davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-07-28

N. H. Root held down q chair in Wei
lands barber shop while the latter was
over at Devils Lake few days last week.
Mrs. J. B. Boyd has returned from a
delightful stay of several weeks among
Devils Lake friends, arriving home Tues
day.
Misses Viola and Constance, daughters
of Clerk of Court Truax, joined the party
that left here yesterday for weeks out
ing at Rock Lake.
E. G. Dedrick has re- arranged the in
terror of his corner hardware store and
has also made number of Improvements
on the outside which add to it's appear
ance.
Mrs. Kate E. Warn, who has spent
several weeks in the city with her neice.
Miss Laura Mercer. left on Tuesdays pas
senger for her distant home in New
Brunswick.
Mercer, the Hardware Man,
received a carload of binding
Irvine this week. Get his prices
before you buy.
The DEMOCRAT in another column
publishes the officially called for state
ment of the First National Bank. An
excellent showing is made-especially for
this time Of year and large amount of
cash items on hand.
Lost, strayed or stolen, a druggist
named John F. Anderson. When missed
he wore a pair of pants and far-away
look which sometimes broadens into an
expansive smile. Any one knowing his
whereabouts will please put tag on him
and ship to S. G. Tough, C. o. d.-North-
wood Cleaner.
Harry Robinson's fine team of heavy
draft horses took a lively spin down
through town from the new bridge on
Spruce street down to the mill at the Ct.
Northern crossing Tuesday afternoon.
They were hitched to the road scraper
and fear was entertained that injury
would be sustained in stopping them.
No one hurt and no damage resulted.
H. ]. Hunkins is new attorney who
has during the week decided to establish
himself in this city and has rented 6
suite of Office rooms on the second flool
of the first National Bank block. Mr.
Hunkins before locating here has spent
sometime looking over this part of the
state coming here from Walhalla. Like
all other professions, there is always
plenty of room at the top for good
lawyer. There's now at least hale dozer
attorneys in the city and it is generally
conceded, the want is supplied. To the
latest arrival, however, we extend at
hearty welcome as was rendered any ofhlt
predecessors, Time is the test that tells
the tale.
Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-07-28
Two i've room houses to rsnt-Dr.

Two i've room houses to rent-Dr.
Donovan.
N. L. Sullivan shipped out car load
Of fat hogs this week.
Final proof and general land business
at B. Erickson's land office.
CharlieHaugh and his ice wagon is the
"whole thing" these warm days.
N. E. McGruer was up to the lively
town of Hannah between trains Satur-
day.
Rob't Meiklejohn is entertaining his
brother, Mr.. VIM. Meiklejohn, of Morris,
Man., this week.
Mrs. E. A. Farrell and family returned
Saturday from short though enjoyable
visit with relatives at Park River.
Mrs. Stella M. Wells-Stevens arrived
on Saturdays train on few weeks visit
with her mother in Perry township.
Sheriff McGauvran took a patient
named Storlie, who resided near Union.
to the asylum at jamestown last week.
Miss Carrie Mcmillan is at Hannah
for q few days this week visiting at the
home of her brother, the end town banker.
Jno. Gogin is in the city this week fol
short rest up after two months trip
on the road taking orders for nursery
stock.
w. A. Laidlaw was on an extended
Manitoba trip as far rs Portage La Pra'
RE in company with @. 3. Mcmillan, Of
Hannah, last week. Y
Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-07-28

The returning delegates from the grand
lodge session K. of P. arrived home Sun
day evening from their long drive Of six
ty miles from Devils Lake. The party of
eight consisted of 81. D. ALERT, George
Barcelo, Jno. Truax, H. Weiland, DR..
Semple. A. F. Gardner, J. B. Boyd and
M. H Murphy all whom are pleased
with the work done. Mr.. ALERT was re-
elected grand keeper of records and seal
for the third term and the fact of Lang
don Knight getting the high distinction
and recognition which this Office confers
almost tickled the boys to death. The
work of the lodge was completed at noon
on Saturday and the next annual meeting
will be held at Grand Forks, alternating
here after every other year with Fsrgo.
Officers were elected as follows:
Grand Chancellor-C. L. Hoyt, Man
don.
Grand Vice--G. A. Bangs, Grand
Forks.
prelate-D. B. Holt. Fargo.
Master -at-Arms-W. F. Sprake, Cas-
selton.
Keeper of Records and Seals-H. D.
ALERT, Langdon.
Master of the Exchequsr-F. G..
Gramles, Bismarck.
Inner Guard-E. D. Kelly, Minot.
Outer Guard-Spaulding. Fairmont.
Trestee- McCulloch, Fargo.
A North Dakota regiment of the Uni
form Rank was organized with the ap-
pointment of colonel being given Frank
Hansen, of Grand Forks. The Langdon
division of this rank forms one Of the
eight divisions composing the regiment.
The San Francisco call., 1898-03-26
BATEMAN BROS. IN CLOVER.
Commissioners to Them as PIiant as Clay
 in the Hands of the Potter.

Bateman Bros. could we'll afford to sing a paean of praise to the Harbor Commissioners, for by the acts of those distinguished gentlemen have their yaWning pockets been lined for work never performed. These contractors as others, have basked in a profitable glow of favoritism. Of this the most recent example concerns the laying of certain pine flooring. The BatemanS have been given the c ntract at $1S6S. Any com potent contractor would have been glad to get 1t at $467. These floors are for various offices, embracing an area of 11,676 feet. Such floor can be profitably laid at 31a cents. At cents it would be regarded as a good thing. At the lat ter figure it would come to a total of S467 04. The Batemans are to get Is cents, or total of S1S68 Is. The re- suit that for their benefit the State is to be put to a direct loss of $1401 F is easily determined but hard to explain.
 The change from oak to pine finish reeks with every evidence of rascality. For this change, gift in token of which the contractors could well have afforded to present the State substan- tial rebate they received an allowance of s2995 extra. Architect Swain coun- seled the Commission to this peculiar course. He may know the reason. but searchers after the truth have sought vainly the shadow of a legitimate one.
 Swain figured that the revised plan called for 71S1 feet of pine partitions 12 feet in height, for which he al- lowed the contractors s per lineal foot. Under the work called for by the orig inal plans he enumerates 3244 feet on the first and second floors. But what of the abandoned mezzanine which had %l,~ he figured the oak at S4 20 per lineal foot, when pine was selling in open market at $20 per thousand feet, and oak at $120 per thousand feet. Here is enough to arouse spirit of inquiry. Why Is all mention of mezzanine par titions omitted from the estimate made by Swain? The difference between what the architect conceived to be the value of the oak and the pine was $3S21 70, of course in favor of the con- tractors. As an award of this amount could not have been made legally with out calling for new bids the contractors knocked off $S2S 70. Very good of them, too. A summary of this strange pro- cedure shows that the State paid high for the privilege of acquiring cheap wood in place of an expensive one.
 Bateman Bros. have been granted al- will sufficiently exploit the method. There were to have been six floors in the tower The commission decided to leave them out and asked the Bate mans to make a corresponding reduc- tion. The contractors were willing to relinquish $119 and this concession was satisfactorily. Afterward it was de- cided to put in one of these floors and for that floor alone the BatemanS got $310. There seems no necessity for comment Swain admits the part he took in it all, and repels what he terms
The San Francisco call., 1898-03-26

inches After Commissioner Colnon had decided that change must De made from bitumen to artificial stone the City Street Improvement Company sent in the following proposal:
 We hereby propose to pave the exits in the new ferry building, aggregatlns approximately 5125 square feet. with IF inch layer of Santa Cruz o1tu- minous rock upon one-inch binder course of concrete (cement to De fur- nished by the board) for "A cents square foot with the understanding that the bituminous rock now covering the passenger waiting-roo aggregat- ing an area of 10,0S0 square feet, shall belong to us after we have taken up and removed the same"
 The 2A inches of bitumen covering the 10,0S0 square feet of floor space has been taken up and removed The new work has not yet been begun. The bargain that was made by the City Street Improvement Company can be seen at a glance. The State furnishes the materials and gives them "A cents a square foot for putting down the bitumen, and then makes them pres ent of enough bitumen to cover 750O square feet of space to the depth of little more than an inch. In other words, the firm gets more than ample pay for doing the work and then gets enough boot" to make the job com pare favorably with other "sugges- tions" that have emanated from the same source
The San Francisco call., 1898-03-26
FERRY DEPOT CONTRACTS FURNISH RICH BOOlY
Summary of Profits That Have Accrued Some the Men Who Have Found Fa' With the Honorable Gentlemen Who Have MEpn the States Funds

resulted in an aggregate saving to the contractor of considerably more than $10,000. One of the most striking in- stances of this nature was in the man. ner in which the galvanized iron was put on the inside and outside walls of the rear gallery, running the entire length of the building, and also on the inner walls of the waiting room on the first floor.
 The specifications under which the contract was awarded specifically re- quire that the galvanized iron cover ing of these walls shall be put on with flush joints. the edges being riveted to a heavy fish-plate and the whole fast ened to the iron framework of the building with galvanized iron clips. 1n- stead of doing this the contractor ig- nored the requirements of the specifi- cations altogether He Tapped the edge of one sheet of iron over the edge of the sheet above it and nailed them to the wall as a farmer would nail shakes on a barn. The finished surface presents a rough and unsightly appearance.
 As a result of his evasion of this pro- vision in the specifications the contrac- tor effected a saving to himself of be- tween $5000 and $S000 The completed work as it now stands will become loose in a ShCrt time on account of the draw ing of the nails by reason of contrac- llOu ana eXpdUSlOn rom neat ana COlO and the entire covering of the walls will have to be removed.
 The specifications also call for the covering of all of the walls of the gall 1ery and waiting room with galvanized iron. After the contract had been let and the work was under way the con- tractor claimed that he was not re- quired to cover the west walls of the gallery and waiting room After be- coming hesitation the members of the Board of Harbor Commissioners and Architect Swain claimed to see the force of Contractor Cronans reasoning and granted him $2978 for doing the work he had already been paid to do.
 Besides the things before enumerated Cronan was permitted to fit the build ing with fixed instead of movable louvres, was allowed to omit the hy- draulic device for opening and closing same, was paid an exorbitant price for fitting open and closed windows in gall leries leading to the ferry slips, and on
The San Francisco call., 1898-03-26
RICH PLUMS FOR THE PLUMBER.
Experts Pronounce the Work as Com
 pIeted Worse Than Worthless.

While not so large in the matter of dollars and cents as some of the other contracts for work on the ferry build ing, the contract for plumbing and gas fitting has proved equally as remuner- ative as others in the matter of illegiti- mate profits.
 AS in other cases, this contract has been turned into a bonanza by means of numerous changes and omissions in the original plans and specifications, authorized by or acquiesced in by the Board of Harbor Commissioners. It is also apparent that the contractor has, on his own motion, used inferior mate rial and workmanship though all of the work has ostensibly been done un- der the eye of one or more agents of the board and has been accepted and paid for. The work as 1t stands in it's completed state, according to the pub lished statement of Chief Plumbing Inspector J. J. Sullivan of the Board of Health, should be condemned as menace to public health. According to this same official, who is a recognized authority on such subjects, all of the plumbing in the building will have to be taken out within year or two, as
The San Francisco call., 1898-03-26
GALVANIZED IRON CONTRACT.
Much Profit Results From Changes, Eva
 SiQnS and SuhStitutiens.

The contract for doing the roofing and galvanized iron work on the ferry building was let to William Cronan for the specified sum of $43,599. Up to the present time he has been paid some thing more than $10,000 for extra work at prices that allowed him to make from 50 to 300 per cent profit on the amount of money expended. In every instance where he was granted author ity for doing extra work the amounts involved were a little less than $30OO. This enabled the Board of Harbor Commissioners to have the work done without the necessity of advertising for bids, as is required by law where the amount involved is more than $3000.
 In all of the cases where extra work was ordered on this cont ct the esti mates of the contractor were approved by Architect Swain and Commissioner Colnon and his associates.
 From time to time the original plans and specifications under which the con- tract was let were so changed as to permit the contractor to substitute in- ferior workmanship and materials at a great saving to himself The in- stances where these changes were made and permitted are numerous and
The San Francisco call., 1898-03-26

it is utterly worthless for the purpose for which it was intended.
 A few days ago Thomas J. Ford, a WelI-knoWn expert on plumbing, was commissioned by The Call to compare the work as constructed with the plans and specifications under which the con- tract was let. His report shows that the many changes that have been in augurated and permitted have been put into effect a a cost to the State or an adequate plumbing system for a very costly building, and at a profit to the contractor of many thousands of dollars.
 The principal defect in the system of plumbing as it now stands is the qual- ity of material used in the piping. The original specifications called for east iron pipe. The kind that has been used is wrought iron. Careful eStl- mates show the saving of time. labor and material due to this change to rep resent a net cash saving to the con- tractor of 1925. Instead of deducting this amount from the amount or hlS contract price when the change was made, the Board of Harbor Commis- sioners paid the contractor $2O63 extra for doing the work. This meant net saving to the contractor on this one item of almost $3000.
 Another important provision in the specifications that has been disregard ed is that relating to vent pipes. The specifications, as well as the regula- tions, of the Board of Health state that all vent pipes must run through the roof, and that none of the pipes shall be of less diameter than four inches. In the work as completed many of the vent pipes do not run to the roof and those that do are none or them of greater diameter than two inches. On this item of construction the contractor saved $325.
 In the fitting up of the numerous wash basins in the building the mar ble slabs. safes and slats called for in the specifications have been omitted at a saving to the contractor of $1124. More than 5000 worth of closets have been left out where called for, and those that have been put in are of an- other and cheaper make than those originally called for. Extras amount ing to more than $5000 have been au- thorized and paid for by the Commis- sioners. In one instance the masonry contractor was paid $1492 for doing work included in the plumbers con- tract.
The San Francisco call., 1898-03-26

of the structural ironwork in the build ing
 The Risdon Iron Works do not con- struct doors of this character, and in order to make a proper estimate of the cost so that they could include the amount in the sum total of their bid, the firm asked for estimates from con- tractors who made a speciality of this kind of work. By this means it was ascertained that the cost of the doors would be about $S000.
 After the contract had been let, the Harbor Commissioners, for reasons Of their own, concluded to change the style of the doors from steel to wood. Satisfactory plans were submitted to Edward B. Hinds of All Mission streeet, and he was finally awarded the con- tract for furnishing the new style doors for $5570. Negotiations were then opened with the Risdon Iron Works, with the result that the firm was re- leased from the necessity of carrying out that part of their contract relating to doors. In consideration of this re- lease, the firm consented to deduct $400O from the total amount of their contract price for all iron work. This was agreed to-
 By entering into this agreement, the Harbor Commissioners allowed the Risdon Iron Works to make net profit of about $4000. This being so, the wood en doors for which Hinds was paid $557O represent a cost to the State of $9570, considerably more than steel doors would have cost the Risdon Iron Works at first hand.
The San Francisco call., 1898-03-26
SMALL CONTRACT-B PROFIT.
Price Paid for the Big Heating Plant Out
 of All Just Proportion.

Of the many jobs perpetrated in connection with the ferry depot con- tracts. that which was successfully carried out in the installation of the Steam-heating plant is the most con- spicuous in proportion to the amount of money involved. The contract price for putting in the piping system was $520O. The amount saved by the con- tractors over and above a legitimate profit is estimated at $3430.
 It was generally understood among those contractors who put in bids for the work that the specifications had been prepared by the firm that ulti- mately secured the contract at figure far below all competitors. The con- tract was awarded to the firm of w. w. Montague & Co. The specifications called for a low pressure, single-pipe system for all of the floors except the ground floor, which was to be fitted with the double-pipe system. The work as completed shows that the two-pipe system on the ground floor has been entirely omitted and that a single e-pipe system has been put in instead.
 The specifications also provide that all pipes throughout shall be covered with magnesia sectional pipe covering The completed work shows that all the return pipes buried in the floor are de- void of covering, being simply laid in trenches, no regard having been paid to the covering clause. On this item the contractors effected a saving to themselves of about 5000.
 Perhaps the most glaring fraud in connection with this contract is shown in the trenches made for the recep- tion of the return pipes. These trenches, instead of being cut large enough for the reception of the pipe with pipe covering on it, and graded toward the receiving tank. have been cut barely large enough in width to receive the pipe, and of a uniform depth just sufficient to allow for thin covering over the trenches. The heavy, ribbed cast-iron covers called for by the specifications have been omitted altogether. The saving to the con- tractor in the cutting of the trenches in the concrete floor and the omission of the caSt-iron covers amounts to about S2430.
 The same firm was granted the con- tract for furnishing and setting the radiators throughout the building for the sum of $2927. The cost of the work. when figured at retail prices, thus al- lowing a jobber's profit to the contrac- tor, Is but $2422. As the contract was
The San Francisco call., 1898-03-26

the Commissioners likely seem set of haloed philanthropists.
 It Is impossible to even mention here the various confidence games which have been praticed. Seemingly there is no end to them, except as there Is a limit to the number of contracts. Ma sorry, wood work, iron work, steam heating, plumbing, as well as minor matters, each represent a distinctly fraudulent transaction of which the State has been the victim, and to which the Commissioners, whose names adorn the corner stone of the ferry building have freely given or sold the boon of official sanction
The San Francisco call., 1898-03-26

For a series of days the duty of call ing attention to the manner Of con struction employed in giving to the State the ferry depot for which it had voted a liberal appropriation, has oc- cupied some space and attention. Neither has been wasted. Charges that public money was being squandered. that contractors with the cOnnivance of the Harbor Commissioners had been lining their pockets, that the completed structure will be a sham, a monument to shameless fraud have been fully established.
 It is fair to say that the first evil dence of crookedness, leading to a studied and unbiased investigation, only gave an inkling of the whole truth Every clew followed has led directly to some abuse of the confidence re- posed in the Commissioners. Little wonder that taxpayers are indignant and that the cornered rogues are try ing to shift responsibility, and raise a storm of protest behind which they may hide. Not only have they been caught and exposed, but they have been clearly proved guilty of acts which seem to have all the color of crime. As 
 tuted body upon which the task of final determination must fall. Reference is had to the Grand Jury.
 To the eye the depot presents an aS- pect imposing and almost noble. It stands as a gateway through which all traffic between San Francisco and the East must pass. Naturally it Is the first tangible shape upon which the ,ff nd n ing the city it is the last thing, save the lights and the outlined hills, to be seen. As a commercial focus it was deemed that it should be of grand proportions, of the best material and of the finest workmanship. It has these proportions; nothing more. From the foundation to the highest stone in the tower the structure is a cheat. In every department of construction so far as yet looked into, there has been the practice of fraud, open, shameless, palpable. Denial is worse than use less. So long had the wrongding pro- gressed undetected that the wrongdoerS had grown bold. They footed in fam cied security, and now their golden dreams have been rudely dissipated. But they have the gold
 mere seems 10 nave been ITOIn the first an implied understanding that a contractor undertaking to do certain work at price utterly ruinous to him. self, provided specifications be fol- lowed, had nothing to fear. It was to be his privilege not only to throw specifications to the wind, but to have a new set devised to suit. In this man. ner bidders were enabled to substitute cheap for expensive material, bad for good workmanship, cut out such work as they did not wish to perform, and in the end send in a bill for extras" A bill of this kind represented oftentimes an entirely fictitious outlay on the part of the contractor In other words, when his friends of the Harbor Com mission allowed him to make such changes as he could well have afforded to acknowledge by a healthy reduction from his bill, they also allowed him to