The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-03-26
HOME COMPANIES WIN
FRUIN-BANBRICK RULED OUT ON As
PHALT CONTRACTS.
Ii Was ON n neutrality-suspicious.
lions Altered 20 Admit New Conn
psny in the Future.

The Board OF Works yesterday refused to
consider the bids of the Fruin-Bam-
brick Company on asphalt streets. The
contracts awarded we're as follows:
East street. from Warrington to Ohio
street. 10 Indiana Bermudez Asphalt
Company. at sos; Fruin-Bambrick Com
pany bid $50. and to the same COM
pany. Palmer street, from Meridian street
10 Madison avenue. al $i07: Fruin- Bambrick
c~omDany's bid, s3-74: New York street. from
East 20 West street. TO Western Paving
and Supply Company at $50: Fruin-Bam-
brick C~ompany's bid. &.S. East street.
from Ohio 10 81. Clair street. Warren
Scharf Asphalt Company. $40: Fruin-Bam-
brick Company's bid. S-s. The fact
that the board considers the Fruin-
Bambrick Company capable OF build
ing a good pavement is shown by its action
in modifying the specifications for the
future so as to remove the alleged tech
meal difficulties which prevented the letting
Of the contract to the St. Louis company.
The board yesterday ordered the parts or
the following sections OF the specifications
amended so as to leave out the parts in
clddedsin parenthesis:
nrovement shah be the best quality OF
Trinidad asphalt. Commonly known as
Pitcn lake sxpaalt, mined directly from
Pitch lake IN the island OF Trinidad) or
Bermudez asphalt. or asphalt OF a quality
equal in all respect or superior thereto.
II snail be specially, refined and brought TO
and gravity 10 be approved by the city en-
ginecr and the Board of Pubic WORKS.
in this cssy) must present satisfactory evil
dence to the Board of Public Works and
the city engineer thai they have been reg
asphalt pavement, and that they are fp.iy
prepared with the necessary capital. mater
al and machinery TO conduct the work 10
struct the necessary plant and be ready 10
operate and tay pavement within sixty
days after the letting of the contract: that
they have constfucted an asphalt pavement,
with the kind of asphalt stated in the bid
Tin other cities). which. after having been
and to variations of temperature from
twenty degrees below zero Fahrenheit to
one hundred and ten degrees Fahrenheit.
shall be equal to the best asphalt pavement
Gin this city,
The effect OF these changes Is to permik
the Fruin-Bambrick Company to bid in the
future on equal footing with the other
bidders. The board modified the resolution
for the Vermont-street pavement 10 make
1t conform to the new specifications and also
rescinded the resolutions for Liberty street
and Senate avenue so they could be
adopted with the mobilization. This action
of the board indicates that IT has no rea-
son to think the Frpin-Bambrick Company
cannot do good work. but emphatically in
dorses the new company. The only reason
advanced for declining to consider the bids
or the new company this time is that IL
has no asphalt street three years old, al
though its representatives fully satisfied the
Board of Works that its streets are az
good as any and that II has a superin-
tendent who Is competent TO build a pave
ment and Who has been in the business
since 1t was first begun in this country
about twenty years ago..
The decision of the board was announced
after a consultation with the Mayor and
city attorney. The city attorney held that
the contract could not be let under the
specifications 10 the Fruin-Bambrick Com
pany. Several OF the property owners, VINO
were present, asked that the board reject
all bids AMI make a new advertisements
after modifying the speciications so as to
do away with the technical objection TO
the new company. This the board refused
to do. 1t was contended by w. l.. Taylor.
attorney for the new company, that the
board had a right. under another clause
of the specifications, to accept the Fruln-
Bambrick Company's bid. but could not in
duce the board to think so. He then Joined
with the property owners In asking that
all bids be rejected and new ones called for
under modified specifications. for the board
had already said IL was fully satisfied that
the st. Louis company could DO good work,
but this was also refused by the board.