The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-02-27
ANOTHER PRETTY JOB.
The City Loses Fourteen
Hundred Dollars on the
Coal Contract.
NOT GIVEN THE LOWEST BIDDER.
Edwards & Walker Guaranteed the
Performance Of the Contract,
But Ccyle was the Favor
ite OF the Street Board.

Ihere seems to be job in everything
the Street and Water Board does,n said
a gentleman, who is posted on the trans
actions of Mayor Cleveland's pet Board.
to me yesterday. II see you are getting
on to their schemes, one by one. but you
haven't yet told the story Of how
they swizzled the city in the big
coal contract. out of 81, 400 Edwards &
Walker, coal dealers, on Central avenue,
who were the lowest bidders and should
have had the contract, will probably give
you the story
Mr. Edwards was at his Congress street
Office last evening when / called upon
him.
legal advertisement of the Street and
Water Commissioners by putting in q bid
for 10000 tons OF coal, to be delivered at
Belevilie and High Service.
TWO BIDS.
"The advertisements called for bids to
supply different kinds of Lehigh coal, but
our bid was for Old Lehigh Company
Our bid was for "a. 35 per ton, and that of
James Coyle's, the only other bidder, WAS
"a. 40 per ton, a difference in our favor OF
fourteen cents per ton.
We'll, as we were the lowest bidder We
expected the contract would be awarded
" uosi IL NOhnCCtlO4 Nlbn JUL OlQ W0
filed first-class bonds in the sum Of $4,000
for the faithful performances of the con-
tract
Interested parties started the rumor
that we could not furnish coal of the
quality bid for. 70 refute this and satisfy
the Mayor and Commissioners we pro-
cured from the President of the Lehigh
Coal and Navigation Company let
ter certifying that the company
had made a contract with us to furnish
the required quantity of Old Lehigh
Co. coal, and tnat we were able 60 de-
liver it and fulfill the terms of our con-
tract
HOW DID CoYLE KNOW?
I'VE took that letter to the Board aud
also to Mayor Cleveland. Two OF three
commissioners and the Mayor read ID,
The members Of the Board said, we will
see about it.. Mayor Cleveland gave me-
bluff
Lehigh Company coals' he asked. You
would have TO see the coal mined, put on
the cars, and come with it to Jersey City,
and then you wouldn't be sure of it
1.-THE contract had not then been award
ed, but it was evident to me that Mayor
Cleveland did not intend that anybody
but Coyle should have the contract, and
am convinced that had we been fifty
cents ton lower than Coyie he would
have got the contract all the same.
Our bonds were as good as can be OBJ
tanned in Jersey City. We had made
ample arrangements for securing the coal
named and We're prepared to faithfully
carry out our contract. No objection was
made to our bonds. In a few days the
contract was given to Coyle ON the
ground of his being the lowest bidder,
quality coasia cred.
'.rhe city lost 81, 400 by that award.
is coYLE's UP TO CONTRACT?
II don't believe Coyle furnished any
Old Lehiah Company coal, /" Mr.. Edwards
went on. "a reliable man told me in
this Office recently that he had sold
Coyle fifteen car loads of free burning
ash coal, egg size, to be delivered AZ
Belleville. regard the whole thing as a
disreputable business and public swim
die.
We were too easy in the matter. Had
we to go through it again we would fol-
low it up, and not submit as quietly to
gross injustice as we did then"
Mr.. Alexander Walker came in while
we were talking and corroborated his
partner in every particular.