The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-07-27
WEDNESDAY, JULY 81. 1898.
THE ALGERIAN HooDOO


A special dispatch to The Herald
brings the information that the hoodoo
has again broken loose in the San Pedro
harbor matter. The story runs that
Heldmaier & Neu, the lowest bidders,
have defaulted on their contract, becom-
ing liable on the bond for 100000, which
they had deposited with the war depart
ment as pledge of good faith. The
statement does not come from official
sources, but it is given on such authority
as leaves little doubt Of its genuineness.
Heldmaier & Neu are said to be well
known and generally considered respon-
sible contractors They have carried
through many large undertakings. among
the rest a contract on the Chicago drain
age canal. They filed two bids for the
construction Of the San Pedro break
water-one using San Clemente rock, for
81, 29s. Sal; the other, with rock from the
mainland, $1,6S7.177. The lower of the
two (San Clemente rock) was accepted.
The next lowest bid was $3.50, AS.
1t is not to be assumed that an expe-
rienced firm of contractors. with plen-
ty of time allowed them for investigation
and knowing the responsibility that at
taches to government work, would make
any serious mistake in their calculations.
A difference Of only s51, 5o4 between their
figures and those of the next lowest bid
der is slight when the amount involved
is taken into consideration. Two sepa-
rate firms, working from Independent
data, could hardly have made the same
egregious blunder.
In view of these facts, 1t is but natural
TO cast about for some Interior motive to
account for this singular action of Held
raier e. Neu. With a well-developed
Mephistopheles already in the plot it will
not take public suspicion long to point
out the cause. Huntington, to crafty
his inordinate spite against the San Pc
dro harbor project, would not hesitate
to make the contractors good for their
100000 forfeit. and perhaps add thereto
q hundred thousand or so for prospective
profits foregone. 1t is even limited in our
dispatch that this outcome was antici-
pated from the start, and that the bid
was a straw affair set up with the object
of being knocked down and carrying the
whole project with it.
The hand of Alger, Mr.. Huntington's
man Friday, is apparent throughout the
whole transaction. From the beginning
he has been like the tagging schoolboy.
He has never taken step until obliged
to, and then he has taken it in the wrong
direction If there was possibility of
doing So 1t is profitless to review all
of the trifling and sophistical objections
that he has urged against carrying out
the expressed will of the government. A
few of his latest "didos," however, may
be mentioned. After he had been crowd
ed along to the point of receiving bids for
the breakwater, he took long rest, leav-
ing the documents in a convenient pig
eonhole from May 25 to July 20.
Our latest information is to the effect
that, whatever energy he lacked in
awarding the contract he made up for
by returning their deposits to all other
bidders directly the award was made to
Helmaier & Neu, and before that firm
had duly qualified and entered into the
contract. If this be true, it will proba-
by cut off the possibility of awarding
the contract to the next lowest bidder, as
is usually done in case of default. Mr..
Alger can be rapid on occasion, just as
he can be slow. 1t needs only the bid
ding of his master, Huntington, to deter
mine the rate of speed.
OF course the whole object Of frustrat-
ing the San Pedro harbor enterprise at
this time is to hold it back until the next
session of congress, when the Hunting
ton influence hopes to give it an eternal
quietus. The arch-plotter counts on sew
failed to find in the last. For one thing
he expects to manipulate California pol
itics so that Senator White will no longer
be in the upper house to stand like
stone wall against him. In place of White,
he expects to have a Republican senator
from the northern part or the state, who
will not be so obdurate. Then, too, Hunt
ington is calculating on congress with
q Republican majority in both branches.
and enough members of monopolistic
leaning to make easy game for his pow
erful lobby to work upon. That is the
scheme, and If Huntington lives to carry
i out. that is the way he expects finally