The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-12-28
CONTRACT IS TO
Be RECONSIDERED
Bowman & Co.'S Bid on New
High School Building
THE STOCKMAR CON TRACT
Board of Education Has a Lengthy
Executive Sesslon--Letter From
Bowman & Co., Bidders, Whose
Certified Check Was Mlslald.

school will be reconsidered.
Should your honorable board see fit
to decline our withdrawal we stand
ready and will gladly proceed with the
work at our bid"
These words at the bottom of letter
to the board of education probably caused
the board to reconsider the bids for the
contract for erecting the Birmingham
High school. The letter with the post
script was addressed to the board by E.
G. Bowman g. Co., local contractors,
with reference to their bid which was
thrown ont Saturday by the board. for the
reason that the required certified check
for $1,000 did not accompany the bid as
submitted.
These few lines" called for two
and a half hour discussion at special
star-chamber session of the board of ed
ucation held yesterday afternoon at the
city hall. The meeting began at clock.
l. was called for the purpose of reconsid-
ering the letting of the contract for the
new High school to lie Stockmar Con-
struction company of Birmingham, Of
which Alderman II. A. Stockmar is the
head. The Stockmar bid was for S99,9S7.
Mayor Drennen. vice president, Ell P
Smith, James j. Smith and NJ. ]. Gregg,
four members-constituting a quorum
were present, but in short while 1t was
seen that a deadlock existed. Mayor
Drennen suggested an executive session,
which was adopted.
Two Propositions.
1t Is understood that in the executive
session two propositions were submit
ted, to-wit:
1. To re-adyertise for bids.
2. To allow the award of the contract
to remain.
James J. Smith and Eli P. Smith are
said to have been in favor OF the former
proposition, and Mayor Drennen and Mr.
Gregg the latter.
However, an agreement was finally
reached that the matter should be recon-
sdered and a motion to adjourn until to-
morrow prevailed.
Besides the members of the board pres
emit, others at the meeting were City En-
gineer Julian Kendrick City Attorney
Edward D. Smith, Alderman John C. For
ney, Alderman john R. Copeland and
Architects Breeding and Whilldin.
City Attorney Smith did not arrive at
the meeting until 1t was half over, and
1t is understood that he was sent .or,
while the meeting was In progress. b. A.
Pepperman. private secretary to the
mayor, acted as secretary of the board
in the absence of DIR. ]. H. Phillips, SUI
perintendent of the schools who is out
of the city.
Henry B. Gray A. o. Lane, the presi-
dent of the board, and DR.. Samuel Ull-
man, a member, were not present. Mr..
Gray is out of the city, Mr.. Lane con-
tends that his term of office has ex-
pred inasmuch as his successor has been
chosen.
When Mayor Drennen called the meet
ing to order he said that he had decided
to get the members together, as he had
been requested to do so by members of
the board
He said that Mr.. Bowman has sub
mitted a proposition. which he would
ask the secretary to read. The commune
cation or proposition was as follows:
-DOWtHdfl c< w. LGIlcFs
Birmingham. Ala. December a. 1904
ITO the Honorable R@ard of Education
of the City of Birminl ham.
"Gentlemen-When the bids were open
ed for the erection of the high school
building on Saturday, the Gath instant,
the bid made by e. c. Bowman & Co.
was found to be the lowest bid, but as we
are in formed was rejected because it was
not accompanied by a check for $1,000.
This was a surprise to us, because at the
time we delivered our bid to the archi-
tects' Breeding & Whildin. we delivered in
a separate envelope to Mr.. Breeding our
check for $1,000, being the bank check
of the Birmingham Trust and Savings
company. and we called his attention to
the fact that the envelope handed him,
contained our check. and we expected
that when the bids were opened, the fact
that we had deposited our check would
be made known to the board.
Greatly Surprised.
1--WE We're greatly surprised when we
learned that your architects had failed
to deliver our check. and are greatly an
noyed and somewhat perplexed to know
how such an error could have occurred
Upon investigation, however, we find that
the envelope containing the check was
not addressed and the explanation of
the architects, is that in getting the bids
together in their office when starting to
the office of the board of education to
open bids, they overlooked the envelope
containing our check, because of the fact
that it was not addressed This is an UNI
fortunate state of affairs and undoubted-
~ must be very annoying to the MEM
bers of your honorable board as we'll as
to the architects, Messrs. Breeding and
Whilldin.
after fully considering the matter we
have decided that whereas the check was
not produced at the office of the board
when the bids were opened, the board
could not possibly have acted in any
other way than that in which they did,
and whereas the envelope containing the
check was not addressed, we are willing
to concede that the error of overlooking
our check by the architects was a per-
fectly natural one and we beg leave to
accept this situation as an unfortunate
one; with no i'll Feeling against the board
of education. or mistrust of the archi-
tects, but only blame ourselves for not
being more careful in pinning our check
to our bid, so that they could not have
been separated.
I'VE therefore ask of your honorable
board that you kindly allow us to with
draw our bid
Hoping that this will meet with your
worthy approval and expressing our
deepest regerts at our failure to receive
the honor of erecting the high school for