New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-22
|. SCHWANDTNER on STAND.
WHY HE LOWERED BID.
Understood .1uison Wanted Iron
Plans Made Lighter

PAM s-bvsndtner % the iron contracting firm
Of Pole & schvandtuer. which had the contract
for the iron work on the il fated Hotel Darling
ton WIS the chief witness yesterday at the
,ororsr's frcuest into the disaster Assistant Dis
trIct Attorney Train warned him that anything ne
SAID might be used against him. His experience
as irCnwoTk contractor was confned 10 "oIh
as a riveter and blacksmith until ne began 10
take contracts for alterations Of iron work
He never had any such contract as the Daring
ton one even approaching 1t IN size. ne met
Pole after beng in business for some time Foie
promised 10 put Up 5000.
II took the Neville & Bazee plans TO figure on
and made a bid" said the witness. Eugene AIN
told they could not get the iron, as the
Phoenix Company insisted he put up Slo.VD for TIE
iron He said that ought 20 be able to get
the iron talked to Pole about II. Then ne
looked over the plans and sent in an estimate
OF about $4,000"
He did not know that some bids had been made
high as $4,000 $4,000
Later Eugene Allison told him that a friend had
looked the plans and found that they could
be made lighter. On these plans witness sent IN
a bid FOR SIS 500. Some time after this he signed
a contract with Eugene Allison. and signed not
only the Neville & Bagge plans. but also the second
set.
L then had to copy these plans because had
10 use the columns Of the Neville & Bagge plans
and the floor construction OF the second ones l
then engaged Tomek to draw the plans. Tomek
told me the plans had been approved in the
Buildings Department He said Roth told him"
Tomek increased the amount OF the iron work
about thrty-fve tons
But there was 52oc difference between your
first bid and your second" said Mr.. Just. Of the
Jury. Allowing $40 a ton for the iron. this would
he G reduction OF $50 tons instead Of thrty-flve
that you speak Of"
Wei. / thought I should make something II
delivered the iron myself"
At the beginning OF negotiations. witness said he
had been at the Allison offices almost every day
lie was there the day the building fell.
Schwandtnor denied that he had ever ordered any
iron TO be hoisted from the street TO the top tier
Of the structure to get it out OF the This IS
in absolute contradiction of Eugene Allsons testi-
mony and also OF that Of Halpin, the ironwoTk
foreman. Schwandtner said that in all there were
about forty or forty-five pieces. including twenty
TO twenty-five columns and about twenty beams Of
iron the eleventh floor
George i. Allison. treasurer Of the Allison Realty
Company said that its stockholders were ms DTot-
er Eugene G. Allison $l25UO himself, 3l25o)s Henry
RovyIrv. president $1,000; Charles Patterson, $1,000
ard Charles II. Campbell $OJ-all PAID In cash'
So bitter said witness did the controversy be-
come between the firm and Pole * SchwanutIltl
that he offered the firm $1,000 70 withdraw from the
lob so THAI the contract could be let 10 another
party. .,..-, o., A.
Cooper Wiegand Company and OF over $i5,uD rom
J. r. & J. N. Cornell?" asked Mr.. Just
I'VE have can't say now. was the repiy-
wouldn't that have aroused your suspicious a.
to the excellence Of the Pole & SchwandtneT hTIl
Abraham Stern member Of the Board OF Educa-
tiun who held the second mortgage, told me IN
January: You better get rid OF Pole o. Sch"anuAe.
or else they'n ruin YOU"