The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-25
HEYMAN & MAYER AND SECRE-
TARY KEEGAN OF THE HAIR
Dor BOARD AT OUTS.
COLE UPHELD THE SECRETARY,
CONSTRUCTION WORK ON THE
FERRY APPROACHES LET
BY CONTRACT.

The Harbor Commissioners held a very
interesting meeting yesterday. The bids
for the erection of the sheds that are to
cover the approaches to the ferry slips
were opened, read and found to be very
close.
The first was that of Thomas H. Soule.
He offered to do the work for $3.50. The
last bid was that of James A. Mcmahon,
and his was $685..
Heyman & Mayer got into trouble with
Secretary Keegan over an application for
rebate on tanbark unloaded on Center
street wharf. A. Mayer of the firm
pleaded that the charges all went on the
poor farmer and that it was not cent in
the pocket of the firm. President Colnon
remarked that the commission was not
charging call the traffic would BEAR" but
he changed his mind on this particular
case later on. There is nice little question
of facts between Secretary Keegan and
Heyman q Mayer, and as Commissioner
Cole is confident that the secretary is cor
rect matters don't look very bright for the
firm as far as the rebate is concerned.
After the regular routine work of the
board had been gone through, A. Mayer
appeared on behalf of his firm and made
an impassioned appeal for reduction of
idICS CHdIS CQ Ullc SCHOOutIS. All
these cargoes are shipped by poor men,"
said he, land if the wharfage is heavy it
means dead loss to them. Center-street
wharf is not generally used, and we have
always understood that we can use it when
not otherwise engaged. Now here are bills
in which we have been charged full rates,
and don't think it is fair. Mind you,
am not protesting on our own account, but
on account of our clients. 1t does not
make the difference of a cent to us one
way or the other, as we get our commits
sion, and the owner of the bark has to pay
the wharfage. Now there is some of this
tanbark on which you have charged as
much as 81 a ton. .Of course by actual COM
putation the charge is correct, but then So
is more than the stuff is worth"
LET me have look at the bills" said
President Colnon. AS he was glancing
over them Secretary Keegan threw his
bombshell. 'These people have no right
to any consideration from the board" said
he. "Once before they came to US on
similar errand. At that time they had two
bills, just as they have now. One was for
large amount and the other for small
amount. The larger amount was debited
to Hume d Co. and the smaller to Hey
man & Mayer. The same plea was made
to the board and on the motion of Com
missioner Cole the smaller bill was can
celed. The understanding, l think, Mr..
WV NoC thot tllC iCuUStlOu W US pro
rata ?"
THAT is correct" said Mr.. Cole.
"Weil," resumed Keegan, "a few days
after the board had decided to cancel the
smaller bill a representative of Hume &
Co. came in TO see me. He asked how the
matter stood and told him. He used
few choice expressions and then explained
that Heyman & Mayer had charged their
own bill up to profit and collected the full
amount from his firm"
.'That's enough" said President Colnon,
as he passed the bills back to Mayer. The
latter was at white heat, however, and
made vigorous protest. He said Secre-
tary keegan was mistaken, but the latter
only smiled and applied to Commissioner
Cole. Mayer then went out and before
the board ad iourned brought in a repre-
sentative of George w. Hume & Co. 1t did
not take long to find out that he was not
the man who had made the "kick" to the
board, and Mayer went out to hunt up
representative of r. d. Hume 81 Co. Up
to P NJ. he had failed to md him, so the
matter will come up next Tuesday.
The bids for the approaches to the ferry
slips were as follows:
James A. Mcmahon $685., Andrew wilkie
$6247, James Geary $3.50 Bay Building, and
$3.50, J. B. Johnson & Co $4,000, ]. W Nc
Cabe $3.50, F. A. Williams $685., E. NJ.
BROOKS $1,000, Thomson Bridge Company
$5941, Thomas H. Soule $5540.
At the last meeting of the board Captain
Murphy of the Shenandoah objected to
paying wharfage at Beale street on the
ground that his time was up at 10 A. NJ and
he moved an hour later. The records of
the wharhnger showed that the Shenan-
doah was moved at II: 05 P. NJ, and that,
therefore, another days wharfage was due
The Commissioners decided that the bill
must be paid in full.
George w. Kneass and Andrew Wilson
are using State property on Illinois and
Solano streets without paying rent. They
are boatbuilders, and John Twigg, who is
in the same line of business, says he is
handicapped to that extent. Chief Engin-
eer Holmes made an investigation and
survey. He reported yesterday that the
bulk of kneass and Wilson's plant was on
the State property and the remainder on
City property. President Colnon pricked
up his ears at this and at once ordered the
secretary to write a note to Kneass and
Wilson informing them that they will
have to pay rent and to at once appear
before the board and make arrangements
for the same.