New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-02-23

/ ment. Inc Lighthouse BOdru mas Gel tdii Hlho-
graphic work which it puts out at contract
and the following letters made public by It's
secretary, Commander Evans. show that during
last year the poard suffered from dishonest
bidding such as that which is now charged
against Mr.. Quincy and his associates
The Bell Lthograpnng Company instead or
the National is the name Of the firm whicn
made the unsatisfactory bids for the lighthouse
work, but there gems TO be lurking sus-
pciOn that the two concerns represent much the
same hackers and promoters.
COULD NOT FULFILL THB CONTRACT.
Commander Evanss first letter is addressed
to the Secretary of the Treasury, and reads as
| follows:
The Honorable the sscre;ary, Of the Treasury
s b Te on a63gT fSFi 1891 the mas M iAf HosapS HST
ing Company, Of washington. d. G.. contracted TO
might be- ordered by the Lighthouse Board during
the fiscal year to end June -. 1873, sucn Phpto-
% i5T the So us Sf % he he s,ho1se tAbisamsHi
during that period at certain rates Tor specimen
The specifications which formed part OF the cor
| tract provided that each order must be completed
| AMI d,vered within ten days after the receipt
OF the same and that in case Of failure to deliver Z
declare the contract forfeited and that thereafter
no proposal of the falling contractor would De con-
On Jane 81 1893 the board ordered Of these cor, con
tracts 80 copies each OF five drawings OF iight-
ship No s. four she-tc on paper 26 inches by %
inches and one sheet on paper 80 oy Az incheS .lc
gn;e5 M = Gens ler S,d i3T M ;Se ,or 9r3f ' ana '0' Tic
When the drawings were delivered d to the 0I,a, GUn
be- furnished within ten DAYS as they were frnih rISh
g, ibe Ir5ofs ar for ' eNamnat5n on specified day
The contractors failed 10 furnish the PROOF sheets
agen Of the board. VINO explained the great need
OF expedition in the matter The proofs e were
| promised again at certain time Ihls promise
AGAIN was unfulhlled. The process was repeated tea
fm Gay to G ne seyen SS2rq mts e! Each a' time the
promise made by the contractors was Droken Dr. KEN
c T in on her cry hands the bosTd demande and
crvel back drawinss It then aRPsarSed mat taa
The contract for photolithographing for ls?S,S4 $685.
pany. OF Washington. D. C.. the Board ORDERED Oh
Gompany G e had dp failed to make as required BY their
contract. which contract expired on June w. isS.
Peters Company will be sls2 The cost under the
Bell contract would have been 81 90 me ss loss 20
the Government in consequence OF the failure OF
the Bell Company to furnish the teSuFea REQ SoPes h
becn nv Greatly re inconvenencea and the public
vice delayed by the delinquency OF the contractors
panying bond made by the Bell Lithographins
In view Of the loss sustained by the Govern
ment and the delay occasioned TO the public ser
pany TO comply with the terms Of their contract
ferred to the solicitor Of the Treasury. with in
structlons bring suit against the Bell Litho-
graphing Company and their bondsmen to recover
qucnce Of their delinquency. Respectfully yours
X. u. EVANS,
Commander L. S. ". Naval Secretary.
This bears an Endorsement by C. S. Hamn.
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. but then
acting as Secretary. thus:
Referred to the Solicitor Of the Treasury. with
the suggestion. Il in his Judgment that course be
the proper one. that he bring suit against the Bell
Lithographing Company and their bondsmen
Suit was accordingly brought and Judgment
obtained. Among the papers forwarded by Cap
tain Evans is ccrti1ca'e Of deposit in the Ma
tional Bank Of the Republic of $l30 70 the credit
Of the Treasurer Of the United States. that being
the amount Of damages and costs recovered from
the Lith graphing Company
II will be- observed that all this occurred about
the time that the National Lithogaphing Com
pany was endeavOring 70 obtain the Patent once
| contract. and the significance of the synchrOnism
consists In the allegation that the machinery
apparatus etc. Of the Bell Lithographlng Com
pany. II not the personnel. were Identical with
/ those of the National. In other words some
body was then intriguing for contract Of $780,
600 with the Patent once and proposed executing
this contract with presses and SO on which Were
not capable Of executing the much smaller and
more simple order of the Lighthouse Board.
NOT AN HONEST BID
The next installment consists of letter
planning the rejection of a bid FOR some Light
house Board work as follows.
Office Of the Lighthouse Board.
The Honorable. The Secretary OF me Treasury
II the Ligntho ard for photo-thC graphic draw
me use Of the Ishthouse establishment dur
ing the fiscal year ending June 80, 1894.
awarded On the prices bid for $50 copies Of each Of the
Es sze F1S Frhs Is y"oS' By @ 30 by 30 IS
9y by % G 9 80 by 40 Ren 0n n tSe Sas Of 0 fSps
The I,west. the next IN Graer being that OF the the
t"a ba ''f't of the frmeT arishns o H copies of
each ( the four sizes being $50 49, while that Of the
IN examination OF the totals of the two bids
and consideration Of the quantities OF photo
shows: however, that the bid Of the Norris Peters
Company Is altogether the most advantageous for
During the last year the number Of photo-tho-
graphs furnished 10 the establishment were as fol-
lows: Twenty-four thousand two hundred OF IS by
~ Loo Of 20 by 80. 1900 of 26 by 3d. and l,2O OF
During the coming year 1t is not at all likely that
any any Of the two larger sizes VIII be needed Fer For
% that R "a Nors rs Pr than and % Sr % d hf nSe hsr
size his bid viii he in excess Of that of Norris
Figuring on the quantities of drawings furnished
lasJ year s.. me bd OF the Norris Peters Company
Graham the bid M Of the latter Is what is known
class OF work much more than It is worth and for
another class gh muGn less so as TO make the sum sum
under hose crcumsances is not an honest bid and
therefore the board recommends that the award
be made TO The Norris Peters Company. instead
OF to Andrew Graham. AS being the most economi-
cal and adyantageous for the Government. as ne ne
board sees no reason for allowing any one 10 take
advantage Of teehnicallty in the specifications IN
order 10 Optilln higher prices Tor work than tle
work Is worth Respectfully yours
+. a. MAHAN,
Captain Of Engineers. L. s a.. Engineer Secretary
Here seems To be clear proof that certain
parties were endeavoring to get the better of the
Government In ithographing worlS-the Bell
Company by obtaining contracts which II could
not satisfactorily execute, and some one naneu
Graham by means Of carefully arranged pld
which after close examination was pronounced
dishonest by the engineer secretary OF the
Lighthouse Board.
WHERE THE CONDOLENCES COME IN.
And all ,his occurred simultaneously with the
mysterious appearance OF the mysterious Ma
tional Lithographing Company and the securing
by that organization of very large contract
with the Patent Office.
Just how closely these various maniIesta-
tons are related to each other Is. OF course, a
matter OF conjecture for the present The only