The San Francisco call., 1898-04-01
Rank Decision That the Bond on the Lowest
 Bid Is Defect ctive.
L. A. Windrern Says He Was Tricked and Will Expose
 the T rick to the Board.
THIRD STREET REPAIRS.
Ex-Asseraa blynaan Treacy Now De- cides That He Does Not :
 Want the Contract.

The Supervisors on the Street Commit tee have evidently determined to make Bowling S cause their own; and to give him the contract for the Alamo square work at the figures of the private ar engagement" The tactics employed by the members of the. committee at the session yesterday, by which L. A.: Windrem' s Did of: s1399 was rejected and J. J. Dow ling's bid of s1495 accepted, indicate that the original private arrangement" to give Bowling the work at his own figures and without competition emanated from the committee. The Superintendent of Streets. MT. Ambrose, distinctly declares that ha did not know that the job had been given to Lowing until. he saw a gang of men working at Alamo square. When the Auditor held up the bills, the promoters Of the private arrangement put a reso- luton through the board to invite bids In the regular manner. It should be kept in mind. however. that the work had been done long before the public com petition was invited. A little arrange. ment was privately made without con- sulting other contractors, and to- enable Bowling. to get his money on this arrange ment,: the Supervisors: of the Street Com mittee are resorting to all kinds of tricks and lodges :.
 The bids. opened last Monday were re- ferred to the committee. At the regular session. of the committee yesterday the bids were considered. Bowling was on hand, accompanied by his attorney. MT: Gartland, who was formerly connected with the Street Department An affidavit was produced from R. H. Copp, a bonds man: of .Wfndrem,s to the effect that he oCoppl: signed the bond attached to Wind rem s: bid under a misapprehension. and that. he is not a resident and freeholder Tn san francisco, as the bond sets forth
 On this showing the committee rejected
 Nlndrems low bid and recommended award of the contract to Bowling, the next lowest bidder. No hearing was granted to the low bidder, and no steps were taken: to reject all the bids and read NertfSe Tor. new proposals, as that course would not be in harmony with the pri- yate arrangement.
 LA. Windrem's story of his experience III Tn the affair is, decidedly interesting, as II throws sidelight on the scneme. Speaking of the matter yesterday after noon MT. Windrem said:: ,.I went to the office Of the clerk of the Board of Super yisors at 10:S0 a. m for the purpose of going before the Street Committee to an swer any questions that might be asked concerning my bid to do the work on Alamo square. Il am prepared to accept the contract and perform the work. I was shown to a reception room by the ser geant at arms of the committee and told to wait until I was called for I went llltO the reception room and waited a long time: saw many people going in and coming out, and wondered why my turn did not come. Finally I suggested to the sergeant at arms that he should ask the committee when they intended to take up the Alamo Square work He said he would make the inquiry He re- turned after he had been absent quite a long time and said to me, That's all set tied by the committed I saw then that l was tricked. Bowling was permitted to go before the committee with his attor- ney, and l am informed that the case was taken up at once to accommodate him. propose. to make a statement in writing to the Board of Supervisors. I know as a lawyer that the: bond I gave was proper and sufficient, although. MT. Coop may not be a resident of San Francisco. waited in the reception room to see the committee, and my name was not called and no call was made for persons inter ested in the Alamo Square work shall present in writing to the board all these facts. showing that: the committee tricked me out of a hearing and rejected my bid on insufficient grounds" :.
 The bids for repairing Third street, be- tween: Mission and Howard, were con- sidered blythe committee. Dowling,s bid on this work was s950. The next lowest bid was that of Finn & Treacy, for S21O0 The Street Committee rejected all the bids; Then Bowling came forward and said. that his bid was made under a misappre-: hension. so the committee rescinded: simply rejected Dowling's bid of $950 The plan was all set by the committee at the last meeting of the board to award the contract to Finn & Treacy at S2100, but the striking discrepancy between the two bids excited the suspicion of the Mayor