The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-09
BRIDGE CONTRACT m DISPUTE
STEVENSON WOCLb ~ tRD ~ 70
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Hrider Commissioner Stevenson Yesterday
ASKED lha l0ard " Estimate " authofite
lettihe Tho contract fot the supefstfuotutc
N the Mehhattaa Hfides 10 ths nest 10
tho Invest bidder ~ Ia feject MI Tho lids
and feadverti~ The blda Wefei Rye0s
Parker Construction Company, t0.les 9ae
John fiette Company, o.. bsd a1s, uehrfal
Erecting Company "a t0v, sss and Nllihch
Bros u, sea iei.
Commissioner stevenson submitted yea.
tefday two anldavi 4, ia the Iuetd N ta'i.
mate showing that he had investigated the
financial standing N the two s%ite,ies pte.
sented hy tho Ryan. Parker company and
had found that they werc NOT financially
equal Ia giving bonds ~ si.5oo,UUo each.
Mayor Mcclellan called Upon Patrick Ryan,
the head NJ the company, for nm cSplana-
tim, and In responding Mr.. Ryan handed
In n letter from bic counsel which read;
The award 60 any other bidder than .he
Hyan. Parker Company particularly 20 one
certain bidder. will bear out the the public
declaration generally that this work was
meant for one concern without regard TO the
ooet 10 the public treasury or the mandate OF
the charter that public works shall be advcrs
tised and awarded to the lowest bidder. This
viii put n premium on combinations TO make
oVorbitant bids for public works and will en-
courage public officials and their assistants to
prepare contracts. specifications and plans
especially for particular contractors.
Thomas +. Conway, representing the John
Pierce Company, said that his company
was well equipped to carry out the oon-
tract, while the R~yan-Parker Company was
not. He submitted the affidavit OF NJ.
Alvin Myers Of 1883 Broadway, in the en-
ploy OF the Manhattan Detective Agency,
which was read to the board. The affair
states that he vent 10 the places of resi-
dence Of the two s%ureties. Edward p. Weh-
rum OF 1899 Park and George W, Anderson
Of 81? l8sth street, and found that they were
81 800 900 each, that he could not locate
them at their residences and was informed
that they had gone to Maine.
In answer to n question Of the Borough
President Of Brooklyn Mr.. Ryan said that
his company had never defaulted on a
contract.
70 Offset this statement Mr.. Conway said
that the Ryan company was at present
suing The city for $4,000 o on a 500 900 con-
tract for anchorages for the Manhattan
bridge. Mr.. Ryan did not deny the TACT.
The Commissioners said that he could
readvertise and rave the award Of bids in
about fifteen days. Mr.. Conway objected
to the readvertising and contended that the
contract should be awarded to the Pierce
Company. Montgomery Hare, counsel for
the General Erecting Company, said that the
AWARD of the bids was now illegal on account
Of the new eight hour law and that the con-
tract should be readvertised to comply with
the new law.
The Bridge Commissions asked that the
board consider the matter at a special meet
ing next Monday, as IT was imperative to
have the matter settled at once. At the
suggestion of the Mayor the matter was
finally referred to a special committee, ON
81 listing Of the Comptroller, the President Of
the Board of Aldermen, the Borough Presi-
dents Of Manhattan and Brooklyn, who
would hold a hearing on IL next Monday
afternoon at 1 o'clock and report back their
findings at the next meeting Of the board
next Friday.