The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-09-17
Supervising Architect Opens Bids
for kenosha Public Building
on Thursday Afternoon
GAINESVILLE COMPANY is LOW
K. P Knudsen Was the Only Kenosha
Bidder and His Bid Was Next
to the Highest Received
by the Architect

L DIODOSGu
public building at Kenosha were open
ed in the office of the supervising archi-
tect Of the United States Government
at Washington at 3 O'Clock Thursday
afternoon and the lowest bid for the
work was presented by The J. P Gull
len Company of GAINESVILLE. The bid
Of the Cullen company was $51 ,665 or
$685. below the estimated cost Of the
building as shown in the specifications.
The full list Of the bidders and their
bids are as follows:
The Northern Construction Company,
Milwaukee, SCI, 800; K. P. Knudsen,
Kenosha, $65,500; Bedford Stone and
Construction Company, Indianapolis,
Ind, $4,000; Charles w. Gindele Com
pany, Chicago, $59,850; Barnes Broth
ers, Hamilton, O., $54,35o; ]. F..
Schmidt Brothers, Chicago, $56,894;
Northwestern Construction Company
Waupeton, N. D., $57, 299; Sterling
Engineering and Construction Company,
Milwaukee, $4,000; J. L. Simmons,
Chicago, $63,4l1; H. t. Hazelton, Chi
cago, $60,185; General Construction
Company, Milwaukee, $4,000; Charles
Horitz & Son, Grand Rapids, Mich,
$66,566; J. P. Cullen Company, James
vile, $5l,665; Majestic Construction
Company, Appleton, $4,000.
It will be noticed that Contractor K.
P. Knudsen was the only one of the
Kenosha contractors who sent in a. bid
for the contract and he was the next
to the highest bidder. A number of the
local contractors took look at the
specifications, but found that they could
not get anywhere near the estimate
and for this reason they declined to
present a bid The local post Office
officials had hoped that the bids would
have been low enough to leave a couple
Of thousands of dollars for the improve
ment Of the grounds about the building
but it will not be possible to do a
great deal of work with the small sum
that the successful bid is below the
estimated cost Of the building The
amount will scarcely be sufficient for
the building of sidewalks about the site
The Cullen Company has been doing
government work for several years and
the company has had the contract for
a number Of large buildings erected in
the state by the government during
the past few years. It is said that
the company is entirely reliable and it
is thought that there will be little or
no delay in letting the contract. AS
the contract demands that the building
be completed by the first day Of De-
cember Of next year it is probable that
the work will be started as soon as the
contract is signed and the foundations
for the building put in before the end
of the present year.
Kenosha laboring men have taken a
great interest in the bids on the build
ing on account of the fact that many
of them are hoping to secure employ
ment on the building during the next
fifteen months. The experience Of Ke-
nosha with GAINESVILLE contractors on
big buildings would not indicate that
there will be much attention paid to the
local men. The contract will not de-
mand the employment of Kenosha la
Dor and it is probable that the con-
tractors will bring their laborers with
them. The only provision in the con-
tract is that the men shall not work
for longer than an eight hour day.
There is no provision for the employ
ment Of Union Labor and it is evident
from the bid made by the GAINESVILLE
company that it will get its labor at as
low a cost as possible.