Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-09

feeding and housing the
/. sSrnru,tt the canal employees to J. f.
~. omaha. Following a months
visit to Panama, Mr.. Markell has worked
out comprehensive scheme which in
cludes the early establishment Of ten hotels
along the canal and railroad each Of them
to accommodate from 15O to $50 iaborers
and twice as many diners.
These hotels. It is declared, will compare
favcrably with the better class of COM
mercial hotels in this country and will he
used chiefly by the higher salaried en-
ployes. The average for board and lodgings
will be about $36 a month. For the laborers
employed in the canal. or in any way iden-
titled with that project, the concessionaire
will at frst establish twenty comnlissary
camps and later 100 additional ones, each
with kitchen and dining rooms. Laborers
will have the privilege OF buying their food
cooked or uncooked at these camps and
in either case will be furnished with the
necessary table appointments. The average
rate to laborers for cooked food will be
about S14 month
Part OF the contract provides for trans
portation at cost of all food supplies and
materials used by the concessionaires.
It is the intention Of the concessionaire
to run n train across the isthmus every
day from Colon, supplying the proposed
hotels and camps with fresh meats, fruits,
vegetables. bread and laundry; also daily
supplies Of ice.
The amount involved in the contract.
which covers a period Of FIVE years, and
viii become operative as soon as Mr. Mar
kel concludes certain prellminaries. is not
disclosed, but runs into millions of dollars.
Protest of Rival Firms
H. Ralfe & Co. and Hudgins & Dumas,
both firms Of this city. who were tho only
other bidders for the Panama concession,
today sent kilograms and letters to Presi-
dent Roosevelt at Oyster Bay, protesting
against the award OF the contract to j. r.
Markell At the same time the two firms
addressed letters to Chairman Shonts with
dra wing their bids in the belief that this
action might invalidate any award to Mr..
Markell by leaving only one bidder in the
field. In a statement given out today the
protesting firms declare the Panama con-
tract involves no less than s5ooOo,0oO
Hudgins & Dumas assert that after pre-
senting their bid they received a letter
from Mr.. Shonts, in which he intimated
that their figures were too low and set
forth number Of conditions which were
not mentioned in the draft of the proposed
contract on which the bids were based
Hudgins q Dumas declare that they re-
ceived this information al $3.50 o'clock on
Wednesday afternoon and were told by Mr..
Shonts' secretary that his principal re-
quired an answer by o'clock.
Deducting the time consumed in type
writing. they assert they had only ten min
utes to revise their bid.
Telegram to President.
In their telegram to President Roosevelt,
Hudgins & Dumas says:
Circumstances connected with the award
ing of this privilege seem TO indicate, a
having, as we discovered by examination
yesterday, been credited to Mr. Markell as
cipitancy with which bids were called for,
without public advertisement and with no
regular time set for receiving and open
ing said bids in the presence of bidders,
warrant us in the assumption that there
was a purpose to award the contract to
Mr., Markell and that other considerations
were sacrificed to this end.
shOnts Surprised at Protest.
When Mr.. shonts was informed in his
home in Greenwich, Conn. that the un-
successful bidders had appealed to the
president and after he had heard the ma
ture Of their charges, said:
This is most surprising, particularly SC
far as Mr.. Balfe is concerned. He was IN
my Office yesterday and said: II have
never been better treated in my life.
wish to congratulate the successful bidder
and offer him any assistance in my
l invited Messrs Hudgins and Dumas to
look over the successful bid in my office
done So As to their charges they are
absurd. Everything was open and above
board. We did not advertise for bids bC
cause there was no necessity for II; IL Is
not a government contract. II is Panama
railway matter. The railroad designateS
who shall conduct the hotels and supply
provisions and what they shall charge. II
does not compel Its employees to stay ir
these hotels.
we took into consideration the personality
OF the bidder, his experience. his power
of organization and also the fact that III
had been on the ground and studied th'
except In one particular.
My letter to Hudgins & Dumas suggest
ing a correction Of their original bid wal
written because It was plain that they haC
not understood the specifications.
So far as the similarity OF sample menus
goes that might easily have happened. be
cause we specified that the highest clas
OF employees was TO have certain things ant
| that laborers from Jamaica and the tropics
| should have certain diet to which they ar
| accustomed.
! Mr.. Markell is out OF the city. but Philil
j. Partenheimer secretary of the Nationa
/ Hotel company, Of which Markell is presi
dent, was at his office last night and tn,
| dispatch was read TO him over the tels
phone just before Mr. Partenheimer lef
10 catch a train He laughed heartily a
| the message and then said in response t.
an inquiry:
Il really don't know anything about tina
matter and therefore can say nothing.
received > telegram today from Mr Mar
! kel saying he was just leaving New Yorl
for Chicago and would be in Omaha Sun
/ day"
do you know whether or not Mr.. Mar
kel has succeeded in obtaining the contrac
for which he bid to supply food TO tn
Panama workers." was asked Mr. Parten
heimer.
No, do not; l don't know how ne cam
out though he has been back from Panam
three weeks All l know Is that he wa
| anxious, of course, to get one Of thes
contracts. but as to his success or failur
am ignorant"
! ]. e. Markell Is known all over the wes
! where he has, for years, been engaged (
! the hotel business in various forms. Fo
many years he held the contract on all n
Union Pacific railroad eating houses an
dining car service He had the lease o
the Millard hotel OF Omaha for many year
up 10 few years ago and the Nations
Hotel company, OF which he Is presden
did own the IIncOln hOteI At lincoln yvhic