Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-31
INQUIRY ORDERED
County Commissioner Arrange for Inverti-
cation Of Drake Contract.
THREE ENGINEERS ARE. AGREED UPON
1Four ola Members override o'Keene
at Every Point and Fix the
whole Thing TO suit
T~hemseIves.

m q meeting that was 30 warm Il fairly
sizzled the Board Of County Commissioner
yesterday selected County Surveyor Ed
.quist. r. B. Howell, a former city engineer,
and w. Scott King, engineer at the stock
yards in South Omaha, to act. II they will.
as the committee to investigate the fair
ness Of the price Of $4,000 that the county
paid for the county poor farm bridge.
Before the matter was disposed of there
was an exchange Of personalities that were
very blunt, and o'Keefe, who is chairman of
the committee on bridges and who started
this Investigation. but who was not allowed
his preferred representation on the inquir-
ing board, declared: "Tn protest this ac-
tion. II you mean to whitewash this thing,
let's know IL at the start. I'll be here when
that report comes inf I'm not shot hrst."
O'Keene proposed the inquiry on June
II and with some bravado the board voted
at once that the bridge committee should
select an engineer to do the investigating.
iHarte and Connolly, the other members OF
the committee. met with o'Keene, It's
chairman, yesterday, but the three could
not agree on any one engineer.
Three Engineers Needed.
II therefore came up before the board
At this meeting upon o'Keeffe's motion to
take the resolution from the bridge COM
mittee and let the board do the selecting
of the Investigators. He said that the COM
mittee had agreed on three names Tues
day, but as the resolution provided for only
one engineer and the committeeman
couldn't agree on that one, nothing was
done.
Harte moved that the board select three
engineers and the motion carried.
Then the storm came. for the other four
members Of the board allied themselves
against the inquisitor from South Omaha
and kept on the investigating committee
the only man that he asked to have placed
on II. 1t was then that O'Keeffe made
his protest and his reference to the white
washing process. He was so indignant that
his voice went to thunder pitch and quite
q crowd was attracted to the amb
The thing was over almost before the
spectators could realize how 1t hap
pened. Ostrom moved that the county
surveyor act as one member of the COM
mittee and all voted aye. o'Keeffe proposed
the name OF ]. z. House and Harte sec
onded the motion, but when the vote was
taken Connolly, ostrom and Chairman
Hofeldt voted no and the motion was lost.
Majority Names Its Men.
o'Keene realized what was happening as
the vote proceeded. but was powerless.
when Harte proposed the name Of w. S.
King all others voted aye, bit ths sS.:s
Omahan Numbered a nay. When Connolly
proposed the name of r. b. Howell the
performance was repeated. Connolly had
given as the reason for opposing the selec-
tion Of House the statement Of O'Keefe
chat he had seen House in regard to the
matter. Connolly said: "o'Keeffe insisted
on this particular man In committee meet
ing, but don't believe that when a menu
Der makes a charge he should be permitted
to 20 out and select his engineer and have
It all cut and dried" ~"F o." rrss -
o'Keene's retort was that this excuse
was thin as water and that water. 70 his
certain knowledge. Is pretty thin.
Instruction. for Committed.
When the matter of the committed
makeup had been disposed Of Harte,
though not the chairman OF the committee
offered a resolution Of Instructions to be
given the Investigators, and these WERE
adopted with only o'Keeffe dissenting. II
was during the discussion Of these thai
Connolly and ostrom had q tart exchange
with the recalcitrant South omahan. All
amusing feature of the moments of yiolen'
belligerency was that while Connolly wal
very moist. 0strom very white and o'Keen'
very red with the heat of their discussion
the memorable Peter the Silent pulled out
warrant book and proceeded calmly with
his signing. The discussion might have
been the recitation Of a Latin class FOL
all the concern the chairman betrayed.
The resolution offered by Harte AM
adopted by the board instruets the investi
gators to examine the contract OF July 10
1901. and interpret the contract price tina
should have been paid Drake for the bridge
In the determining process they are to ex
anime the original yearly contract between
the county and Drake on behalf OF tn
Standard Bridge company, dated July Is
1900, and the plans and specifications at
tached; the order that the board CAV,
Drake June "a, 1901; the resolution tn
accepted on July 81. 1901" The investiga
tors are to examine the bridge itself an,
board passed July 10. 1901; the "modine'
plans and specifications for such bridge
prepared and submitted to the board 70
their approval in accordance with the orde
OF June "a. 1901. and by them approved an,
determine II II complies with the modiae