Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-21
PROCEEDINGS OFF THE CITY COUNCIL.
Municipal Fathers Again Fail to
Award Bids for Electric Lighting.

| Award Bids for Electric Lighting.
| For the third time the city council at its
| meeting Monday night failed to award the
contract for the city lighting; for the third
time it ordered all bids rejected and for the
| third time 1t decided to readvertise for bids.
The bids before the council were those sub
| mtted by Thomas Bowman and the Council
Bluffs Gas and Electric company. The alder
men held starchamber session as COM
mittee of the whole behind locked doors
previous to the council meeting, at which the
following resolution was drawn up:
Resolved by the city council of Council
Bluffs, Ia, that Thomas Bowman be and
Is hereby awarded the contract for pub
lie lighting at the price or rate of $40 per
year for each series enclosed alternating
arc lamp. using &c amperes at 70 volts, and
that the city attorney be hereby instruct ed
init same to the council for approval, and
be 1t further
Bluffs Gas and Electric company be hereby
rejected.
The matter was brought before the coun-
Gil by Alderman Casper, calling for the read
ing of the resolution after a few routine
matters had been disposed of. The clerk
read the resolution and Alderman Casper,
seconded by Alderman Christensen, moved
that 1t be adopted. This brought Manager
Nichols of the local company to his feet
WltH lne request tndt the original DID OF
Bowman be read. The reading Of the bid
showed that Bowman's price on alternating
arc lamps was SIS and not $73, as named in
the resolution. When the clerk reached the
part In the bid reciting the figures Nichols
said: "The price named in the bid is SIS
while that in the resolution is $73, the figure
at which our company offered to supply the
lamps. That Is enough"
The vote on the adoption of the resolution
was then taken and it failed to carry, the
yeas being Casper, Christensen, johnson and
Shubert. and the nays Atkins and Brough.
AS Brough recorded his vote in the mega
tive Casper turned to him and said: "Well
you are a dandy, anyhow" Brough was
about to reply when the mayor raped for
order and the incident closed.
Casper then moved to reject both bids and
was seconded by Brough. The motion car
ried. although Casper switched around and
voted against his own motion.
Then Casper moved that the city readver-
tise for bids for electric lighting and was
opposed by Shubert and johnson, but on
being put to a vote Shubert alone voted
against it.
Johnson then moved that the clerk return
the bidders their checks and Casper prompt
ly stepped UP to the clerks desk, took Bow
mans check and went out into the lobby
and handed it to him. AS he passed by
where Manager Nichols was sitting, he said:
This is not for you. will make you
spend several thousand dollars yet before
you get that contract"
With this little byplay, the lighting ques-
tion for the time being closed and the coun-
Gil settled down to transact it's ordinary you-
tine business.
Mayor Jennings submitted his appointment
Of Officer Albro as chief of police and city
marshal and of Doty as patrol driver and
both were approved. The bonds of both Of
fcers were approved.
George Ouderkirk was granted permission
to remove his blacksmith shop at the corner
of Seventh avenue and Main street across the
street to make room for the Warder-Gles-
ner- Bushnell building.
An ordinance was submitted granting the
Northwestern railway permission to place a
third track on Eleventh avenue, which, after
being passed to its second reading, was re-
ferred to the committee of the whole.
The Rock Island was granted an extension
OF time until May to remove its track to
the dirt bank in the southern part of the
city from which it has been hauling ma
terial to fill Its freight yards. A penalty of
$25 day will be imposed after that time
II the railroad fails to remove the tracks.
Alderman Casper presented a scheme OF
licensing all railroads to occupy the streets
Of the city, but failed to make his idea plain
to the other members of the council, and
in order to dispose OF the matter motion
prevailed instructing the city solicitor to
draft an ordinance to comply with Casper's
suggestions. After disposing of several
minor matters the council adjourned until
the next regular meeting in December.
After the meeting Alderman Casper ex-
planned that Bowman had been permitted to
change his price in his bid, as the local
company had done so. The local company
bid $73 per light without specifying the kind
OF lamp and Manager Nichols, at the former
meeting. In answer to a question, informed
the council that he would supply whatever
kind of lamp the city desired. Casper in
sisted that the companys bid was on open
lamps and that II 1t had right to change
it Bowman should have the same privilege.
Scientific optician, Wollman, 400 Brdway.