Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-07-09
WACO.
Con -ldersble Comment ON the Action
Of the City CeuRril Ia Not Award.
Ing Work 10 the Lowest BID.
A ssducer nIarres Hh yictim--Burial o.
Judge WILTSHIRE Fsrmern' Alliance
secret Meeting.
spoclAl 10 thc GlGotto.

special to the Gazette.
WACO, Tx, July S.--The action OF the 7
city council, wired to THE GAZETTE East
night, awarding contracts for street
paving, curbing and gathering to Sphar & |
Keller OF Dallss, and to John Tennsut OF |
Waco, has created good deal of talk to-
day. Some OF the contractors who were
defeated have not hesitated TO charge un- |
fairness in the awards MesS-s j. r. /,
Hughes and Tierney Of Fort Woth were |
prominent among the bidders, II former |
for paving, and the latter for cur bling and |
guttering. Mr.. Hughes pdbLshes the
following card Ia the Day this afternoon |
WACO, TEX, July S.--To the Editor OF |
the Day; The fact that the chairman OF |
the streets and alleys committee stated |
before the city council last night that he |
had opened my bid for paving Austin and
Eighth streets, but had not included 1t IN |
his report OF the committee for the reason
that 1t had been received too late for
consideration, calls for an explanation.
1t was understood that bids for this
work would be opened and presented TO
the council Saturday, the cd inst, at
| p. m. In accordance with this under
standing my bid was delivered to Alder
man Battle of the street commit
tee ON Saturday, July 3, about
p. m. My request to Judge Battle was,
that In case my bid was too late for con-
sideration, II be returned 10 me I'M
opened. This was the last l heard of the
matter until yesterday morning, the 9TH,
when 1t was handed to me (opened) by
Chairman Speight, with the explanation
that he had opened, but had not read the
bid, and that the committee had not en-
tertained or considered It,. Thus mat
/ ters stood until the council met, when
the chairman OF the committee, in ex-
planning TO that body why my bid was not
considered, virtually admitted that he
not only opened, but had read my bid,
when he said 1t was dated from "Fort
| WORTH instead of "Waco,n and read
sJuly 80" Instead of "July 2.n Had my bid
not been opened and to this extent made
public, should not have felt warranted
IN making any statement to the citizens
and taxpayers of Waco. Under the cir
cumstances, however, and believing that
bidding on this work was open to honest
competition, l feel that owe it TO myself
and those l represent to publicly compare
my bid with that recommended by the
committee aud accepted by the city coun-
Gil, leaving any Judgment as to the merits
of the respective bids TO the judgment Of
the public. Following are the bids
ACCEPTED. REJEoTED.
Tilford work per
surface yard Tllford McAdam,
1880, eNcava. including grad
ting i5c. Total 81 l956l ing .....t.,... : 800
LimeAtone curb Limestone curb
| ing per linear ing per linear
foot, ,....,.... ,65 foot ...,.... 30
entering per Guttering per
"surface"yard. ll5 "sqr'' yard .s5
Average. ....,...S2 99h Average ....... 1885,
In addition to this, my bid called for a
attention steam roller for the purpose of
rolling the streets after being macadam-
lied, while the bid accepted calls for a
twelve-ton roller; | also agreed TO depos-
1t, as security for the faithful performance
of my contract, in either of the banks
here, certified check for $1,000 to the
order of the mayor and board OF
aldermen, while the bid accepted pro-
vides for a bond. Respectfully submitted
to the public and taxpayers of Waco.
j, p, HUGnEs.
Chairman Speight of the street COM
mittee says the reason Hughes bid was
not considered was that it did not reach
the committee until Sunday, July 4, and
that by advertisement of the city no bids
} could or would be received after July l..
He seys 1t is true the committee did not
, make the awards until Saturday night,
July 3, but that the time between July
and July was given up to considering
the bids handed In up to July l. The
committee seem to regret that Mr..
Hughes bid was not In first, conceding ii
was cheaper than Sphar & Keller's, but
say they could not honorably go back on
Sphar & Keller, who had complied with
every condition laid down by the city. As
to Tierney's bid for curbing and gutter
J ing being cheaper than Tenants (the
: man who got the contract), your cor
respondent has not heard any explanation
yet of that. The public, judging from
: expressions of opinion heard on the
streets this evening, is somewhat evenly
divided in opinion as to the propriety of
the councils course. Many express the
opinion thatsif the city can save several
: thousand dollars by taking the Fort
Worth bids (Which were certainly the
Iowest) there should be no standing on
technicalities.
DIR. j. S. Willis was buried this morn
ing. The Knights Templars and Masonic
lodges turned out in full uniform and
many visitors and relatives came from
| adjacent towns. Rev. Horace Bishop,
of the NJ. L. church, South, performed
the religious rites.
Mr.. Burson OF the Fort Worth Mail
. spent to-day here. He and Mr.. J. p.
Hughes return to the Fort tonight
! Houston Brooks, arrested and jailed
for seducing Lucy Crane, compromised
the matter by marrying the girl this
morning, whereupon he was given his
liberty.
The Farmers alliance Of this county
has been in session here to-day, but out.
siders are In the dark as to the proceed
ings. Reporters are not allowed within
the portals.
Martin Female College, Pulaski, Tenn.
Before deciding upon school for your