Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-25


been considering a proposition involving the
always interesting element of chance. The
proposition is in connection with the award
OF contracts to bidders proposing to furnish
the general supplies to the District for the
ensuing fiscal year
A local dealer In articles under class 10,
Including drugs. chemicals. etc. recently
wrote the Commissioners suggesting plan
of deciding the successful bidder in the case
two or more dealers bid the same price on
various articles. The writer suggested that
in the case of the tie bids the Commission
-ers award the contract By tossing up
penny or by drawing lots from a hat.
The communication of the local dealer
suggests many interesting scenes to the
facetiously inclined. 1t would be interest
Ing, II Is conceded, to drop in upon a board
session of the three Commissioners engaged
III tossing pennies in the award of con-
tracts Reports of these sessions, in case
the penny tossing system We're adopted
would probably read about as follows:
Commissioner Macfarland arose from his
arm chair and picking up bright, new
penny from the table before him, held it
poised in the palm of his hand for a mo-
ment.
Heads or tails?' inquired the dignified
president OF the board of Commissioners.
Heads. called Commissioner West.
MIR. Macfarland with rapid sleight of
hand movement adroitly tipped the penny
into the air, while Col. Biddle removed his
cigar from his lips and leaned forward in
eager anticipation of the result. The award
OF the contract for several hundred dollars
worth of supplies depended upon the fall
of the copper. 1t hit the table with a ring
and the three governors of the District of
Columbia gathered closely around the spot
Inc dealers awaited the announcement of
the result with suppressed excitement
Tails 1t is. said Col. Biddle. as the
penny ceased rolling and. after wobble or
two, fell over gracefully with the wreat h
and shield side exposed
" Tails it is. echoed Commissioners Mac
farland and West. and the important ques-
ton OF the award of the contract for fur
nishing twenty-four gallons of red oil for
the board OF education was decided in favor
of the Blank Drug Company"
Should the Commissioners weary of the
tossing of pennies in deciding the tie bids
they might enjoy the recreation afforded by
drawing lots from hat. The plan would
be. perhaps. to blindfold the three Commits
sionerS and let them take turns III drawing
out the slips of paper Then after the
drawing OF lots had been finished and while
the Commissioners were already blindfolded
they could indulge in those old but highly
Entertaining games of .'bind-man's buff"
or Ruth and Jacob, without any extra
trouble in hliudfoding.
From present Indications. however. the
commissioners will not adopt the chance
element in deciding the award of contracts
on tie bids, and what has gone before was
merely speculation on contingencies
The local druggist will be informed in ac-
cordance with a report by Property Clerk
Beckett and Superinte ndent of Property
Simms that the practice of the District in
awarding the tie items to the bidder
whose quotations a re lowest the greatest
number OF Items is good and satisfactory
plan. and that this method will be followed
by the District authorities.
y
One kind of plate abundant in Washing
ton is seldom stolen by burglars, though
the metal from which 1t is made far exceeds
silver in COST said a local chemist to-
day. Every college chemical laboratory
and many private laboratories have costly
vessels made OF platinum and the plain
metal Is usually worth its weight in gold
end made up INTO crucibles and other ves-
sells used in laboratories It is much more
valuable than in it's ordinary form. The
makers OF such ware. in fact. must make
large profits for their charges are high
although the metal Is made into the SIM
piess forms without decoration of any
sort. tiny crucible holding only a gill
Is worth s. or $40, and some OF the larger
vessels used by chemists are worth sew
eral hundred dollars each
The value of these vessels Is so great
that they are locked up every night in a
safe IN any we'll conducted laboratory and
frequently counted. Damaged vessels and
even the smallest scraps of platinum wire
are carefully treasured and sent to the fac
tory from time to time to be made over
into new vessels. A chemist has somewhat
the same feeling toward his pla tinum plate
that housekeeper has toward her solid
silver. but the chemists plate is worth far
more than any but the most elabora te
wrought sllverware. II is also much more
liable to damage.
THE presence of small quantity or
lead in not crucible of platinum is likely
to bring about a puncture OF the crucble
A purctured crucible must go to the fac
tory and repairs very costly. Much of
such ware Is made in a little Pennsylva MIA
town by single firm, and there are few
workmen who understand the art of han
ding platinum.
'Treate with care platinum vessels are
almost indestructible. They seem to suf-
fer nothing from the high temperature to
which they are exposed in the laboratory,
and. however. long in use a brisk rubbing
renders them beautifully bright as on
the day when they came from the factory.
They are ordinarily cleaused. however by
the application OF hot water and acid solu-
tons they gradually lose in weight by
rubbing.
"One reason why platinum instruments
are seldom stolen by burglars lies in the
fact that they not easily disposed OF.
The metal Is hard to melt and a large ves-
sci is not easily hammered out OF recogni-
ton. Pawnbrokers are shy Of accepting
articles Of platinum because such articles
have comparatively narrow use and are not