The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-03
MAY INVESTIGATE
CONTRACT AWARD
Alleged That Winston & Co. and
Macarthur Got Work Too
High in New York City.
LOCAL FIRM NOT ALARMED
Representative Declares Award
Was Regular, and Investigation
Talk Means Nothing.

Information comes from New York to
the effect that the Charter Revision
Commission of that city will investi-
gate the awarding OF the Ashokan
Dam contract by the Water Supply
Board to Macarthur Bros. e. Co. and
Winston e. Co. at q bid alleged to be
nearly s2.500.000 higher than the low
est submitted
The story is given local interest by
the fact that the firm OF Winston &
Co. is composed OF Virginia men, who
have Offices in the American National
Bank Building here, and who have done
great deal of work for the city. One
OF their latest and largest Jobs here
was that of constructing the new set.
Ting basin. which liz now about COM
plete. Mr.. Thomas s. Winston, menu
Der of the firm, was seen last night.
but declined to discuss the matter fur
tier than to say he had not read a
publication on the subject in yester-
days New York World. to which his
attention was directed, and that he
knew nothing about 1t.
Mr.. Fitzgerald Talks.
Mr. Littleton Fitzgerald. Jr., who Is
the local manager for Winston & Co..
declared that he did not look upon the
matter as amounting TO anything. He
said that New York city IL bound by
the Board of Water Supply; that this
board had the authority TO let tho con-
tract. and that the award had been
made.
politicians are trying to upset the
bid" lie went on. '"rhey tried to up
set the award for the Cross River Dam,
which has just been completed by Win
ston & Co., but in this they failed
Continuing, Mr.. Fitzgerald said only
two newspapers in New York were
fighting the award, and then he called
attention to complimentary articles on
the subject In the Tribune and in the
Engineering Record. The latter, re-
ferring to the award, says:
"Thc wisdom OF the recommendations
of the engineering organizations OF
both the aqueduct commission and the
finance department of New York has
been shown by the present practical
completion of the Cross River dam
within the prescribed contract time,
in spite of serious legal delays. for
which the contractor was in no way
responsible
This is probably the first instance
of the completion ION contract time of
any great public work In the history
of the city OF New York. or at any rate,
for so long period that the memory
The building of this dam was done
by Winston & Go.
whnt The World Says.
The World of yesterday prints the
following as a history of the award
Before the bids were opened on Au-
gust 6tlt, Chief Engineer Smith sub
United conidentially to the commits
sioners an estimate that the Ashokan
dam would cost sl2,S0o.0o0. The con-
tract for the dam Is the biggest OF all
the contracts to be awarded by the
commission In the construction of the
$4,000, 900 Catskiil water system.
Other engineers submitted estimates
OF the cost, some of which were con-
siderably lower than Mr.. Smiths, while
Others were higher. Mr. Smiths esti-
mate was taken by the commissioners
as their guide.
"Nr. Smith occupies unique posi-
ton. The highest paid city official.
commanding an army of more than 500
engineers, he is the autocrat of the
board. lie has had so much swing
that some people have suggested that
tbs board was superfiuous. Some have
suggested that he runs the whole
thing. AT dinner which he gave last
spring to more than 1900 engineers.
Mayor Mcclellan lauded Smith, declar-
ing that he had conceived the plan of
the Catskill water system and was de-
serving above all others of the credit
of getting 1t started.
with this powerful backing. few
persons have questioned the authority
of Mr.. Smith, and when he submitted
his estimate 1t was regarded as au-
thoritative. Consequently when tile
bids were opened and 1T was found that
the PIERCE company had bid nearly ST.
100000 under the Smith estimate, there
was establishment in the board Though
Mr. PIERCE is perhaps the best known
active contractor in this city. and has
made many millions out of his work.
the commission decided that there
could be but one explanation of the
wide discrepancy between his and
Chief Engineer S..-.tli's estimate.
Peirce had made fearful mistake.
Smith Was Energetic.
'.This was the view which Chief En-
gineer Smith energetically maintained.
He prepared report showing that the
bid was too low. His consulting en-
gineers, John r. Freeman and Freder-
lex P. Stearns, We're asked to prepare
reports also, and they declared Mr..
Pelrce was too low, that he could not
make any money out OF the JOB. This
view Chief Engineer Smith and the
consulting engineers maintained stout
~ even after Vice-Presidet Emil
Dlebitsch, of the John PIERCE Con-
tracing Company, declared that his
bid was not too low.
'.In spite of Mr., Dleblitsch. the board
was so firmly imbued with the idea
that Chief Engineer Smith could not
make a mistake that the award Of the
contract was postponed until Con-
tractor John Peirce himself returned
to the city from Europe.
1.-THE bids were opened August 9th
--'--- - m m N