The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-12-30
Education Board So Decides al
SpecitI Meeting Yesterday
TO OPEN BIDS JANUARY 10.
Erection of New High School Building
Placed In the Hands of Architect
WhllIdn at Executive Session
of Board of Education.

Bids for the construction of the Biz
mingham high school are to be readver-
tised for The new bids will be opened
by the board of education or January 10.
This was decided upon at the second
special executive session of the board of
education held yesterday afternoon. The
meeting commenced at o'clock and it
was after o'clock before adjournment
was reached
The board by resolution decided to place
the matter of giving instructions to pro-
posed contractors in the hands of D. o.
Whildin of the firm of Breeding & Whill-
din. The firm of Breeding 81 Whilldin
were the architects whose plans and
specifications for the new high school
We're accepted. Heretofore both mem
bers of the firm have acted as the agents
for the board in the matter of erecting
the new high school.
At Previous Meeting.
1t will be recalled that the board of
education at its special meeting held last
Saturday at noon. opened bids for the
high school contract The bid of the
Stockmar Construction and Manufacture
ing company to erect the high school for
S99,9S4 was accepted, 1t providing that the
Twenty-fourth, the Seventh avenue and
the west side of the new building should
be built of Indiana limestone Two bids
that of e. c. Bowman and company of
birmingham, being one of these-faied
to have the required check for $1,000 at
tached. After the board had awarded the
contract, Mr. Bowman made a protest
claiming that he had left his certified
check with the architects. Upon search
his check was found in the desk of the
architects. but it was In an envelope
unaddressed
Mayor Drennen, the vice president of
the board of education, and the presiding
officer called a special meeting of the
board for Tuesday afternoon. For two
and half hours the board was In exec
utiye session at thu meeting and when
It Terminated 1t was announced that the
board had decided by a vote of three to
one that the matter of awarding the con-
tract had been reconsidered and that an
other meeting would be held yesterday
afternoon at o'clock at the same place,
In the city hall.
Yesterdays Special Meeting.
Mayor Drennen called the meeting to
order yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock.
ELI p. Smith, Henry b. Gray, James j.
Smith and M. j. Gregg being the mem
bers present. In the absence OF DR.. j. II.
Phillips, superintendent of the public
schools, who is out of the city, his private
secretary, Mr.. LaFonce, acted as the sec
rotary of the meeting.
Immediately after the meeting was
| called to order, two affidavits, made by
| members of the firm of Breeding and
| Whilldin, with reference tie the check OF
| the Bowman company were read These
affidavits rected in detail all of the trans
actions with the Bowman company, so far
| as the architects were concerned The af-
! fadavits were made before n. c. Perrin,
clerk in the office of City Attorney Ed
ward d. Smith Wednesday morning. ii
| is understood, by instructions from Mayor
! Drennen. The aifidavits are said to have
| been delivered to the mayor Wednesday
| afternoon at o'clock by his instructions
! Mr.. Perrin Is a notary public.
Mayor Drennen instructed that these
| affadavlts be not given out by the secre-
| tary for publication. which orders were
carried out to the letters. The architects
1t is understood, held a copy of the af-
| fidayits.
| Immediately after the anidavlts were
| read in the meeting yesterday afternoon
| the DOaru went INTO executive session, the
architects, Alderman John c. Forney OF
the Sixth ward, Attorney H. r Fries AL
derman II. A. Stockmar of the Ninth
ward and at the head OF the Stockmai
! Construction and Manufacturing com,
pany retiring to the adjoining room will
the newspaper men.
Later Mr.. Bowman came In and after
| waiting an hour he knocked on the door
and was admitted by the secretary.
Il would like to say a few words tC
the members Of the board" said Mr.
| Bowan and he entered the room
IAN right" Mayor Bremen was heard
| to say.
The doors were then closed and Mr.
| Bowman remained in the room for prob
ably fifteen minutes. After he came out
| he said:
/ u only re-affirmed my proposition made
| to the board of education at the specia
meeting held on Tuesday afternoon Il
withdraw my bid. l explained my posi-
| ton fully. Further than that [ have
nothing to say"
Mr. Bowman Immediately left tht
municipal building.
Mr.. BoWman's Proposal.
| Mr.. Bowman, II will be recalled pre-.
! scented a proposition at the special meet
ing Tuesday afternoon to withdraw his
bid for the erection Of the high schoo
building He referred in this proposition
| to the fact that his check did not ac-
company his bid and only blamed him