The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-21
LATELY CITY TIME.
FIGHT OVER TIE AWARD OF THE
WATER WORKS CONTACT

The Folly Company's Eid File
Thirty-Five Minutes After the Ad
vertised Tme-Its Acceptance by tn
Water Committee to be Met by
Protest Against Its Confirmation b
the Council-A understanding a
TO Tine the Cause of tae Trouble.
The action Of the water committee il
awarding the contract for the pumps an
boilers for the new water work to th
Holly company may not BE- confirmed b
the council. If confirmation is refused.
will be on the ground that the committee
action was improper in accepting bid file
after the hour advertised.
The advertisement inviting proposal
provided that all bids should be filed with
the clerk Of council by IL o'clock on July -
Three Of the bids were il on time, but tina
OF the Holly company was presented By
j. H. Lineen, the cOmpanY's representative
thirty-lve minutes bshind time. Clerk
Rebarer at first refused the bid. but after
ward accepted It, indOrse1 "tbirty-hve
minutes late" Mr.. Lineel stated to the
committee that he understood oil bids we're
called in by standard time, and as he was
same time. and he bad not made Inquiries,
he took it for granted that be complied with
the advertisement and specifications.
AN OPINION BY THE CITY ATTORNEY.
The water committee asked for an opinion
from the city attorney whether it would be
legal to accept the bid under the circum-
stances. The attorney stated that the oom-
mittee had right 20 accept or reject it.
After a consideration OF the subject the
COMMITTEES decided 70 accept the Holly
company's bid. There was no protest
against this course from the representatives
OF the other competing companies at that
time. But the protest came after the award
OF the contract. 1t originated with outside
parties.
The tact of the Holly bid being late was
talked on the streets, and the action of the
committee was rather harshly criticized for
not adhering to the advertisement.
Had any other bid than that of the Holly
company been accepted 1t is claimed the
boiler work would have been done in Sa-
vannah. John Rourke & Son made bid
for the boilers at s13 SIS. The Holly COM
pany's price is $4,000. The Worthington.
Blake and Gordon companies included
Rourke q Sons bid with them, agreeing
OF course 70 give bond for the lump con-
tract and then sublet the boiler portion 10
ANDut NO n SOu AOi SlOtOiJ. Aucsc
mics also offered bids Of their own on the
boilers.
THE COMMITTEES POSITION.
The water committee claims that the sd-
vantage derived by the city in giving the
lump contract to the Holly company is two
fold. First, had the boiler contract been
given out here the presumption is that cash
payment would be required, while the Holly
allows the city five years time and thereby
makes the payments easy. In the second
place there will be no question arising about
connections between the pumps or boilers,
the pumps waiting for boilers, or vice versa.
Both contracts will be executed at the same
place, and one bond covers both.
Mr.. LINEN was seen by a MORNING
NEWS reporter and was asked why 10 was
he was IS minutes late in getting in his bid.
~ was not late at all.n ne replied.
Nearly all the cities in the country run
standard time, and IL was natural for me to
assume that 10 was standard time here. as
the Advertisement and specifications stated
nothing 60 the contrary.
las regards the abatement that any Of the
other companies would have left the boiler
work in Savannah added Mr.. Lineen, Il
am now willing 10 give the contract to any
Savannah concern at the Holly com oanyis
figures, $4,000, and guarantee to do the
who accepts the contract however, will
have TO take payment from the Holly in
the same manner as it agreed to take it
from the citY-one-ffth cash, the balance in
four equal yearly payments at per cent.
MR.. LINEN EXPLAINS.
II came to Savannah with the intention. |
II | secured the Contracts, TO suh.let the |
boiler work here | called on one manu- |
,acturer, aud he asked 900 for the work. |
Ihis is entirely too much, and there was |
nothing left for me to do but put in a bid of |
our ow1. / likewise considered Rourke a. |
Sons bid several thousand dollars too |
much.
With regard to the question raised |
5oout hne," concluded Mr.. Linen, II |
i'n'5see any reason for kick, because the |
DDS were not opened until o'clock The
water committee passed upon the legality
II the acceptance Of the Holly bid, and
here was not the slightest objection raised
rom the representatives Of the other com |
lanies
Mr.. Rourke was asked what difference
here would bs in the boilers Of the Holly |
company and those he agreed to furnish for
Sl3,575. -''
THE boilers" said be, "that agreed to
build are much higher class Of work. con.
'trncted OF much better material than the
holly, and would last much longer time.
They would be built on the marine plan.n
One OF the companies which bid for the
machinery will file a protest with MAYOR
McDonough to-day. 1t is understood that
-our aldermen have announced their inten-
hon to oppose the confirmation of the cor
tract, reject all the bids, and have
new proposals asked for. Alder
man O'Brien told q MORNING NFws
reporter he will oppose confirmation
not because he believes the Holly company
wouldn't give the city good work. but Ia
cause he considers the act of the counties
IN allowing the bid to go In after the hour
specified IN the advertisement altogether
wrong. he has no doubt that the water
had the best interests of the citv
at heart in the matter, but he thinks It
would be setting a bad precedent, which
might, later on, work to the city's detris
ment.