Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-04-10
STATE PRISON DIRECTORS.
They Award the Stone Contract to DanI
Shoor;n

They Award the Stone Contract to Daniel
I Sheerin.
! The State Board of Prison Directors met
in this city last evening in the parlors OF
the Golden Eagle Hotel. There were pres.
ent Directors Devlin, Sonntag, De Pue,
Craig and Rsddy. Secretary of State Hen
bricks, Warden Aull and Contractor Dan
iel Sheerin were also present.
The first business taken up was the prop
osition of Mr.. Sheerin to work basalt
quarry at San Quentin, paying the State 10
cents ton for the rock taken out and
| agreeing to relinquish the same at any
time the Prison Directors see fit.
Chairman Devlin said he was not present
at the last meeting of the Directors, but had
been given to understand that the Board
had advertised for bids for letting the
quarry and had received but one bid-that
of Mr.. Sheerin.
Director Reddy stated that such was the
case. Due notice, he added. had been given
to all stone men that the terms of the con-
tract were in the hands of the clerk
of the Board. Several stone men had
complained that they were not aware of
this, and one even insinuated that the
Board was not dealing fairly and openly
with them-that it favored Sheerin. ''Al-
though some of the members of this Board
differ as to the policy of letting this con-
tract" concluded Mr.. Reddy, I'VE all are
satisfied that all prospective bidders were
treated alike"
vote on awarding the contract to Mr..
Sheerin was then called for.
Directors Devlin, Craig and Reddy voted
in the affirmative, while Directors Sonntag
and De Pue voted ir the negative.
Mr.. Sonntag explained his vote at length.
He considered Sheerin's bid of ten cents
per ton too low altogether, and said it was
giving the quarry away for song. Other
stonemen paid 81 per ton for their rock.
He said he had investigated the matter to
some extent and had found that the stone
at this particular quarry was of very fine
quality. He considered the quarry very
valuable to the State. 1t would be needed
in the new buildings which it will be neces-
sary to construct in and about the prison
grounds and should not be sold
In couple of years the quarries would
be worked out and the State would be COM
PEELED to purchase stone at high figures
from other sources. Mr.. Sonntag con-
cluded by saying that he did not like the
talk and newspaper comment regarding
the stone ring, and all that. 1t was not
known what price Sheerin would sell the
stone for, or whether he was going in to
fight the ring, or anything about it. But
at the same time the State would be better
served, he thought, if the quarry was kept
for its own use.
Mr.. De Pue made similar explanation
of his vote.
Mr.. Reddy made speech, too. He did
not think there was any danger of the
quarry being worked out, and considered
that the State was getting about all the
rock was worth. If other persons paid 81
per ton for rock, why didn't they put in
bid of 13 cents for this San Quentin rock,
and thus get it away from Sheerin?
The motion was declared carried, and
the contract was drawn up and signed by
Mr.. Sheerin and the Board.
The Board then transacted some routine
business for half an hour-auditing bills
and the like.
Before adjourning the salary of Deputy
Warden Robinson of the Folsom Prison
was increased to $3.50 per month, upon the
recommendation of Warden Aull. Mr..
Aull also made statement to the Board in
regard to the work done for the State by
the Folsom Water Power Company. He
said that the company had been doing all
the hauling for the prison free of charge,
and had also been furnishing granite from
its quarry when needed Now that the
new power house was about to be con-
structed, increased facilities would be
needed, but the company was not willing
to do any more work free of charge; it
wanted a reasonable compensation.
committee consisting of Messrs. Devlin
and DePue was selected to look into the
matter