The Topeka state journal., 1900-06-05
BROKEN AT LAST.
Local Brick Combine Loses Con-
troll Of Situation.
0. Swanson Underbids the To-
peka Representatives.
ST. JOE OR LAWRENCE.
Paving Material Will Come
From These Places.
Lowest Bid Was S1.24 Per
Square Yard.
ST. JOE OR LAWRENCE.


first time in ten years the paving con-
tracts were snatched from under their
eyes and the brick will be furnished By
the factories at either Lawrence or st.
Joe.
There has been no end of trouble for
year because the paving has been re-
tarded. A large part of that contracted
for last year was not completed because
the contractors could not get brick
enough. The contractor was John Ritch-
lie. representative of the Capital City
Vitrified Brick company. L Blackman
hovered on the horizon for some time
and he occasionally got a small contract
but Mr.. Blackman was eliminated by
some means this season and he has cut
no figure in the paving contract.
The man who fought the local COM
bine was o. Swanson. and until last
night he has not succeeded in getting
any of the contracts. He could not buy
brick to complete with the local con-
Germ and the prices received from the
local companies did not enable him TO
compete with their representative. But
the estimate of the city engineer was
raised and Mr. Swanson came in and
captured nearly everything in sight
While the contract was not formally
awarded to him a meeting will be held
Friday evening al which time he will
{
is the lowest bidder except on one or
two small sections upon which he sub
mitted no bids whatever.
The paving to be awarded is as fol-
lows:
Topeka avenue from Fourteenth street
to the city limits.
Topeka avenue from Second street to
Third street.
Eleventh street from Harrison street
| to Topeka avenue.
Harrison street from Eleventh street
/ to Twelfth.
Monroe street from Sixth avenue to
/ Tenth avenue.
! Taylor street from Seventh street to
/ Eighth avenue.
/ Alley between Seventh and Eighth.
| Mr.. Swanson bid only on Monroe
| street, Topeka avenue from Second to
! Third street and Taylor street His bid
/ for the paving was S1.24 per square
yard.
John Ritchie and c. B. Ramsey bid
/ S1.2515 and S1.24 40.
/ Wall & Hanley bid 81. 2S15.
Black Laird & Blackman bid $1.30.
Mr.. Swansons bid for Fort Scott
/ curbing was A cents per foot. He bid
! "A for Colorado red sand stone and 81
R. B. Ripley bid As cents for Fort
/ Scott stone for curbing.
Ritcbie and Ramsey bid SO cents for
/ Colorado red sand stone.
Wall and Hanley were the only bid
ders for the grading and their bids
ranged from p to "A cents per cubic
yard.
The bids were referred to a special
| committee composed of COuncilmen
| Belts and Myers who were unable to
submit a. complete report at once owing
/ TO the fact that none of the bidders had
| submitted bids for all the paving to be
| awarded and it was decided to hold a
meeting Friday evening to receive the
/ report
Meanwhile there was some excitement
| among the brick men.
l. Blac1man arose and said: 81
/ notice that Mr.. Swanson has submitted
samples Of st. Joe and Lawrence brick
L believe that the council is interested
in having this work done as soon as
/ possible and that you do not want tC
award the contract to some one whC
can not supply the brick Mr. Stevens
the manager Of the Lawrence plant, is
here and he says that he has not made
any prices for Mr.. Swanson for brick
He has not asked the price of Mr.. Ed.
son or myself here in Topeka and i
you are in a hurry for the pavement
think that you should know what yoI
are doing"
Mayor Drew said: That statemen
is not entirely correct. Mr.. Swanson
asked me today if I saw Mr.. Steven
to ask him the price of brick and 1 dit
so and gave Mr.. Swanson the figures.
Mr.. Stevens then explained that hi
company had brick to sell and that h
had come to Topeka for the purpose Q
/ disposng of brick. He said that he wa
satisfied that his brick would stand an.
test and would be satisfactory for paw
ing. He said that he had made price
| to Wall & Hanley.
Councilman Warner then arose an
asked Mr.. Stevens: will you sell you
brick to any one besides Wall & Han
. / ley2"
Mr.. Stevens-We are in the bricl
business.
Mr. Warner-What we want to know
t. f1,-v- sJx fr r.
Swanson.
Mr.. Stevens-We have brick to sell
This was as near as the Lawrenc
brick man came to answering Mr.. War
ner's question and the impression lef
was that there was danger that Nh
Swanson might find his supply shut of
There was a movement to limit tn
contractor to Lawrence brick but thi
was before Mr.. Stevens lodged Nj
Warmers question.
The council viii make thorough test
of both St. Joe and Lawrence brick.
PAVING DELAYS.
, The delay in the paving was agai
before the council. P. H. Forbes VIII
lives near Buchanan On Thirteenth wa
present. He said
, Il am here to ask the council to al
ford me some relief. For two month
the street in front of my place ha
5 been torn up and closed. During tha
] two months the PAYERS have laid onl
= about two blocks of paving and we al
becoming somewhat anxious"
This brought Councilman Elliott t
= his feet and he said that he had II
vestigated the paving question thol
oughly and had found thatA Is block
had been laid in the pa!
six weeks. He said that II
block complained of could be put dow
: in a few days. He named the bloch
!, which had been paved and said that /
!. was becoming tired of the continue
s. complaints about slow paving.
Y A L. Williams who lives on Fillmol
d street and who has watched wear
months in vain for the paving fore
was present and he asked Mr.. ElEe
what paving had been done on Topek
! averue as he had stated that sever
$ blocks had been completed on that avt
z nue..
Mr.. Elliott replied that the space 0,