New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-09
BIDS OPENED SECRETLY
3RLANK FORMS FILLED IN.
BeRsePs Charge 4gainst Fedtherson
REGARDING 50eni.r Co. FGU0r7ttsm.


,,ovc~ EFrta-, u.d not remove it, although
ro,oo,sd .7sioner Featherson, but
= e NV Cor. John A. Bensel kindly
C,ou:rnicsioree ;5..a5el told Tribune reporter
.het commissioner Featherson publicly adver-
.,se; for bids and after getting them opened
them in secret. He says that this kind OF public
tidding under Featherson was good deal OF a
farce
ne also said that as far as he could discover
the Phoenix Construction and Supply Company
ond william J. Fitzgerald were one ana the
80 and that between them they got all the
Cling in work in the Featherson aoInhlshfa-
+ion. covering two years. He estimates the net
n-osts Of the Featherson combination at SIO0OO
for the two years, without the investment Oh
ANYTHING for a plant.
commissioner Bensel said, furthermore. tnat
bo had discovered that Commissioner Feataer-
son had given William ! Fitzgerald a cohlfac'
for filling in on the north side of z5d-sI' Notth
River for $4,000 cubic yards. without any puolc
odvertising at all. Mr.. Bensel ordered this work
stopped yesterday.
81 ordered Fitzgerald to stop work on tue
contract" said he, because the RECORDS OF ene
denarrnent show that it never was puohciy al
vertised The Commissioner must nave glVeh IL
ont TO Fitzgerald without going through the'
..,,,a1 4orr,alities He caused TO be advertised
notice for bids for filling in on the south side'
hut none on the north"
..AFr peeatherson says" Il was suggested.
.4bo+ all contracts were publicly advertised, ac-
coraing 10 law. and that he did nothing worthy
Of criticism"
.e77,e system of giving out these filling in con-
tracts by Commissioner Featherson was some
thing Of farce" said Mr. Bensel Under the
ola charter while Mr. Van Wyck was Mayor
+bo TocI, BOARD consisted Of three members,
and they had large discretionary powers Under
the amended charter this changed. so as to
give the Sinking Fund Commission supervision
of everything that was done The Commissioner
was supposed TO initiate plans and contracts ana
submit them to the commission for approval or
rejection. The new charter aims to limit the
Commissioner 20 transactions TO $1,000, and Tor
sums above this figure provision is made for pub
lie advertising Commissioner Featherson IN
handling this filing IN business shut out every
one but the Phosnix company and William ].
fitzgerald They are all one concern, SO far as
can discover William \. Shannon is the man
who takes care of the business Of both firms.
Whatever the Phoenix company did in the way
cf work shared in by Fitzgerald. This is
the way that the two firms are regarded in this
ofice-as one and the same thing. They both
bid for filing in work and between them they
got all of it in the last two years.
SAYS RESULT WAS ALWAYS SAME.
Commissioner Featherson," continued Mr..
Bensel. used TO advertise prraicly that bids
~ssld be reestved, but that was al there was
to It At the opening of. the bids they were
opened as he saw fl, and the result always
seemed to be the sanle-the Phenix~ company
orFtzgerald got the work"
How do you know that there was -favoritism
showu3" 3Ir. Bensel was asked.
well. it's fair assumption that when a
particular firm gets all the contracts by a very
small margin the successful bidder had some
arrangement that would not fail. 1t is a pretty
fair assumption that his bids were put in in
blank and that figures that would just give him
the work were written in after it became known
what the figures of the outside bidders
don't know how else TO account for it The
records Show that the Phoenix company sub
mtted figures just shade over their competi-
tors In each instance. It is understood in This
department that Edward Featherson and Will
lam y. Shannon and William ]. Fitzgerald all
worked together. In the two years that Com
missioner Featherson was here they must have
cleared up about $4,000 in profits"
EAs Commissioner then sent for minute
book containing the following record of awards;
William J. Fitzgerald filing in Chelsea section.
tract price. SSG5j Other bidders, John Fleming,
s#%S: #%%: Phoenix Construction and supply Company
Pf@spix Construction and Supply Company. filing
September g lSo4; price, sS6a. Other bidder John
h Fitzpatrick $500
In In Fs6 Slip bqahead 17eS2 @ CUBIC yards: e3ntgact
PhoRiS c5astrgcion 6G and uppy copanS 85E lng
In southern and Chelsea section. 295O0 yards con-
Tact let April L. 1905; price, 81 4S Other bidder.
Phoenix Construction and Supply Company filling
ha1T a6u STS
g IsSS sn yards; e9ntract let august = 1922; price
=, PGos1lx coHs?Toetion and Supply Company filling
gTact LET September T. 1895; price S;sS Other bid
A2a q = Pi'|ee'aiu' @4'V'V' l. = D S'leii''Si
WITHOUT PUBLIC ADVERTISING.
This record" said the Commissioner, "is not
complete without the 23d-st. job That was let
without any public advertising Of any sort It
was let on the same basis as the others. yield
ing the city S2.o93, or on a basis of about 16 2-3
cents cubic yard for the filling in. The COM
pany paid this to the city and received on all
its contracts on an average about 80 cents a
cubic yard from those who had dirt and rock to
dispose OF. In round numbers the BeathersoR
combination got filing In contracts practically
without competition for about 100000 cubic
yards at an average profit of3o cents a CUBIC
yard, yielding tae combination about $4,000"
Tn the latter part of Commissioner Feather-
sons administration did you have any contro-
versy with him over this contract work?" Mr.
Bensel was asked.
That is a personal matter and of no par
ticular public interest" said Mr.. BenseL
It is understood that Commissioner Feather
son upbraided AIr. BenseI for furnishing inferTna-
ton concerning the filing in contracts that
found its way 20 the Mayor and Controller. Mr.
Bensel would not comment on this phase of the