The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-27
THAT CITY BUILDING CONTRACT.
To the Editor Of the Eagle.

THAT CITY BUILDING CONTRACT.
To the Editor Of the Eagle.
In your issue of Friday morning you
make some remarks under the above head
to which 1 trust you will allow me to make
reply so far as 1 may be able. Had you
been in possession of facts as they are,
and not have allowed your article to be in
spired by ''street talk" am quite sure
you would not have used so freely the in
sinuating terms Of monkey business, :"
grave suspicious of Interior motives"
"side understandings" "bad faith" and
other intimations of dereliction in duty on
the part of public officers. 1 will try and
explain the situation and give you facts as
they are. To "street talk" pay but little
attention. Any citizen can get all the in
formation he wants by asking for it and
the suggestions of any citizen for the well
fare of the city will be gladly received.
You well know that your advice has been
many times solicited but never has been
given.
Mr.. Rogers put in five bids for city hall
as follows:
Grouse Creek stone. .S66, 800
Anna ...-........-...'..' '......'.' Ot,Ooo
Augusta. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. Ol,SO0
1oWan0a. ...........'....-.... o3,5oo
4ateS Center. O4,0O0
The council first awarded the contract
for Augusta stone at the figure given:
They afterwards, and upon examination of
samples sent to them, changed to the Alma
stone, and paid the difference between the
cost of the two kinds of stone, viz: 81, 700
This s., 700 was not, as you state, for eX-
ira on the foundation" but for the higher
price of the Alma stone The Augusta
costs 10 cents per cubic foot and the Alma
1695 cents or very near that. There are
&C, 900 cubic feet of this kind of stone in the
building. Any one can figure it. Now 1t
turns out that the Alma Stone company
did not know the extent of their quarry
and find that the quality like the sample
is very limited, and enough for the build
ing cannot be had Should the council
have tested and determined the extent of
that quarry before closing contract? DO
our coal dealers before contracting for a
quantity of coal go on to the mine and first
determine if the supply is there?
Who is to blame for the Alma stone
quarry not turning out to be what the
agent represented? But the fact is before
us that the Alma stone cannot be had that
are like the sample or are good enough.
Shall the council go back to poorer quail
ity or shall it spend a few more dollars for
a better stone? l am willing to abide the
peoples answer. The people of this city
are not niggardly and falsely economical.
They are willing to pay for what they get,
and the work they have done shows that
they like good article better than poor
one. 1t is conceded by all unbiased stone
men that the Cambridge StOne-Of which
the Santa Fe depot is built-is the best in
the state. Iadmit it was a mistake that 1t
was not first selected. Had it been all this
trouble and talk would have been avoided;
but out of thirty-fOur bids there was but
one for Cambridge stone-that of H. Ben
nett, of Topeka, at SI3,714. This stone
costs 80 cents per cubic foot delivered on
cars here 1t costs 10 cents per foot more
tocut it than the Alma, making % cents per
foot more cost to contractors than Alma,
or total of 50, 200-but Mr.. Rogers says
he will put in the Cambridge stone at the
bid of Mr.. Bennett, which would be
sol less, or 50, 109 Now shall the council
paw this 50, 100 more for the best stone in
the state, as the Santa Fe officials declare
it to be, and have material that for gen
eratiOns will remain clear and bright, or
shall they go back to a cheap material that
will soon diScolor, stain and wash, and be-
come ANYTHING but an ornament? You
say that the ''honest people of this com
munity look TO this paper for declaration
of their convictions and conclusions"
which is true. Now will you be kind
enough to give the peoples answer to the
above questions that the council may be
governed thereby When the plans of
Proudfoot & Bird were completed all
other architects and many builders said a
building after those plans could not be
built for the money we had to use, and had
the contract been first let for $4,000 no
one would have complained. Bids were
put in at So, 900, SIS, 900, So, 900 and $685.
00O How does the fund now stand?
Bonds. 500, 900
Premium. 2,340
Total. $40
Lot cost. 19, 500
Building, if Cambridge stone IS
used Observation-Disclosures. 1874
Architects plans and superinten-
dence. saw 5000
Steam heating. 4,700
Total .$100. 974
Leaving a balance of.........-......S 1856
Ihera has heeR nothing vet allowed for