The San Francisco call., 1897-11-04
4ERBDOBS WANT
THE UNIVERSE
That's What the Harbor
Commissioners Think of
the Little Pest.
Their Appetite Caused a Dis
sension at a Meeting of
the Board.
Bids for Creosoting Piles Thrown
Out = Other Business
Transacted.

That little beast known as the teredo-
tho animal of diminutive stature but O
male site appetite-that repasts on piles
eats the foundation out from under wate
! fronts and bores holes in stea M boa s
caused warm times" at the meeting O
the Harbor commissioners yesterday.
Promptly al 2 o'clock the Com missioner:
went in session for thr purpose of consid
ering the bids of several contractors fo1
| creosoting the piles to be used in the re
! building OF Green-street wharf. The pile.
are soaked or trea ted with creosote fol
the purpose OF turning the stomach of any
teredo that perchance may wish TO feed
on the luscious pineknots and pith of the
tim Der. and with the object i'll view Of
sickening the teredos the Harbor Commits.
sloners were willing to pay certain price
! to the lowest bidder who would undertake
the job.
Among the bidders there were two who
looked with envious eyes al each other
They were Z. +. Dundon of the San Fran
CISCO Timber Preserving Company and
William II. Healy OF Heay, Tibbitts &
Co. Mr.. Dundon put in q bid Tor creoSot.
ing the tim ber. and placed his price at IS
cents Gu bic foot, and for the purpose oil
a second hearing, IN case his demand
should be far in excess OF other bidders
stated that he would treat the piles in q
manner known as burnettlng-hlllng The
pores of the wood with chloride of zinc
for IA cents a cubic loot. Mr.. Healy's bid
for creosoting the piles was "a 4-l0 cents .
loot. and as 1t was the lowest bid he stood
lair chance OF winning the contract.
The action OF Mr.. Dunuon, however, in
placing bid for burnettlng at much
lower figure than creosoting could pos
sibly be accomplished for resulted in Mr..
Healy becoming ANXIOUS, and In an en-
deavor to checkmate his opponent he filed
a pam let with the Commissioners under
ern Pacific Company, which stated that
tim Der could be ournetted at q profit for
So a Thousand fee;.
At the conclusion Of the reading of the
pamp let Mr.. Dundon explained matters
in q manner satisfactory TO the board. and
at tue conclusion Of his forensic effort it
was re marked by Chief Engineer Holmes
that Mr.. Isaacs was another OF the South
ern Pacific theorists and knew nothing
about practically applying his theories.
Mr.. Holmes stated that he had made in
vestigations in the East and had found
that burnettIng In Chicago cost at least
$l1 e thousan feet, u hgure but little
cheaper than Mr.. Dundon's bid, and the
Eastern figure applied alone to the treat
cult TO handle than piles 100 teet In
length.
Mr.. Healy next took possession OF the
floor and endeavored 10 voice his views
on the matter, but Commissioner Colnon
ordered him o take his seat. Mr.. Healy
was determ mined to have say in the mat
ter, however, but Com missioner Colnon's
anger became aroused and the speaker
was forced 10 retire. Matters after this
progressed smoothly for a while until i'm
ally Com missioner Harney, not knowing
the matter he hsu TO present to the board,
allowed G. w. Stewart OF the Pacific Pine
Lumb Company, whom, 1T Is Stated by
healy, has pulled" the pile market In
conjunction with p. F. Dundon and lmost
doubled the price OF pine poles, to make
a few statements Mr.. Stewards re marks
appeared 10 be irrelevant 10 the casual
listener, but they brought Healy 10 his
feet with a bound.
"Mr. Stewart told me with his own lips
that he had a corner On the pile market"
said Healy, land that he could dictate to
me the price would have to pay for piles
for The Green-street wharf, Tais remark
was followed by an exclamation on the
part of Major Harney, who asked Healy
what the prlce of piles mad 10 do with the
meeting of the Commissioners.
Healy wanted TO explain its exact bear
ing on the meeting, but was headed off by
the Major with these words: MT. dealy,
l think you are playing 10 the gallery and
the newspapers. You are trying to make
a catspaw out of the board and are also
endeayoring to pull my leg Mr.. Healy,
his voice trem bling with rage. denied that
he was a gallery player or that he was en-
deavoring 10 play with the board, and en-
phatlcallv stated that he had no desire to
yank the we'll proportioned limb of the
vilupera,ive Major. Healy concluded his
eloquent arraign ment by stating that if he
only chose to give voice and utterance of
tongue to many facts stored away in his
brain regarding Mr.. Dundon he would
make the water front howl in dismay. The
argument resulted in all the bids being
t rown out by the Comm issioners on the
ground that they were TOO high, and the
opponents. .crestfallen, left the chambe
of ,he Com missoners.
Outside the disposal of the creosote bids
but little work was done. 1t was decided
to change few minor details OF the new
Ferry Depot. rhe Southern Pacific bag
gage room will be slightly modified, and
instead of solid partitions between the
waiting-rooms grill work will be put in,
which will enable one to see from one end
of the great building TO the other. These
matters disposed of, the Commissioners
adjourned.