The herald., 1894-08-24
WHO JUGGLED WITH THE BIDS?
A Coal Deal Which Presents
Some Peculiarities.
An Injunction Will Be Served on the
Board of Education.
Claimed That ths Crescent Goal Com
pany's Bid Was Struggled in
and That 1t Is Not
Lawful.

The Crescent Coal company is MOI
going to be allowed to walk off with the
plum captured at the last meeting oi
the board OF education, without strug
gle. The other coal dealers who bid on
the job claim that the Crescent Coal
company's bid was boodled through,
and they are going to try and sift the
matter and catch the culprit if there
was one.
An Injunction suit will be brought by
the attorneys of Geo. 7. Hickey, of the
Caledonia company, whose bid was the
next lowest.
The representatives OF the companies
competing against the Crescent COM
| pany are very bitter over the matter
and very outspoken in their belief that
| the action OF the board was purchased.
/ They point out some very suspicious
circumstances to substsntiate their
claim. They figure the thing out in
this way; The bids should. according to
law, have been opened in open meeting
of the board at the regular session on
Monday night. August 18th.
There were four bide in at the time.
but the Crescent company's bid was not
! among the number.
The four bids we're: Elsinore, So; CAL
edonian, s7.95; Cefrillos, $50; Well
ington, 50.
The four envelopes containing these
four bids were cut open at the end by
Secretary Plstt just before the adjourn
ment and not taken from the envelopes.
The board adjourned, to meet on the
following Monday. In the meantime.
contrary to law, the supply committee
went shead and made up it's report, but
left the matter of coal blank on the
original typewriter report.
Meetings of the committee were held
on Wednesday and on Saturday night,
but for some reason the coal bids were
not acted upon by the committee at
these meetings. Secretary Platt in
formed the managers of the other COM
panies that the Crescent company had
not sent in any bid up to that time.
Within an hour before the meeting
on Monday night the supply committee
met in the uperirtendent's Office and
the recommendation that the bid of the
Crescent company for ST. SO be accepted,
was inserted in the typewriter docu-
ment in ink.
The matter was left until the last
minute at the meeting of the board on
last Monday night, and then put through
with rush.
The other companies are certain that
the bids we're made known to the Cres-
cent company after the Saturday night
meeting of the supply committee. and
that the Crescent company held off on
purpose to learn the amount of the
other bids. and then, at the last
moment, pnt in its bid 10 cents less
than the lowest bid the board could
consider, Elsinore coal being not
deemed to be in the question OF all.
All the managers OF the other COM
psnies are free to state that they con-
slider 1t bare-faced job, and that they
propose to sift the matter to the bottom.
\ Mr.. Lowe, the representative OF Han
cock Banning, who handles Wellington
coal. states that he is positive there was
deal made and that had his bid
been nearest to that of the Crescent COM
pany, he should have had Capt. Ban
ning's lawyers at work on the matter
long before this. He says Capt. Ban.
ming has considered the advisability OF
doing so as it is just as matter Of
principle.
Mr.. Hickey. however. is in a position
to tackle the matter, and states that the
case il now in the hands Of his lawyers.