The evening world., 1894-04-12
How the BOOdlerS Get Bids for Piles
and Then Give Contracts to Their
Friends Alone.
SOME VICTIMS TELL THEIR STORIES.
Murray and Steers Form Combination
with Phelan and White and Knock Out
Bidders Whom They Dislike

the Commissioners is a sort OF umbra at the de-
partments headquarters belongs to the Tanmany
Hail General Committee. the big political
club as two OF the Commissioners belong to. and
passes generally the inside and a good man
20 know.
Another contractor and surety is President OF .
Tammany club. and is regarded absolutely solid
with the Central Power. He is getting so many
plums he hardly knows what to do with them.
These political pulls and combines have driven
odtime contractors out OF the city business at the
present time.
This system Of inIquty has been carried to such
an extent that honorable contractors say they dare
not enter into competiton.-The World. April 6,
1894
This Is the story of how William Tay-
lor, Of Middletown, Del, was frozen out
OF Dock Department bids on piles, and
how James ]. Phelan and Andrew j.
White. Dock Commissioners, and Harry
Steers and Alfred J. Murray. Tammany
politicians-the former political and So
ciai associate of Commissioners Cram
and Phelan and the latter hacker of
Barney Martin-actively co-operated in
the transaction.
William Taylor is rich and RESPONSE
BILE. His business standing is of the
highest. He owns some thirty saw
mills, is bank director in Middletown,
and does heavy contract work for the
Pennsylvania Railroad and other cor
porations.
In June last a Treasurers circular was
NV %,
bids for 75O piles, 80 to 55 feet long, of
three classes, ii, l6 and II inches in di-
ameter two feet from the butt. The
bids received were as follows:
W. II. Beard. sl5.25. sls.25 and ,ls so.
Morse & Co.. of Troy, sli. $3.50 and $3.50.
Alfred J. Murray. $li.75, SIS and Sl9 80.
Graves Steers SIS. sls,75 and sls.
c. NJ Kimpland, SIS, sls.75 and $40
Powis & Co.. s.. IS. sl2.75 and sl4.95.
w. v. r. Powis, of No. 90 Park Row.
told the following story yesterday OF
what happened. Il had never before
been a bidder, but l had made some
money, and determined to see whether l
could get a contract. l consulted with
an experienced dealer in piles, and the
bid was made. 1t was on a Tuesday
that the bids were opened by Treasurer
our bid the lowest: Who is Powis &
Co? l told him that ! was the man
and could give bonds, IL necessary, to
carry out the contract Mr.. Phelan
awarded the contract to Powis & Co.
THE next day l got letter from Mr..
Phelan asking me to call on him l did
so. Then he asked me why / had not
called around before and told him that
-, tod 4
see any necessity for that that l could
give my own bond for the work. but
that I would prefer to have William
Taylor go on the bond as l had done
the bidding for him, and Mr.. Taylor was
hcLvy dealer in piles. I told him
! had telegraphed to Mr.. Taylor and that
he would be In the city the following
Monday. Mr.. Phelan said 1t would be
all right. The next day the Dock Board
met, rescinded my contract and awarded
the job to Alfred Murray (the gen.
eral average OF whose bid is larger than
that of Graves & Steers).
ION Friday l called to see Mr.. Phelan,
and the only answer he made to my in
quiry was u charge of collusion between
clerk IN the department and E. L.
Richardson. then a clerk for Graves &
Steers. l had no chance to explain the
matter easy enough to do, and the bond
offered had been declared acceptable.
had figured that about 5000 could be
made on the contract: Murray's bid
cost the city at least $1,000 more than
mine would have cost.
Mr.. Phelan refused to listen to any
statement: he refused to hear Mr.. Tay.
lor when he appeared the following
Monday, and he simply swept us out oi
the office. I told Mr.. Phelan that l sup
posed the object of competitive bids was
to save money for the city. He simply
scowled and drove me away. Chiel
Engineer Greene had expressed tn,
greatest delight over my bid. and sale
that If l could supply piles for the city
at that price 1t would be a great saving
10 the city. Mr.. Greene knew all abou
the piling combine in the city. and h'
was tickled to think that was going tt
smash 1t through Mr.. Taylor"
Il. l." Richardson. the clerk with
Hraves q Steers, was discharged by tina
hrn on the allegation that he was IL
'ohusion with Francis L. Moon. chic
cIerk OF the Dock Department. and Win
"c" S Lasher, an assistant engineer
oo'h OF whom were discharged at tn,
same time upon like charge.
Nr Richardson has an Office in III
t'oHuce Exchange Building, and is tn
Nc" York representative Of william
i"|'or in all his interests including
i'"Ag ana lumber. Mr.. Richardson is
n'"N of Vigor and keen Intelligence. an
u'' very soul OF frankness. He to
yesterday the following remarkabl
story which throws a search light upo
."e very vitals OF deals, combines an
Heeze-outs in the Dock Department;
am the oldest pile dealer In thi
r''F' snow a Richa rdson, of which firr
was the Junior member. were In tn
i,"hS business before Al Murray, then
work In the Dock Department. eve