The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-06
JUST AS PREDICTED
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS HAD A
BRIDGE CONTRACT FIXED UP.
Wrought Iron Company Given the
First-Street J~Ob-ROtten Plans
Could Not Be Used.

AS the Journal predicted several days
ago, the County Commissioners turned an
other good job over TO their pet bridge
company. after going through the farce of
receiving bids. A w~ell-known citizen was
quoted In the Journal some time ago, where
in he offered to wager anything from a
new hat to 500 that this company would
get a contract. There were two dozen bid
ders and it appeared that the bet was a
good one to take, considering the odds.
had there been honest competition, but the
bet was a cinch for the citizen. In fact,
it was the easiest thing in the world for the
commissioners to toss aside the other bids
and give the contract to the Wrought Iron
Company, of Canton, o. This company,
which is represented in this city by w. w.
Winslow, was given the contract for the
Ffrst-street bridge over White river. and
for the work the county will be compelled
to pay $4,000. The award was made on the
company's own plans.
Since last Monday the commissioners
have been hiding in a room in the top of
the courthouse, securely locked up with the
bids and the rotten specifications which
County Surveyor Julian drew up. After
the Journals expose on the morning when
the bids were to be opened the commission
ers saw that they would not dare to award
N"~ oAaoSA anu
1t was necessary. to consider another
scheme. 1t was decided best to accept
some other plans, and the contract awarded
yesterday for the Pleasant-run bridge was
upon specifications and plans submitted by
the company that secured the contract.
This was done in the face of the resolution
adopted by the board several weeks ago.
announcing that the contract would be
awarded upon the specifications drawn up
by Julian. However, the change was the
only thing left to the commissioner after
the expose.
1t is a fact that since Hunter has been
on the board of commissioners, the
Wrought Iron Bridge Company has been
receiving all the contracts, and Ii was not
probable that this company would get left
yesterday. The abutements of the White
river bridge are to be of oolitic stone and
the specifications say that the bridge is to
stand a strain of 400 pounds to the lineal
foot. AS the bridge will probably be twenty
feet wide, this will give a strain of 210
a man weighing 2O pounds will be able to
stand safely on a square foot and not
go down into the stream below. This was
a great coup in securing this concession
from the contractor. Proposals were SUBJ
mitted on two different stones, for the
abutments, the oolitic and the stratiied.
President Reinecke favored the latter. but
the other commissioners wanted oolitic.
The same kind of stone will be used on
the Pieasant-run abutments. The contract
for this bridge was awarded to the Toledo
Bridge Company, represented in this city
by Daniel Leslie. Its bid was 81, 425. In the
first specifications for this bridge were the
glaring evidences of a cooked up affair. The
commissioners did not dare to make an
award on these specifications, but instead
accepted plans submitted by the Toledo
company. fsf