St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-09-26
tDunns-l Ohio Bed Ohio
vile. Blue ford Buff.
- - - - -
Donovan & Son Sl23 80; l35. I3:l l35 13s
Pike IL Cook I2I 81: | t33 -. "a - I3s IN
THE BIDS EXPLAINED.

1t can plainly be seen that if the bid
OF Donovan d Son for Ohio sandstone
mad been put in the column designated
buff as we'll as blue, they would have
been the lowest bidders. The adver-
tiSement calling for bids stated, bids
Will be taken for Ohio sandstone. Joliet
stone and Minnesota granite" but in
the specifications the following clause
was Inserted: 1.-The stone to
be of some light color: bid s
will be received by samples of
any good domestic or foreign stone that
can be furnished in size and quality"
This left the question open to bid on any
Kind OF stone of light Color, and Dono-
van d Son made bid on huntsville,
Wis, stone, and on Ohio sandstone.
covering both the Ohio blue and Ohio
buff. or any other color of Ohio sand
stone, and the Indiana Bedford as we'll.
In the bid of Donovan d Son occurs the
following: i
If huntsville, Wis, stone is used .S123. $50
II Ohio or Bedford, Ind .... 135, I33
DONOVAN BID EITHER BLUE OR BUFF.
This bid is certainly plain enough,
and left 1t optional with the board of
regents to select any color they desired.
and the bid of Donovan q Son should
have been tabulated under the heading
OF Ohio buff, as well as under that of
Ohio blue or Indiana Bedford. as thew
certainly contemplated and would
furnish either OF these when thew
stated in their bid Ohio stone; and.
further than that. the board could have
compelled them to furnish either
one If their bid had been accepted, as
1t should have been. By reference to
the table above it will be seen that Pike
u Cook bid S13S.7O1 on Ohio buff, and
that Donovan 81 Son bid S135, 1S3, lad
the state architect entered their bid in
that column. as he should have done
under the proposals they put in. But 1t
seems that If they desired that kind of
stone, and If it was their intcn-
ton to give the contract to
Pike q Cook regardless of any
other bidders, the only way to reach
this emu was to leave the bid of the firm
of Donovan IL Son out of that column,
whereas If they had put it IN the state
would have geen the gamer by 50, 600
and the taxpayer relieved of that much
of burden. To say the least, the whole
transaction looks very queer, and like a
determination TO give the contract to a
Minneapolis firm at all hazards.
The Messrs. Donovan have prepared a
protest which is printed herewith, ask
ing for a reconsideration, and do this
after having had a talk with ex-Gov.
Plllsbury, president of the board, and
Prof. Kiehle, Supt. PendergaSt and
Cyrus NorthrOp, all OF whom stated to
ME. Donovan that they thought he
was the lowest bidder and should
have had the contract. and that the en-
tire blame rests with the architect who
tabulated the bids. The fact that these
gentlemen admitted to Mr.. Donovan
that they thought he was entitled to the
contract is prima facie evidence enough
to show that all the members OF the
board took it for granted that when this
firm bid on Ohio stone they were will
lug to furnish either blue or buff, or
any other color, as they made no dis
tlnctlon in their bid. The following is
the protest to be presented:
THE PROPOSED PROTEST.
ST. PAUL, Mimi, Sept. %, 1S93.-Hon.
David l.. Kiehle, A. NJ. Secretary of
the Board of Regents, University of
Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.-Dear
Sir: We again beg to call your atten-
ton, ana that of the honorable the
board of regents, to the fact that our bid
of one hundred and thirty-five thou
sand one hundred aud thirty-three
dollars (Sl35, 1889 on the new Library
building" for the state university is the
iOWcSI VII Tic StOIlc S0lGCIeQ, anu LlerE-
fore we respectfully demand that the
contract be awarded to us as the lowest
responsible bidders. Your advertise
ment inviting bids calls for figures on
Ohio sandstone. We submitted YOU
figures Oh Ohio sandstone, and your
honorable board, i'll their wisdom.
selected Ohio buff Sd ndstone as the
most suitable for the building. We, in
our bid, make no difference in price be-
tween the Ohio blue or the Ohio bluff
sandstones; we simply bid on Ohio
stone. leaving it to the honorable the
board of regents to select whichever
they considered the most suitable, be-
cause we are satisfied from our thor
ough knowledge OF the Ohio sandstone
quarrieS we cau obtain the buff stone.
in the rough. as cheap, If not cheaper,
than the blue. In view of these facts.
and also the fact that by awarding the
contract to US your honorable board
will save the state the handsome sum
OF S3,568, we think we are in ali justice
entitled to the contract. Very re-
Spectfully ST omitted,
T. H. DOyOyAE g. SoN