New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-05-29
REJECT Waikiki BIDS
Union Men Object to S. Pearson 8
Son. the L0scest Bidder.

,,-sar+ r,.,se, Of the Board of Water Supply
announced Yesterday the rejection Of all bids for
the Waikiki siphon, one Of the large ooh'la0's Al
connection with the Catskill water supply
6 Pearson e. Son. the English contractors. VINO
Ere building the North River tunnels for the Penn
sylvania Railroad. put in the lowest ND ana s'aio
ready 10 do the work The principal reason loi
refusing 10 consider the Pearson bid was the CON
,,c,ion on the mart Of the commissioners that end
less combinations over labor controversies wouio
follow il s Pearson & Son got the contract
The Waikiki siphon section is long stretch OF
the work crossing under the Waikiki River The
plans Of the engineers called for deep DIP unoer
the he'd Of the Waikiki as 10 insure soId tun-
mel Of rock for the aquednct- The blds lor TINS
section estimated by J. Waldo Smith TO cost ABOUT
s45eoeeo were as follows: S. Pearson & Son. 1884,
s09 90 Macarthur Brothers, SlS52.l6S; the l. A
Gillespie Company, S46S5. 40. and the Bradley Con-
tracing Company erroneous bid, s25. 1850
The Bradley Company explained that in figuring
one Of the important units clerical error was
made and that their bid should have been S,'So-
e75 This statement lends color to the argument
Of s Pearson & Son. whose bid was about s4'eVN
under that Of the Bradley company, that the Eng
lsb firm would be able TO do the work for the sum
stated in the bid.
The bid Of the John PIERCE Company for the Ash
okan dam contract was more than 100000 less
than the one submitted by the successful bidder
The contract was withheld from Mr. Peirce on mis-
statement that he had bid low and would like
10 back out The Pearson bid is on a different
basis J. Waldo Smith, the chief engineer, estl-
mated that the Pearson bid was TOO low, but the
company is confident of its ability 10 DO the Work
the price stated and wants the contract Inc
bid of Macarthur Brothers for the waikiki secnoh
was nearest TO the official estimate Of the board
Not only viii the Waikiki section be readver-
tised. but there is strong probability that me
plans and specifications viii be radically revised
SO as 10 do away with the deep siphon under the
bed of the waikiki When asked about it yester-
day President BenseI said:
We decided 10 throw out all the bids and read
vertise, because feel that not justified
in going ahead. The Pearson bid was very low,
and the Bradley bid through an error ridicu-
lousy high. The bids for the Rondout siphon. TO
be opened on Tuesday next. ought 10 furnish addi-
tionaI light on this class Of work.
IT may be that when readvertise the Wall
kill section the plans will be radically changed
The engineers are considering the advisahility of
carrying the aQueduct water in three pipes. each
ten feet in diameter, instead Of through a single
conduit If this plan is adopted the aqueduct. in
stead Of making A deep dip anywhere. would follow
the contour of the territory it traverses greatly
relieving the pressure the pipes.
THE difficulty about the three pipes is however.
that steel pipes deterorate rapidly. Wrought iron
pipes used IN The Thames have lasted for more
than 8 hundred years. but they are no longer made
with the carbon in the steel, inducing more or
electrolysis the deterioration of the steel
is much more rapid, that could not count
on the steel pipes lasting more than fifteen or
twenty years.
We are investigating the practicability Of lining
the pipes with concrete both inside and out
side TO a depth of about six inches that the
fun strength Of The steel would be utilized, and
the inside Of the pipes remain clean. With the
water against the steel the pipes rapidly collect
srowths cutting down their carrying capacity one
-b;rd in Nr-een or twenty years With a concrete
lining if it is feasible 10 have one, the condults
would keep themselves Clean
President Bensei said that the city might have
10 build the aqueduct under the Hudson River by
days work, contractor seemed disposed 10
tackle the Job. The Crawford company took the
first contract but abandoned il a year
II is no secret ar the City Hall that the Water
Board fears serious labor controversies If s. Pear
son e. Son obtain large contract on the aqueduct
work As ii became known that the firm
had put in TIE lowest bid for the Waikiki siphon
representatives of organized labor called on the
Board Of Water Supply and protested against let
ting contract 10 the Pearson company. 1t was
charged that the company employed the cheapest