New-York tribune., 1901-07-15
MAY BE AN INVESTIGATION.
TRICK OF DEALERS IN SECOND HAND
BUILDING MATERIAL EXPOSED
TAMMANY PARTICIPATES.

An official investigation Is likely to follow the
peculiar auction sale OF buildings in Delaney
st. which are being cleared away for the ap-
proach to the New East River Bridge. The
thing most likely to prevent investigation OF
the extraordinary official action Of Peter F.
Meyer Richard Crokers real estate partner and
city auctioneer. is the fear of certain dealers III
second hand building material that If they stano
up for their rights they will be driven out OF
business by subterranean methods employed by
Tammany Hall
There Is q combination Of the second manu-
building material men who stand in with GER
tain city officials On account Of natural cohoi-
tions this combination is not ''ar tight" and at
critical times. as on Tuesday last 1t leaks
L. Benjamin. manager Of the Northwestern
wrecking Company. a Chicago concern. attended
the sale on Tuesday. and bought several oio
buildings.
THE CITY DIVIDED.
'The second hand building material men have
divided the city into districts" said Mr.. Ben
Jamin yesterday at the Astor House to IT'D
une reporter. THE understanding is that con-
tractor working In a certain district will not be
competed with by genuine bidder for nytmhs
he goes after. In that way he Is able to get an
old building at about his own figure. Wheh our
company came here various schemes were trieo
to knock us out The contractors who do shor-
ing are part of the combination. ana 'hes
roast" the outsider as soon as he tries u 90
business here. We have had to fight our way H.
but we are in now l don't know just how far
the Tammany people are helping out the CUM
bination. but guess there is an UNDERSTANDINGS
There was a little funny work cone at 'he
sale of buildings in Delancey-st on TuesdaS'
but 1 can't kick, as I got about all went
after"
fba la Yak ke
"Oh no. not exactly that. There were several
bona fde bids on all the buildings with the ex-
ception of the Church Of ST. Rose OF Lima
went prepared to bid up to Sl3oo Tor the
church, which is nearly new property 1T mas
In It considerable steel and iron, and the brick
work is first class. When l got 10 the churcn
one of City Clerk Scully's friends came TO me
and said:
Don't bid on the church. Some of us want
1t to go low so they can buy 1t cheap ana theh
make a present of II to the priests
There were a lot of dealers fairly falling
over themselves to get in bids on the church.
Scully's men and myself went around among
them and told them not to bid. No one got In
a large bid" -
Did you hear Mr.. Goidsten bid S5o?" Mr..
Benjamin was asked.
THE CITY LOST MONEY.
1T saw Goldsten there. and I heard him talk
ing angrily because he couldn't make any one
hear his bid. The city was the only one that
got stuck the church property. 1t would
have brought from 1900 10 $500 IL we hadn't
passed the word around that no one was 10 bid.
Are you sure the church property was worth
more than S35 the figure II brought" Mr.. Ben
jaraiu asked
.Oh. yes ! would have paid $500 for II IL
I hadn't been told that there was an under
standing that we were not to bid on IT.
WAS Mr.. Meyer aware OF what was going on !?
Mr.. Benjamin asked.
Meyer is square" the reply. He Of
fered everything and took the bids he got. We
all knew that no one was TO bid on the church.
paid 5000 for another building not as good as
the church,
Perhaps" said another builder the priests
VIII not accept the church after all. when they
learn that there colusion among the bid
ders to prevent the city from getting all the
property was worth"