The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-05
SCHOOL BOARD RECEIVES BIDS
FOR ITS WINTERS SUPPLY
OF FUEL
HOLMES G. MGAUGHEY
SEEM TO BE LOWEST
Only Two of the City Firms Bid on
Hard Coal, Owing to the Uncertainty
Prevailing Regarding the Strike-To
Be Taken Up Friday.

Mayor Smith, President Haas, Of the
common council and City Treasurer
Bremen, acting as the city's purchasing
committee, met yesterday morning at
the office of the mayor for the purpose
of opening bids for school supplies for
the coming school year. The bids sub
mitted embraced all classes of supplies,
but chief attention was given to those
for fuel, the others being merely re-
ferred to the school board for recon-
mendation as is customary.
The fuel bids which were read in
cluded proposals more or less in detail
from seven different local companies,
some of whom, however, only quoted
figures upon certain items selected
from the specifications as furnished by
the board of education and only two
of whom bid at all on hard coal
The specifications of the board, ac-
cording to estimates based upon the
fuel consumed during the preceding
year, called for bids upon the follow
ing:
5000 tons Illinois lump coal
55'000 tons Hooking Valley lump.
5000 tons Youghiogheny lump.
1000 tons Pocohontas.
1000 tons New River
400 tons CRATE, hard coal.
400 tons egg, hard coal
400 tons stove, hard coal.
400 tons nut, hard coal.
100 cords dry pine slabs.
100 cords dry pine edgingS.
70 cords dry maple wood.
The companies bidding were the
Northwestern Fuel company, the Jones
& Adams company, Youghiogheny and
Lehigh Valley Coal company, Pioneer
Fuel company, Holmes & MacGaughey
company, and Ohio Coal company.
Bid for Whole or Nothing.
Holmes & MacGaughey, in a letter
accompanying their statement of
price announced to the committee
that they would not accept any divided
portion of the contract, but were bid
ding for the whole or nothing. On
some of the items this firms figures
were lower than those of the other
bidders, and this was especially no
1ceable in the prices quoted on wood.
From a general comparison of the
bids it appeared to the committee that
the bid of the Holmes MacGaughey
company was, on the whole, the low
est, although some of the firms had
quoted prices upon SO many different
grades of the various kind Of coal
named in the specifications as to make
their figures confusing.
Presumably on. account of the scar
city consequent upon the miners
strike only two of the firms made any
mention of hard coal in their bids.
They were the Jones & Adams COM
pany, the one company in this city
which has an independent dock and
shipping facilities, and the Holmes &
MacGaughey company, and their price
was the same, $8.25 per ton, for deliv-
cry any time after the present month
On Hooking Valley, the Northwest
ern Fuel company, the Jones & Adams
company, st. Paul and Western Coal
company, and Ohio Coal company, all
bid $3.50; and the Holmes & Mac
Gaughey company, $3.50.
On Youghiogheny, the Jones & Ad-
ans, Youghiogheny and Lehigh, Pho
neer and Ohio companies, all named
$3.50 as their figure, and the Holmes &
MacGaughey company, $40.
On Pocohontas the bids were uni
form. at $4.75, the Holmes & Mac
Gaughey company not bidding, and on
New River the other smokeless soft
coal, the other companies bid $4.75, and
the Holmes G. MacGaughey company,
$4.45.
Lowest on Wood.
In the bids on wood the Holmes &,
MacGaughey company were cOnspicu-
ouSly lower than any of the others, the
next lowest bidders being the North
western Fuel company, whose figures
WclO 9o.oo 1OI SldDS, 9o.aU Tor eQS1nSS,
and $6.T5 for maple wood; while the
prices of the Holmes & MacGaughey
company were 50 for slabs, $3.50 for
edgings, and $3.50 for maple wood.
The figures quoted by the other firms
who bid on wood were 81 for slabs,
$3.50 for edgings, and 81 for maple
wood.
Last year the Jones & Adams had
the contract at the following prices,
which, it will be seen, are for the
greater part somewhat higher than the
bids of this year:
Hooking Valley SO. 90; Youghioghe-
ny, $40; New River, $4.20; crate, So;
egg, stove and nut, 1925; slabs, 81;
edgings, 1915; maple wood, 81.
The committee referred all of the
bids to Secretary Healy, of the school
board for tabu1ation, and adjourned to
Friday afternoon at o'clock, when
the matter will be taken up again. In
the meantime the bids will be sub
mitted to the board of education at it's
meeting tomorrow afternoon, and pos
sibly that body may have recommen-
dations to make to the purchasing com
mittee.