The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-02-06
A SUPPOSED JOB.
All Bids for the Dome
Rejected.
A SUSPECTED COMBINATION.
Valid Tarp Gets His SuretieS
Too Late.
BIG MEN COME TO HIS RESCUE.
Inside History of a $4,000 Check
Which Made the Commissioners
Take Firm Stand.
A SUSPECTED COMBINATION.

with contractors yesterday. All of them
were interested il the awarding of the
contracts for the construction of the dome
over the Totunda and the erection of two
new boilers in the basement of the hail to
supply power for lighting and heating and
running the elevators. The contractors
were very anX Ous, because they were IN
certain as to how the contracts would be
awarded for the proposed dome, as the bids
had been made on four different contracts,
for brick. iron and steel, terra Gotta and
iron door and window frames, and then
again for the construction Of the dome as
a. whole. There was very little difference
between the sum total of the four lowest
bids on the separate contracts and the total
bid for entire construction. This will be
seen by examining the following bids:
The lowest bidders on the four separate
contracts were: Wald Tarp (No. 3D. brick
work. S26, $50; Gladding, Mclean d Co.
(NO. 55), terra Gotta WORK, S97,950; j. Nc
. Mullen (No. so. iron and steel work. $751;
900; Vulcan Iron Works (NO. 90, caSt-irOn
work, So. S16 The total Of these lowest
bids is $500, 046. The lowest bidder for
doing the whole work was OConnell q
Lewis, S221. $780, or just S19O4 more than the
combined lowest bids.
d Accordingly it was not known whether
the Commissioners would award the con-
tracts to the lowest bidders on the four
separate contracts. or to the lowest bidder
on the contract for the entire cOnstruc-
.-tion.
This explained the anxiety Of many of
the contractors present, as many thousands
of dollars were involved.
Every body was treated to a surprise By
the Commissioners when the question of
awarding the contract came up.
No sooner was the matter mentioned by
Mayor Ebert than Commissioner Cres-
we'll said Il move that every and all
bids be rejected. that new specifications be
drawn. and that these be readVertised as
new proposals"
:. A look OF amazement passed over the
faces of those present.
Commissioned Broderick seconded the
motion, but before it was put Oscar Lewis
the lowest bidder on entire construction,
was on his feet and said; May l be per-
United few words?"
at is for the commission to say whether
they will hear you or not" said Mayor
Ebert.
'Nolhing that you can say can change
sIoner Creswell to the contractor. I'VE
have gone into this thing exhaustively and
our minds are made up. Would you like
to say anything after that?"
Contractor Lewis said he did not and
sat down.
The motion to reject all bids was then
un animOuslY7 carried.
90 The commission took up the subject Of
boilers, but consideration of the bids was
POSTPONED till next Saturday morning
Alter this the commission adjourned.
The Commissioners did not give any rea-
sons for rejecting all bids in open session,
but alter adjournment the members talked
without hesitation.
1--WE found on examination that the bids
were entirely too high and unsatisfactory"
Sain tNo DE- oaf,o
but were justified in INDUCING in some
very strong suspicious. On exporting the
bids we found that there was charged
about $4,000 more than the work was
worth. This was especially the case in
the terra Gotta and iron and steel contracts.
We have absolute power to reject any and
all bids, and did so in the interests Of the
city. The delay caused thereby will not
prevent the dome from being finished dur
ing the term of the present commission"
. Commissioner Broderick talked still
more freely, saying that the bonds of some
of the bidders had been examined and
some Of them found to be worthless, while
some Of the bidders were Irresponsible
He said the whole thing looked very
shady, and there was no other course for
the commission to pursue. Auditor Brod-
.erick said that the lowest bid for brick
work was $4,000 less than 0Connell &
Lewis had calculated on paying, and they
were the lowest bidders on entire con-
struction.
The lowest bidder on brickwork was
Wald Tarp. $26. $50. While he was calcu-
lating on his bid he stated that he was too
poor to pay for the plans and specifca-
lions. as all contractors have 10 do. He
went to the architects Office and made mis-
calculations from the originals, as he could
not buy copies, which only cost SIS.
=: After the bids were opened his bonds
men, &. w. Ridgeway and +. j. Dowd.
were Investigated and it was found that
neither was on the assessment roll. he
was regarded then as an irresponsible bid
der. When 1t was found that the lowest
. bidders on the four separate contracts
were $500 below the lowest bid on entire
construction an effort was made to bolster
up Tarp.
"*On last Friday letter, of which the fol-
lowing is a copy. was received by the Com
mssioners:
=: SAN FRANCISCO, February ., 1894.
=. To the Honorable the Board Of Ne1O city
Hall CODlD1tsstoneTs-GENTLE l have
" heard rumor to the effect that your honorable
board is not satisfied with the sureties who
: have signed the bond accompanying my pro-
posal for contract Sd for doing The brlckwork
on the dome tower.
4 wish to assure your honorable board that II
there be any just cause of dissatisfaction 1t
was unknown 10 me when my bid was put in.
. / have acted in good faith In the matter
throughout. But 10 relieve your honorable
board OF every possible doubt as TO whether my
proposal will be carried out in case IL be ac-
copied by you, herewith place in your hands
a certified check for the amount specified in
ssld bond as penalty; thai Is. three thousand
dollars $4,000, and hereby authorize you TO
declare the same forfeited and collect The
amount thereof In case / should fail 10 enter
into The contract ana furnish an adequate and
satisfactory bond for its faithful performance
should IL be awarded me. AS The bond accom-
panying the proposals is conditioned only that
the bidder vii! do those very things. 1t would
certainly be great Injustice and a violation OF
pom the spirit and the letter OF the law TO re-
iuse 70 award the contract 10 me on my bid Uhe
lowest oy $4,000 because of a doubt as TO The
sgIlclency OF the Sureties, especially as i now
oHeI 10 remove such doubt and bind myself
nanu ana 1901 In the most complete and certain
way possible AS you ar, of course. aware the
statute uuoer Which you are acting does not in
tetInS require any such bond at ALL IL pre-
scrlbes only the bond accompanying the con.
tract and conditioned upon its faithful per-
Torrance. This stand ready to give ia any
amount punt ana upon any terms you NAV require,
and with The most unexcr ptionaI securities in
lie community. Very respectfully,
VALID TARP
A. $4,000 check accompanied tie letter.
bat il was signed BY q. ID. CLARK, who on
Investigation was found to be the man
who supplied Mclean IL Co., the lowest
.DidQers on tarra Gotta with aarth and