The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-05-11
MAYOR WANSER'S WHY.
Thinks There's a Mares
Nest in School
No. IS.
RUBBLE AND BRICK WORK
Charges That There is a Seri-
Gus Difference in the
Specifications Pre-
seFibed.
And That the Difference is One
Calculated to Put Money in
Contractor Condon's
Pocket.
RUBBLE AND BRICK WORK

Mayor Wanser's reasons for vetoing the
resolution awarding the contract for
building the Greenville Police Station to
j. p. Condor may be gathered from the
following communication this morning
transmitted to the Street and Water Com
missoners by the Mayors
"Citizens have complained by letter and
in pc rson about the mason's contract and
the work hereunder in connection with
the public school building known as No.
25. now in course of erection at the north
east corner of Zabriskie street and Colum-
bia aven ue.
''The total bids for the work amount to
s57,499, the masan bid being $50. 800.
have examined the origi nal contract and
specification No. 63S as found on file in
the Comptroller's office relating to the
mason work as made between the Mayor
and Aldermen of Jersey City of one
part, and Patrick ]. Condor, contractor,
af the other part, the same bearing date
January %, 1882. have also had the i'm
provement examined and find that 1t has
progressed so that the cellar or basemen
walls are about in a condition to receive
the first tier of beams. The contract
SPECIFICATIONS anu Iuo WOrh uOu6 Cdll lOT
the following comment.
"Q.) The specification In reference to
excavating reads as follows:-'The mason
has to do all the earth excavating as re-
CURED by plans for basement, all trenches,
boiler pit, areas, piers and any other ex-
cavating necessary; all earth must be re-
moved from the premises
''The records In the Comptroller's and
City Clerks office show the following
warrants in favor of Patrick J. Condor
for excavating for School No. 25;--Janu-
ary 13. S495; January q. S495; January 80,
and s495 and S275. In City Clerk Scott's
office April 2S, 1884. 4.50. making total for
excavating for this school of 1884 so,
Notwithstanding the earth excavation is
provided for in the specification as above
set out.
IF the eight payments for this excava.
tion, six of them approach limit of $500,
and it may be that this can be explained
by citing section 159, page IS, charter of
Jersey City and supplements "A. ID. 1873,
which reads as follows:--'And be 1t
enacted. that no contract for work
into or purchased of personal property
being made by or on account of any
Board or department of the city govern
ment except after due advertisement for
six DAYS at least in the official news
vsSad the the CONTRACT n5raass sha
shall be made of that responsible
bidder who offers the terms most advan-
tageous to the city, provided that nothing
In this section contained shall apply to
cases where the amount to be paid by the
city or 90 be raised by assessment for Or
OH account of such contract or purchase
shall not exceed $780,
"The specification for brick reads as
follows:-'Have all cellar walls up to sur
face, and all rear walls from surface up
to roof, built of best quality North River
hard burned bricks laid up in strong
walls, thus "have all interior walls built
of good hard bricks laid up in lime NOR
tar, with flush joints.
"As before indicated the cellar or base
ment walls are about ready to receive
first tier of beams, at which time the
mason contractor would have the right to
ask for his first payment un.
der the contract, to wit, $1,000;
but the basement walls have not been
built according to specification, the rear
walls are of trap rock rubble instead Of
brick. The inside walls are of trap rock
on Zabriskie street and Columbia avenue
are Of trap rock rubble at bottom and
back, the front being faced with brick.
THE REASON WHY.
"When 1t Is considered that the location
of this schooIhouse is remote from
raos. DslSk snns S"aa' making near Brick was sssR
expensive and stone walls of
trap rock cheaper to offer specifica- |
tions to various masons to estimate on in |
which brick was called for but in which |
stone has been used is fraud on every |
mason's rights who bid on this work. I |
am told that under the conditions OF the |
stone the profit to Mr.. Condor by this |
change has been in the neighborhood of |
$4,000.
I'm addition to the complaints about the |
actual work under the contract, COM |
plants reached me that two sets of speci- !
cations were used at the time the con- |
tractors were figuring on the |
work, and that the two sets did |
not agree, in other words that the specih- |
cation attached to Mr. Condon's contract |
on file in the Comptroller's office, does |
not agree with the specifications on which |
the other contractors figured, where bids |
were not successful.
Il have examined this matter carefully |
because of its seriousness, and / find that |
there is in existence typewritten. copy |
Ul %orR other than the tvnewrtten
copy of the specification annexed |
to Mr.. Condon's contract as on |
file apart from one to two minor varia- |
tions relating to gray bricks and the |
drain pipes, find the following to be the |
essential points of difference.
'.In the successful bidders specification |
are the following requiremeuts:-sTu |
arches between all floor beams of each |
toilet room; put 10 tie-rods to all beams |
Of toilet rooms; have all toilet rooms tiled |
with 6x6 cast glass tiles to be set In Port
land cement
NEEDS EXPLANATION.
''These requirements are omitted in Mr..
Condon's specifications. as the three |
items bear relation to each other. Their
insertion in one set of specifications and
their omission in Mr.. Condon's copy |
needs explanation, as the brick arches are
necessary for the filing, tie rods also, and
these two items with the tilinR |
called for in the specification
and omitted in the other |
rSlkes a difference of large sum of
money. and why the omitted items are
not found in Mr.. Condon's specifications
needs the same explanation as the
omission from Mr.. Condon's specifications
of the following which is found In the
specification of the unsuccessful bidders:-
Ceilings-Have the first, second
and third story ceilings cealed
with metal ceiling plates to
be 26x26 square. of neat design and all
to be properly nailed, Plates TO receive |