The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-13
PAVING Committee SPLIT
It Could Not Come to Any Agreement
Last Night.
FOUR WANTED TINE TO THINK
Another Night OF Fighting Between tho
Competitors for the Monroe Avenue
Paving Con,raet-Exper,s. Lawyers
and Agents Argue.

Again last night the paving commit
tee Of common council was beSieged by
the rival bidders for the asphalting of
Monroe avenue and again they were
bombarded with the arguments of the
representatives of the two concerns,
Colonel Hitchcock for the Barber peo-
pie, and Attorneys !. II. Burns and ".
H. Jessup, jr., for Dunn Bros. w. ",
Watson was there to protest in the
name of q number of property holders
against experiments. and w. ii. Gear
hart presented himself as the represen-
tative of another number of property
holders who wanted the Dunn bid ac-
cepted. The Barber people also had
two asphalt experts on hand, Henry j.
Kearney. of Trinidad. special agent foi
the Trinidad company, which owns the
asphalt lake. and Professor Clifford
Richardson, chief chemist of the Barber
Asphalt company, formerly pavement
inspector for the United States govern
ment. After listening patiently for two
hours or more to both sides. the COM
mittee went into executive session. but
after half an hours wrangling ad
jOurned without coming to a decision.
At the last meeting Of the committee
both sides agreed to submit samples of
the asphalt they proposed to use, SO
that the committee might have them
examined by experts II saw tit. Last
night Mr.. Watson announced that the
Barber people had at hand samples Of
their material and experts to testify to
their genuiness. and asked If Dunn
Bros. were prepared to submit samples.
Mr.. Jessup announced that the Dunns
had samples, but not for the inspection
OF the Barber company's experts. Their
samples would go into the possession
of the committee.
MIR. WATSON'S CONTENTION.
Mr.. Watson contended that the
Dunns should satisfy the property
! holders that they were going to use
pitch lake asphalt or some other proved
equally as good. or II not the bidding
should be reopened and both companies
given an opportunity of figuring on in
ferior asphalt.
Colonel Hitchcock remarked that ev-
cry car load Of pitch lake asphalt sold
Is accompanied by certificate fur
nished by the Trinidad company. IL
the Dunn people had pitch lake asphalt,
he said. they ought to have some of
those certificates and be willing to sub.
nit them to the committee.
Mr.. Jessup retorted by saying that
they did not have to furnish pitch lake
asphalt. Asphalt equally as good is
PSiHhttco W tue SpeCiilcdtlOIS, anu tne
Dunns would submit sample of as
phalt that would fulfill all requirements
| or they would not ask for the contract
| At this juncture Mr.. Keller, chairman
of the committee. called attention to a
clause of the specifications which reads
mo material shall be used unless eX-
| amlned and found satisfactory by the
| city engineer or some one named by
him." and expressed the opinion that
the committee. II the clause meant
what 1t said. was relieved from the con-
| sideratiOn of the question which the
Barber people had brought up, namely
the quality of the material.
| MIR. Burns in a lengthy speech, in
| which he outlined the several duties of
| councils. committees and city officials
In such matters contended that the only
question before the committee was
which is the lowest responsible bidder
He said that the statutes explicitly
direct that the contract shall be award
ed to the lowest responsible bidder and
as the responsibility of Dunn Brothers
had not been brought into question
there was but one thing for the COM
mittee to do and that was to decide