The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-27
THE QUARANTINE CONTRACT.
The Cost of the New Plant Still I'm
settled


The quarantine plant contract and the
action of the health and cemetery com
mittee in making additional demands
upon John Rourke q Son caused
considerable talk in view of the
statement that the change meant large
| increase in the price of the work beyond
| the first estimates.
| Mr.. Rourke was seen about the
matter yesterday. He said that he
is not in possession of a $4,000 job
L appeared before the committee, :"
said Mr. Rourke "and discussed
the changes with it. While I did not
| think these changes ought 10 have been
made after the contract had been awarded
to me, yet rather than let the job leave
! home | agreed to do the work according
to the later demands for the same con
tract price of Sl2975, and further guaran-
tced to protect the city against any pat
ent rights, royalties or copyrights
that might hold good on
the proposed plant. l propose
that Savannah is to have the finest quar-
antine station regarding equipment that
mechanical genius can devise, and have
agreed with the health and cemetery
committee TO furnish the same at the
original price of $l2,975. The committee
is composed of men of sound Judgment
who are not apt to do things loosely, and
1t would be a reflection upon them for any
one to say they agreed to increase the
price Of contract to such an enormous
figure. The difference in the cost of the
furnaces IS very slights and the city will
lose nothing"
While it is fact that the contract
price remains at the same figures that
were originally agreed upon, it binds the
city to pay to ROurke 81 Son 1.-The differ
ence in the cost between the Charleston
furnace and the New Orleans furnace"
Nothing is said about any understanding
as to what that difference may be- If it
is small the city will be the gamer, if
large the loser.
Those in position to be familiar with the
matter insist that while technically the
contract has not been changed, the city
will find out before the job is finished that
the figures stated in the MORNING News
yesterday viii HIT pretty near the cost of
the plant.
The information was obtained from a
source which has been generally correct
heretofore in such matters. A member
of the board who is not on the
committee which had to deal with
the quarantine, but who has always
taken an active interest in the
matter, figures out that the work will
cost the city $4,000 or very nearly that
amount before IL IS completed. 1t Will be
remembered that the building of the
present station cost $4,000 when a city
official says, it could now be duplicated
for $4,000
There is plenty of dissatisfaction among
commercial men about the decision to
make the plant a stationary one. In the
present condition of affairs at quaran-
tine, - said one gentleman, yesterday, mot
more than seven vessels can find berths at
the wharves for fumigatiOn. Savannah
is the greatest sailing vessel port in the
southern country, and seven vessels are
small number to get here together at the
busy season, to say nothing about
steamship travel. If the fumigating
plant were on a barge or cut-down vessel,
there would be no necessity for the delay
which must come with vessels waiting
on one another. Vessels could be met in
Tybee roads and fumigated and allowed
to come up to the city, without having to
stop at the station
Mayor McDOnough, when spoken to
about the matter in connection with the
communication of the cotton exchange,
said the contract had been settled upon
and given to Rourke g. Son. This state
ment from the mayor was taken to mean
that the contract had been signed and an
other city official said the agreement had
been signed.