The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-04-05
suit IS FILED.
Board of Education Enjoined
From Letting Contract.
MIR. Matthews Discusses Award
to Highest Bidder.

An injunction suit was filed in the dis
trict court Tuesday afternoon by Ferry
and Doran for ConkIin & Gustafson. to
prevent the board of education from
signing the contracts with the bidders
who were awarded the contracts for
heating plants for the Sumner, Grant
and Garfield schools. The temporary
restraining order was allowed and the
contracts have not been signed.
The case is brought against the Board
of Education. w. H. Wilson, president;
J. E. Stewart, clerk; the B. F. Sturte-
want Co. of Chicago. who were awarded
the contract for the heating plant for
Sumner school. The petition says:
THAT these plaintiffs among others bid
upon the said heating plant and COM
piled with all the requirements of said
defendant board, giving their certified
check for more than per cent or the
amount of their said bid and doing all
that said board required in any partlcu-
lar whatsoever. That at a meeting of
said defendant board in executive ses-
sion the said board opened the bids sub
mitted under said requirements, and
awarded the contract for the heating
plant for said Sumner school to the
highest bidder instead of the lowest, IN
fraud of the public and to the injury Of
these plaintiffs, who were the lowest
bidders. and who were and are able,
ready and willing to comply with their
said bid and to make a contract and
furnish bond to faithfully do the work
and comply with their contract in every
respect under their said bid.
The plaintiffs further allege that said
board awarded to B. F. Sturtevant Co..
of Chicago, the right to make a contract
to put the heating plant in said Sumner
school building for the sum and price of
$3.50, while the bid Of these plaintiffs
was the sum of SO, 1913. or 81, 762 less than
that of the bidder receiving the award.
THE plaintiffs further allege that the
plant they bid to furnish is as good if
not superior to that of the successful
bidders and that their bid though the
lowest was rejected without cause or
reason and in plain violation of the duty
Of said board to the public and to these
plaintiffsp
The case was set for hearing at two
O'Clock Tuesday
George H Matthews, chairman of the
building committee of the board of educa-
ton. said today: Il was not in favor of
the bid of-the Sturtevant company of So
100 for the heating plant in the Sumner
bid Of $3.50 for a furnace blast plant,
which IS S1,19O less than the contract
price awarded. As far heating plants
are concerned. we viii not have anything
but an up-to-date heating and ventilating
system. In Chicago ara st. Louis none
but the most improved plants are used.
They would not have one of the old style
If it were given to them The old fash
houses The1 are ali right for other
buildings, perhaps but they are not ali
fitted for the purposes Of Z. school build
altogether different question than the
heating of offices. hospitals even
churches. In the average school room of
IS by p feet there are 90 or 50 pupils. The
height Of the ceiling is about IA feet. The
children are in there all day. No such
conditions exist in any other buildings.
people IN one room for such a length Of
a q
90 cubic feet of fresh air for each per-
son every minute and nothing but scien-
tihcally planned and constructed heating
and ventilating system can meet the re-
The results in getting schools equipped
IN this manner, continued Mr. Matthews,
dispositions of the scholars The princi-
"a Pa u ~ ~ 7i III 80 10y
that such a system had done his SchOl-
ars With the heat ree1llat ting system the
temperature and ventilation are kept even
and kent far better than any person can
do it. Then the rooms are never too cold
nor too warm. Under no circumstances
would the building committee OF the
such a plant as speak of. There is not
a heating contractor in town who knows
how to put in such a plant Scientih cally.
None of them has made a study of the
question, as have these larger out of
go out of town to get such a plant as
we need In the Polk and Branner
plants by Topeka firms last year, the
systems are complete failures and will
soon have to be torn out and rebuilt. It
takes a man with experience and a scien-
tifc knowledge of the business to plan
and equip school building with
the kind of heating and ventil-
ating systems that we need. and such per-
sons cannot be found IN Topeka I say
that if are going to guy a steam plant,
buy a. good one. but I think that the
blast furnaces bring the same results
and cost less. I favored the Lewis &
Kitchen plant for Sumner school, q blast
furnace plant which would cost s., 80 and
which I believe would bring just the samc
results as the Sturtevant system, which is