that of Sargent, Den
| nison & Co. These bids were considered By
| the Committee on Public Buildings consisting
of the Mayor, Alderman Birnie, Counclmer
| Shaw, Prince and Turner. Mr.. Prince moved
that the Mayor be instructed to furnish ths
coal. The Mayor refused to have anything
to do with it, as he had before refused wheI
the same thing was mentioned to him. Or
| motion OF Mr.. Turner the committee theI
voted unanimously to give the contract tt
Sargent, DeDnison & Co. The Mayor did no
vote.
| OdISoub, DouulSOH q OOs buou prOC66u6u u
furnish the coal. Mr.. Sargent had no previou
conversation with the Mayor, and there wal
no understanding between them that Mr.. Sar
gent was to procure the coal through Mayol
Deering. subsequently, however, Mr.. Sargen
purchased the coal of Mayor Deering as ht
had right to do. In filling his contract it wa
his privilege to get his coal from any sourc,
where he could procure it most advantageous
ly. So far as the city was concerned the pric,
was settled, and in that contract the Mayo
says he had no pecuniary interest whatever
Mr.. Sargent bought of the Mayor 1141 tons O
Schuylkill hard white ash coal, paying $3.6l
per ton in Philadelphia. He had contracted
with the city to furnish the coal and put it il
the bins for $575 per ton. This would leav
him Id ton, out of which he must pay
freight from Philadelphia, wharfage, carriage
slowing, etc. The coal was all from one min
in Pennsylvania, that has no superior in tn
State. But very little of this kind of Goa
comes east Of Philadelphia, and it was through
his knowledge OF this fact that the Mayor wa
able to procure it for the citys use. Mayo
Deering's private books give history of th
whole transaction, which is substantially a
related above.
The Mayor also made statement with ref
erence to the coal bills of last year. Whel
Mayor Deering first came into office he was nc
titled that the school houses and city building
were nearly out of coal, and the committee Of