Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-12-28
MARKET STREET PAVING.

Bills for SAND Cause Lively Discussion at
Street and sewer Department Meeting.
lively discussion took place Tues.
day at the meetipg OF the Direct.
ors of the Street and Sewer Department
over two bills foi sand for the repaving
Of Market street, between Sixth and
Tenth, one amounting to SS4. 40 and the
other to s277 05. The matter was
brought tc the attention of the directors
by John Boughman, City Auditor Pyle's
assistant, who asked whether the bills
should not have been charged to Sim
mems & Bro. contractors for the paving.
instead of to the department. He said
in looking over the specifications for
the work he thought the bills should
have been charged to the contractors.
President Simmons said the bills
were all right, as the specifications
provided that the department should
Fay for the sand, as had always been
the rule with such work.
Secretary Wiley said the misunder-
standing was due to the fact that he
had used one of the old forms of speci-
fications and had neglected to mark it
SO that it would agree with the type
written specifications. Mr.. Simmons
said the contractors had bid for fur
laying the bricks, and the sand was not
in connection with this work A por-
tion of the sand was used under the
bricks and a portion on top, and it had
always been the custom for the city to
furnish the sand to go under and over
the bricks. All of the bidders, he said,
understood this when they were bid
ding. ut has been the custom" said
Mr.. Simmons, ''for the city to furnish
every thing unless otherwise specified.
In the present case the contract was for
the concrete work and laying the bricks.
Somebody Mr.. Simmons. contin
ued, Thought they found a mares
nest, but got fooled.,''
DO you mean me?" Mr.. Boughman
asked
"Oh, no, y replied Mr.. Simmons, II
do not mean you. =
The specifications were examined by
the directors. after which they said
they were satisfied that everything had
been done according to the specifica-
tions and in accordance Herewith it
was proper that the bills for the sand
referred to should be charged to the
department. After the matter had
been settled Mr.. Simmons made the
following explanation concerning the
Market street. contract:
..As said before, somebody thought
they had discovered mares nest, but
found the eggs were all good and not
rotten. After the contract for the
Market street work had been let we
found that we would be delayed in
getting the bricks, and as the holiday
season was approaching did not want
to put the merchants and public to any
more Inconvenience than we could
help. We wanted to facilitate the
| work. We knew the contractors would
have to order their material ahead and
dump it OH Other streets near Market,
thus blocking travel. The department
had accumulated considerable stone,
which had been taken from sewer ex-
cavations and arranged to furnish this
to the contractors, in consideration for
which it was agreed that nine cents
per square yard should be deducted
from the contract price. This was
agi eeable to the department and the
contractors and the stone was delivered
al the work just as ii was needed, thus
obviating the necessity of placing it on
the street in large quantities and inter-
| fering with business. Several business
men on Market street congratulated the
acpoitmoHt ulph tho luhuici III MhiSi
the work had been done, with SO little
hindranoe TO tho public.
1.-The department considered this
arrangement, to deduct nine cents a
yard from the contract price, fair. We
are willing that anybody who has a
knowledge of such things should make
an estimate as to what deduction
should have been made. The depart
ment believed what it did was right.
1t was done fer the best interests of the
city and the public, the chief object
being to facilitate the work without
adding to the cost. 1t was not done for
the benefit of any individual.
1t is no more than right that the
department should rut itself straight
in this matter. Its books are open to
the public and can be examined by
anybody. Its meetings are public. We
do not hold any star chamber sessions
to transact public business, and we
defy any one to put his finger on any act
of this department that will not bear
the light of day. -
This closed the incident and the
board adjourned.