Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1901-08-15
CONTRACTS LET
After a Long Session and Considerable
Juggling with Figures the Council
Lets Waterworks Contracts.

The contracts for city waterworks
and electric light extension have
finally been let. The successful bid
ders are Fairbanks, Morse & Co., who
get the bulk of the contract for
$36, 432. J. b. Nelson s. Co., of Man
kato, Mimi, were the lowest bidders
on power house and chimney and were
awarded the work at $4,993. The
steel tower and tank will be furnished
by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Com
pany for 81 ,494. This makes a total
Of $4S.9l9.
When the bids were opened on
Wednesday it was discovered that
there were only three firms that fig
ursd on the entire work, although
there were fifteen bidders In all, COW
ering different items of the project.
The firms bidding on the work as a
whole were Fairbanks, Morse & Co.
at $56. 800, ". l. Gray s. Co. at $5S, ,220,
and the Des Moines Iron Works at
S57 1854.
AS the city had only $50, ,255 avail
able from the sale of It's bonds, and
allowing 5000 for the preliminary
work, 1t was found that the lowest
bid was at least 1000 In excess Of the
city's pile. What to do was a conun-
drum. The plans and specifications
submitted to bidders was on the basis
OF what was thought to be absolute
necessities and the first thought was
that nothing could be eliminated and
still leave the basis for suitable
plant-one that could be built on in
the future and something that would
be permanent and valuable.
The council was certainly up against
hard proposition-"the real thing" !"
as it were. 1t is a pretty good figurer
that can get $56,S00 worth out Of
$47, ,255. This is not exactly what the
council did but, as will be seen in the
first paragraph OF this article, they
got it down to $4S,9l9.
The members of the board Of alder
men hung to the proposition In a
patriotic manner, they being In con-
tinuous session from three o'clock
Wednesday morning until after mid
night and all day Thursday, COM
mencing their labor at 1880 In the
morning, before arriving at solution
OF the problem. Only one unit was
cut out of the original proposition,
but this, together with close figuring,
notifications and concessions forced
from the contractors and supply men,
made the lengthy session profitable
one and ended in very satisfactory
arrangement for the completion OF
the plant by responsible parties. The
work contracted for is to be completed
on or about the 10th day of Decem-
ber.
The waterworks system will not be
as extensive as was originally proposed
in the plans submitted by the engin-
eers, Messrs. Loweth & Wolf, but will
be complete as far as they so. This
is In line with a suggestion made by
the REGISTER some time ago when 1t
was discovered that there was not
money enough on hand to build the
entire system and make the absolute
necessary extensions to the light
plant.
1t is we'll known that the city con-
templated a combination of the two
plants, in the interest Of economy,
and that it was absolutely necessary
to make some extensions to the light
ing system In order to do business
through the winter, The light plant
is already overloaded and the city en-
gineer rendered report to the coun-
Gil saying that il steps were not taken
to increase it's capacity by September
list, az the outside, 1t would stop
doing business. Thirty or forty
houses are already wired, but are not
connected up, and people will soon be
demanding light, with the city In no
position to furnish 1t. What was the
city to do? 1t could not refuse TO
accept good, paying customers and go
out of business, especially when IL is
shown that the plant has been max
| ing money for the city. With these
facts staring them In the face the
board decided that new power plant
must be built and that IL must be OF a
size and proportions sufficient to ac-
commodate both plants and answer
all purposes of the city for years to
come. Aside from this, the money to
be expended In uew electrical sppar-
atus is small item indeed, as there
are to be some returns from the sale
OF apparatus now in use.
This arrangement, however, only
affords temporary relief, so far az the
| .t,c< rt< nuht planf fg c0ncar0ad an