The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-08-01
.CONTRACTNOT AW ARDED
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OPEN BIDS
FOR CENTRAL-AvENUE BRIDGE.
Question ms to the Right to Proceed
Will Be Decided This
Afternoon.

The County Commissioners yesterday af-
ternoon opened bids for the construction OF
a bridge over Fall creek at Central avenue.
large number OF bids were received on the
different kinds of bridges called for by the
specifications. The bids were as follows:
Pennsylvania Bridge Company, plate grid
er. Nelson design, 200; plate order, Coy
neH aeSgn' 1so a. Rrd hisa 5pus ste grid
er. Nelson design. $3S 81; plate girder, Coy
ner design, Sc. lS7: high truss. So. s9s
Canton Bridge Company, plate gfrder' Mel
indianapolis bridge and iron works, plate
siroer, Nelson design, masonry, Ss,oOo IRON
work work and approaches, sa'eoo' plate girdedr
iron work and approaches, $50. 900.
New Columbus Bridge Company, plate
g grSss c6 MeSen dssg9 n rUn H TSs ssne
design, iron work, s2s,4oo; masonry, ss1o
cubic yard.
Koss & Fritz. plate girder. Nelson design.
masonry, $40 cubic yard
Massillon Bridge Company, iron bridge, (no
Bracket Bridge Company, plate girder,
Nelson design, $27. 600.
Toledo Bridge Company, plate girder. Mel
King Bridge Company. plate girder. Nell
son design, $24,50O; plate girder, Coyner de-
sign. $1,000; high truss, ss5.5OO.
Nelson design, so, 700; plate girder. Coyner
design, sSl. 900; high truss, s2s,7OO.
Gansberg. Roney & Hayworth. stone
Koss & Fritz. stone bridge. s13 cubic
william Fife. oolitic stone bridge s1s a
cubic yard; stratified stone 81 cubic yard;
plate girder. Nelson design, stone work, SS.T5
cubic yard; concrete. S. a cubic yard; high
truss. stone work, 1915 a cubic yard; con-
Hoosier Construction Company, Melan
arch $4,000 and s31 900; oolitic limestone.
sS2. 600: pavement, 5000.
NJ. M Defrees, stone bridge, S54, SIP; con-
crete arch, Defrees design, $50 200.
Capital Paving and Construction Company,
stone bridge, sos cubic yard; Melan arch.
After the bids were opened the question
was raised as to the right of the commission
ers to let the contract w. N. Harding, act
Ing as county attorney In the absence of w.
T. Brown, pointed out that the county re-
form law provides that advertisements for
bids of this character shall run for four
weeks prior to the letting of the contract
1t was discovered that the advertisement for
bids on the Central-avenue bridge were only
published three weeks. The commissioners
stated that they had advertised for bids
under the act Of the last Legislature regu.
lating the awarding Of contracts by com
missioners. This act says that county work
In advance of the time a contract is to be
let. The question then arose as to which
legislative enactment this matter would
come under. Attorney Harding said he de-
sired to investigate the question carefully
and would give an opinion at O'Clock to-
day. The board then decided to wait until
to-day before deciding what should be done
with the bids Should the attorney FIND
that the commissioners ought to have adyer
tised for bids under the reform law all the
bids received yesterday will be rejected anc
new ones will be asked for in accordance
with the law. In the event Attorney Hard
| ing sustains the board and finds that the
advertising was properly done there is still
doubt about the commissioners right to le
the contract as the legislative act under
which they have been proceeding says tina
| all contracts shall be awarded on the ga,
the bids are opened.
Bridge men say the lowest bid was from
| the Toledo Bridge Company, which offers t.
construct steel bridge for $40 $50. This bid
however, does not include the masonry. TIL
| lowest bid on stone bridge was submittet
| by William Fife. Should he be awarded tn
| contract the structure would cost in tn
| neighbOrhood of $1,000 The Nelson an,
| "Coyner" designs referred to are the PLAN
or bridges submitted to the commissioner
| by Jas. b. Nelson, civil engineer of thi
city. and John v. Coyner, the county sur
veyor.