The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-06-17
County Board Gives the Combine a
Severe Earring.
All Bids for Five Bridges Rejected, and
Flat Rate Made.
Mankato Firms Will Put in AL oil
the Bridges.
County Saves $1,113 Through Boards
Transaction.
From Saturdays Daily.

From Saturdays Daily.
The county board has succeeded in de-
feating for the time being at least, the
combination that is alleged to have ex-
listed for years among the bridge manu-
facturers of the northwest Bids on five
smalls jobs were opened yesterday after
noon, and there was a warm time. The
work was of sufficient magnitude to
warrant the different companies sending
representatives to the city, and fifteen
companies were represented, besides
three that did not get in certified checks
and whose bids were not considered.
The members of the county board had
expressed that there would be a combi-
nation, and they had taken steps to
guard against the result of one. They
believe that for eight years past the
county has been paying too much for
it's bridges. L. H. Johnson of Minneap-
oils has practically succeeded in getting
all of the bridge work in the county,
bidding the lowest, and the board want
ed to know why this was. 1t made
some Investigations, and learned few
things.
A member of the board stated this af-
ternoon that the practice among the diff
ferent bridge concerns has been to sub
NIT bids nearly alike in amount, so as
to mislead the board and make it think
that they were figuring closely. The
lowest bid includes very heavy profit,
and the bidder retains forty per cent
Of the profit and divides the other sixty
per cent among the other bidders, Each
company has section of the state or
northwest where it is allowed to get
the contracts. Blue Earth county fell
to johnson. Those not in the combina-
ton, such as Mayer Bros. of this city,
were crowded out and were unable to get
any contracts or any territory.
The bids opened yesterday afternoon
were on the following five pieces of
bridge work: An 80 foot steel span
over the Watonwan river on the west
side of section IL, Ceresco; ~ foot
span over the Watonwan river on the
west side of section IL, Ceresco; ~
foot span steel bridge over the Cobb
river near the Zeigler ford, section 81,
Decoria; 80 foot I beam steel bridge
! over Cambria creek in section 81, Cam
bria; a "a foot span over Rice creek in
section "a, Sterling; with foot steel
approaches; 20 foot span over outlet
of Lake Alice, sections % and 26 LIE
Ray.
The bids totaled up as follows, based
on the use of steel stringers: Iowa
Bridge company of Des Moines, $6,l6S;
Crown Iron Works, Minneapolis, &c.
sos; The Marsh Bridge company of Des
Moines, Iowa, 1924; Campbell Flagler
company of Council Bluffs, Iowa, $6,262;
Milwaukee Bridge company, $6,O53; May
er Mros. Inc, of Mankato, $6,02s; Crit
fifth Bridge company of Des Moines, &c.
OIL; Fl. t. Ward & Co. of Lincoln, Neb,
1922; Twin City Bridge company of
Minneapolis, $4,000; Hennepin Bridge
company of Minneapolis, $500.
The board listened to the bridge men
until train time, when the out of town
men took their departure. The mat
ter was then settled, and the dry bones
were given a rafting.
The Mankato Manufacturing company
was awarded the contract for the 80 foot
span bridge over Cambria creek at $3.50.
The lowest bid on this had been $50, by
the Hennepin Bridge company.
The board then voted to reject all
bids on the other work on the ground
that they were too high. 1t then voted
to pay $4,3l7 for the remaining four
bridges, which was 1913 less than the
lowest bid submitted. This offer was
accepted by Mayer Bros, the cost to be
divided as follows among the bridges:
20 foot span on steel tubes and stringers,
$44S; 40 foot span on steel tubes and
stringers, 1929; ~ foot span on steel
tubes and wooden stringers, $l,070; 80
foot span on steel tubes and wooden
stringers, $3.50.
The contract was awarded to Mayer
Bros, to complete the work in four
months, following the plans and speci-
fications bid on, and to give bond for
$500 If nothing happens, Mayer Bros
profit will be $S63.4O, which is considered
a very fair profit, and enough to in
sure good work. Under the johnson
bid, which was the lowest, the board
figured that the profit would have been
ST. 1886. Adding the $500 that the Cam
bria bridge contract was awarded at,
the total cost of the five bridges will be
or $l,ll3 less than the lowest bid
submitted, this amount representing the |
saving to the county made by the board |
by taking the action which it did It |
will try herceforth to do as well as it |
did yesterday and not pay tribute to the
ALLEGED trust