The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-15
ALL WANT THE CONTRACT.
BIDS FoR HoU Sc DRAINAGE TO BE
IN TO-DAY.


tractors Wan 4 to Know Why the re
Is no Compel ftion-COI. Warning to
BE Here TO-diIy.
The bids for the construction OF SaVah-
neh's system of flouse sewerage VIII De
IN bv noon to-day. The bids must be IN
the hands of council by that hour, and
the unIuclxv bidder who arrives later viii
be shut out
The contract is a big one, involving, as
1t does, the construction of some hfty-nlne
miles Of sewers, and an expenditure es-
tjrnated at about $4,000. There will be
some big bidders on the list, and council
will have no difficulty in selecting a re-
sponsible party to undertake the work.
Among the best known bidders, so far
as can be learned, are the Warren-Scharf
Asphalt Company, Miles & Bradt of At
lanta and Mr.. Herbert Tate of New York.
1t is thought that about a dozen bids in
all will be submitted. A larger number
of contractors have been figuring on the
work, but some of those who have
made estimates. will probably not submit
bids. There are intending bidders here,
however from almost every large city in
the north.
The contractors We're not quite so much
in evidence in the Hobbies of the hotels last
night. AS an interested party remarked,
most of them were probably in their rooms
or elsewhere using up the gray matter of
their brains, in revising their estimates,
and getting their figures down to the low
est possible basis. which would still allow
a reasonable profit. There are good
many contingencies to be considered in an
undertaking of this kind, and when 1t
comes to excavating miles of city streets
at various depths, with slight knowledge
of the obstacles to be encountered,
great deal of the figuring
must be mere guess work. Doubtless the
bidders allow considerable margin for DIFF
fculties Of this character.
The bids will be opened by the drainage
committee and will be submitted to coun-
Gil Wednesday night together with other
matters relating to house drainage. 1t Is
not likely that council will act hastily In
the matter The important question OF
the sewage outlet is to be decided, as well
as the selection of a bidder.
The question of sewer pipe may receive
some attention from council. Alderman
Wylly, chairman of the drainage commit
tee, said yesterday that if the contractors
could substantiate their claim that there
is a combination among the manufactur-
ers of Ohio river pipe 10 defeat compel-
tion, the council would doubtless take
steps to open up competition in this line
by permitting the use of any pipe which
can stand the required test.
There is considerable feeling among
some of the contractors, however, on the
subject of pipe The city, they claim. will
be the loser by the restriction of the con-
A. min
I'm all my experience" said Mr. Della
ney of Chicago, Il never saw anything
like this. Here is a contract involving the
use of probably $125.0O0 worth of pipe and
yet there is only one single representative
of a pipe company in the field. If there
panles outside of the trust
where are their representatives?
One man only has shown up and he ar
rived only day or tow ago. Since his
arrival he has taken no trouble to furnish
figures to the contractors, but those con-
tractors who desired figures have had to
seek him. Invariably, where l have COM
peted heretofore, where there is as much
as little 5000 contract to be given out
there are at least half a dozen pipe men
on the field each anxious to quote figures
TO the contractors. Yet here is the big
gest job of the season going and only one
single pipe man on the field.
Mr.. Delaney intimated very strongly
that there was a combination somewhere
and that the city was getting the worst
of it.
SIS 1t true that the Ohio river pipe
Is recognized as the standard sewer pipe
OF the country?
ut is not the only standard pipe by
long shot, replied Mr.. Delaney. 1.-THE
Akron is recognized as the standard the
whole country over. 1t is the oldest and
the best pipe made, yet Akron pipe is shut
out of this contest st. Louis manufac-
lures as good pipe as any in the country.
] have never used any of the Montague
pipe, but it is generally recognized as
standard"
Mr.. Delaney said that probably one rea-
son why there were no more pipe men on
the field was probably due to the fact
that the northern pipe manufacturers
territory, and that they would have big
advantage in the matter of freights, did
not think IL worth while to enter into
competition with them. The clause in the
contract as to Ohio river pipe, he said,
was probably unknown to most of the
northern pipe makers, not having been
mentioned in the advertisement for bids.
Mr.. ID. b. Montague, head of the firm of
Montague & Co., Chattanooga, arrived yes
terday and is at the De Soto. Mr.. Monta-
que has left the fight on the pipe question
to his representative, Mr.. t. 5. Russell,
who first raised the point. Mr.. Russell,
said that he did not know that he would
take any further steps in the matter.
II have established the fact" he said
'that the exclusion of our pipe on the
ground that it did not give satisfaction al
Brunswick was unwarranted. We sold nc
sewer pipe there. A small lot of ordinary
drainage pipe was put in without oui
knowledge. and broke under an unusua
strain. This is the ground fol
our exclusion, it seems while
nothing is said of the breaking of ove
1000 feet of Ohio river pipe, 1 do not thinl
l would make a bid for the pipe now
even should the field be opened to me. The
engineers would be down on me for wha
I have said and done, and they would
make 1t too hard for me. We could not at
ford to furnish pipe under such condi
tons"
Mr. Russell said that the difference il
the cost of pipe to the city would be $12,
900 to $4,000 on freight alone, or from 2
to 30 per cent. more than it would be witt
free competition.
Mr.. Richmond, representing the Macl
Company of Philadelphia, has quoted fig
ures to the contractors at rs off caster