The times., 1899-07-30

Bids for the two new truck houses to be
erected with the appropriations made BY
the last Congress were opened at the Dis
trict Building yesterday As in the case of
the three school houses which the District
made every effort TO erect, but was finally
compelled to abandon until the assembling
of Congress, the proposals received yester-
day were all too high. The lowest bid on
each truck house exceeded the amount
available for the construction by at least
81, ,OOO
Just what action will be taken by the
municipal authorities is not known. The
subject will be taken UP by all three Com
missioners in board session in thssnear fu-
ture and all bids may berejec.ed. the plans
altered so as to curtail the cost, and new
proposals sought. On the other hand.
decision may be reached to erect the least
costly Of the engine houses, namely, the
one intended for Columbia Heights, in
Georgetown, on the site which cost less
and which consequently gives the Commits
sioners more money for the erection of
truck house in Georgetown than they have
for the construction Of one in Whitney
Avenue, Columbia Heights. The problem
is a difficult one and will not be easily
solved The increased cost of ali building
material is the cause of the high bids.
Congress last year authorized the con-
struction of two truck houses. The one in
tended for Georgetown is TO be located on
site purchased in S Street, between Thir-
nd he
Columbia Heights truck house is to be To-
Gated on ground in Whitney Avenue. be-
tween Thirteenth and Fourteenth Streets.
The sites were acquired last spring and
the plans are completed When the bids
were opened at noon yesterday it was i'm
mediately evident that the lowest were too
high. The Commissioners realized that
they were in dilemma and regretted that
the proposals were not low enough to per-
NIT the early construction of the houses.
They may be again forced to obtain more
money from Congress or enter into some
arrangement among themselves whereby
they may secure the two truck houses
without resorting to that alternative.
1t is estimated that about s14.T50 is avail
able for the Whitney Avenue truck house.
The bids on the plans for that building
SIS, ,9G7; w. E. Spier. $4,000. and William
S. Spencer S1S,604 About s17,50 is avail
able for the proposed Street truck house.
The bids for that building are d. F. Mock
abee, 1881; Columbus Thomas, S19,500;
and William S. Spencer, S16,30 1t is evil
dent from these figures that the lowest
bid on the Whitney Avenue truck house is
about 81 10i higher than the amount avail
able for the work, and that the lowest bid
m hp truck fypgpds the
amount available for that structure by
Ssh. Congress appropriated $4,000 for
each truck house. The Commissioners
spent $1,000 for the Whitney Avenue site,
and $3 750 for the Georgetown site, saving
several thousand dollars on the latter. In
view Of this fact. they decided to build
combination truck house in Georgetown.
The cost for such a structure, they thought,
would be only several thousand dollars
larger than the amount they would pay for
a, plain truck house, and Georgetown, it
was pointed out, would obtain not only a
new truck company, but also an additional
steamer.
The high bids may upset all plans re-
gaTding the combination truck house and
cause the abandonment of the proposition.
The most tangible scheme now seems to
be to use the Whitney Avenue truck
house plans in Georgetown and to reject
the bids on the Whitney Avenue house
In the event of this action being taken,
the architect, Leon DesseZ, would be asked
to restudy his plans and make an effort to
reduce the cost of the truckhouse to be
| built on Whitney Avenue. Should de-
termination be reached to build truck
house in Georgetown according to the de-
sign submitted for the Whitney Avenue
house, the plans will not be changed, as
the available surplus from the appropria-
tion for the Georgetown truckhouse, about
S17.500, is about $500 higher thap the
| lowest bid on the Whitney Avenue truck
house plans, that of ID. r. Mockabee,
amounting to Sl5,S54 About $500 will be
required for furnishing each truckhouse,
| $500 for supervision in each case, 5000 for
| incidental expenses, and about $500 for the
| gong, indicator, and other apparatus. The
| plans prepared for the Whitney Ayenus
house are not radically different from
| other engine houses recently erected in
Washington. The principal changes will
be in the manner of interior arrangement.
1t is understood that the design cannot be
altered so as to make any material reduc-
tion in the cost of erection.
| Commissioner Wight, who is directly in
| charge of the Police and Fire Departments
| held an informal conference with the Dis
! trict Inspectors of Buildings and Electric
! Lighting after the bids were opened. and
discussed the situation with them No de-
cision was reached, the conference being
| held for the purpose of ascertaining to
what extent the buildings may be altered