The record-union., 1891-04-21
AFRAID OF THE PERFORMERS"
Contractor Barry's Fears Of an Injunc-
ton Suit.
Bids Opened for the New Bridge Near
Galt-HoIden, of Wheat
land, Gets It.

The Board of Supervisors held a special
session yesterday for the purpose OF
opening the bids offered by various con-
tractors for building new bridge across
tho laguna, on the upper Stockton road,
near Gait.
All Of the members were present and
Chairman Greer presided.
Before the board proceeded with the
bids, contractor e. Barry, of Elk Grove.
objected to the opening Of the bids al
that time, on the ground that the board
had not advertised legally in the matter,
The statutes, he said, provided that all
calls for bids i'll such cases should be adj
vertised for sixty days, but in this case
the board had only advertised in the
D-UNToN for ten days.
The members OF the board disputed
with Mr.. Barry, and quite lengthy dis
cusslon ensued, during which the other
contractors present stated that they We're
willing to take all chances in the matter.
AFRAID OF THE ''REFoRMERs."
Mr.. Barry said he was not an obstruc-
ZIONIST, but he wanted to feel safe in rhe
| matter. lie did not want TO take chances
on having some "reformers'' bring an
lnJuncton SUIT to prevent payment on the
done IN the cases of the poIicemen's sal
aries.
But the board finally decided to go
ahead in the matter and ordered the bids
| opened.
The first bid was that of D. J. Holden.
OF Wheatland. He offered to build a
plain, ordinary trestIe or pile bridgino.
l6l feet long and Is feet wide, with bents
Is feet apart, for 5G4O. The contractors
plans and specifications were rather
crude, and the other contractors made
considerable fun of him. Holden. how
ever, assured the board he could do a
job, and would put up bond to guaran-
tee good work
Healey, Tibbetts 81 Co., of San Fran
cisco, submitted elaborate plans for
iron combination bridges at various
| prices-S2, ,4Sl, s., ,090 and s., OPS. They Of
tered also, to build an ordinary trestle.
with bents Is feet apart, for $3.50, and
would deduct S15 if the bents were placed
20 feet apart.
WHAT WAS WANTED.
George B. Dean of this city submitted
one drawing of a trestle, which he offered
| to build for SS49. The bents would be
twenty feet apart, and the bridge he sug-
gested was just what the Supervisors
wanted-all except the price
! Barry, the Elk Grove bridge-builder,
| submitted eleven different propositions,
| lie offered to build iron bridges on con
| crete piers for s., ,246 and 81 945: combina-
tion iron bridges for S1,G74, 81, 1874, 81 .3Se
and 81 ,l9S and trestles for S945, 1886, $7S4,
! $40 and S69S.
After the bids were all opened, the sew
eral contractors addressed the board. and
each, while lauding his own plans and
| specifications, and declaring that his was
IN fact the only proposition to consider,
took occasion to ridicule the plans and
ideas OF engineering of the others. The
wrangle was quite amusing. and Afforded
much sport tor the Supervisors.
On Supervisor Bates motion, the bids
were referred to the Committee on Roads
and Bridges, and the committee retired
TO an adjoining room TO deliberate.
Deans plans We're the best, but Barry and
| Holden bid the lowest, and the latter's
was the lowest of these two. After con-
siderable discussion, however, it was de-
clded to give Holden the job. The com
mittee so reported to the board and that
! body indOrsed the committees action.