The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1904-12-27
BIDS FOR
CELLO PORTAGE
Contractors Ready to Build Port.
age Road-Award Not
Yet Been Made

LA
,or the Cello Portage road were opened
yesterday at noon in the Office of ]. N.
raal bv the executive committee of the
onsn. River association and Governor
chamberlain, representing the State
portage commission. Two were re-
iacted, one for being too high the other
Tor not being accompanied by the re-
mired forfeit check. Owing to the
complexity of the bids. the lowest and
most acceptable offer could not be de-
termined on the spot. The contract will
be awarded at another meeting, prob
ably at the one to be held next Tuesday
Cost Of the Road
The bids indicate that the cost of
the road will be between $165,00 and
$4,000. The sum of $4,000 has al
ready been expendede for right of way
The state has $151,000 remaining for
construction. and the additional money
needed will be raised by the Open
River association. The executive COM
mttee reported yesterday that no
doubt remained of the associations
ability to secure all the additional
money needed. The association under
took to raise $4,000 by subscription
throughout the Columbia basin, but
from present indications only three
fourths of that sum will be needed.
The legislature appropriated $1650QO
for the road at the session of 1903. but
the sum was insufficient and the state
authorities made no progress with the
portage until assurances We're given by
the Open-River association that the
additional money needed would be sup
piled
At the meeting yesterday the execu-
tive committee of the associa ton was
represented by President J. A. Smith.
Secretary w. J. Mariner. Treasurer j.
#. Peters and Attorney J. N. Teal and
the state by Governor Chamberlain and
Engineer A. J. Mcmillan.
Contractors Talk Not Verified
The bids show that the contractors
who were vociferous some time ago
that the road could be built for the
were awarded by competitive bids were
talking through their hats" for not
one of them was in evidence The low
est bid was that of Robert Wakefield.
sl55OO0, without rails and already
$4,000 has been paid out for right of
way.
The Bidders
The bids We're:
Robert Wakefield, s155,OOO on a
quantity price basis. without rails.
smyth & Howard. 100000 on-a
quantity price basis.
Joseph Paquet, $145.OO0. without
rails $4,000 complete. both based on
the quantity of materials used.
Nelson & White. s115.523 without
rails, rolling stock or locomotives
McCabe Construction company, on
equipment, $31.75 per ton for rails: 10
comotives, $500 each; hatcars, $40
each; box cars, 1926 each.
N. j. Blagen, $4,000, complete;
s2l6,ooO without rails; rejected because
too high.
D. n Bentley, $lI6.O00; rejected be-
cause not accompanied by forfeit check.
Ihe award of the contract by COM
petitive bid apparently will save money
10 the Open River association. The
COST can not be determined precisely at
ohce because that will have to be cal
euiated from the bids. 1t will probably
oe cheaper to award the contract in
several parcels to different contractors.
though Robert Wakefield's bid was the
invest segregation of the work
among several other bidders may cost
less.
Inc bids were addressed to the state
'o"ru' as matter of form, but the
e'''ract viii really be awarded by the
association