Perth Amboy evening news., 1909-03-18

Howard ID. IIttell, of South AmbOy,
was awarded a contract by the water
board last night to furnish 5000 tons
Of rice coal during the next year at
Runyon for $2.40 gross ton. On April
l9, 1905, a contract to supply 1000 tons
Of pea coal at $2.S5 ton was awarded
to George J. Haney, who was not then
a member of the board. On October
IL, 1906, contract was awarded to
Howard ID. Littell, of South Amboy, to
supply 1000 tons of coal, his bid being
1896 per ton for pea coal and $3.50 for
buckwheat coal. On September 4, 1907,
the board awarded another contract to
Mr.. Littell to-supply 1000 tons of rice
coal at $40 per ton.
Last night was the third time that
the coal contract has been awarded to
Mr.. Littell. When the board received
bids for coal on October IL, 1905, ac-
cording to the minutes of that meeting,
two bids were received, one from Mr..
Littell and one from G. M. Peterson &
Co., of this city. Mr.. Littell bid 1926
per ton for pea coal and $3.50 for buck
wheat. Mr.. Peterson g bid was 1855
for pea coal and $2.40 per gross ton for
buckwheat or rice coal. On September
4, 1907, when bids were received. Mr..
Littell bid $2.40 per ton for rice coal
and G. NJ. Peterson & Co.. the only other
bidder, offered to supply it for s2.55 per
ton.
Last night Mr.. Littell Is bid was $240
again and that of the Peterson com
pany, the other bidder, $2.45. After
the two bids had been compared the
board adopted q resolution prepared by
Commissioner George J. Haney, award
ing the contract to Mr.. Littell-
The board got together shortly after
clock last night and until $40 the
sealed bid of Mr.. Littell was the only
one on the table. Commissioner Haney
smiling apon the NEWS representative,
said, THAT is supposed to be the bid
of the Haney-Littell combination, ism 7
itf' The reported merely smiled.
Only One Other Bid.
At $50 by the clock in the Office of
the water department Charles Peterson
entered the room and gave the bid Of
c. NJ. ePterson Co. to Clerk I. B.
Tice. President Clark at $3.50 instruct
ed Mr.. Tice to open the bids and he
proceeded to do so. That of the Peter
son Company was opened first and the
clerk announced that the bidder was
willing to furnish rice coal at Runyon
for $2.45 per gross ton. Commissioner
Haney took the bid to scrutinize it while
Mr. Tice opened the other one. Sud
denly Mr.. Haney remarked that the bid
looked like $2.75 and showed it to Presi-
dent Clark, who ordered Mr. Tice to
hold back the Littell bid.
Aroo,r,,aut 0ver rio11ra
Mr.. Haney said something about it
looking like a trick and showed the
bid to Commissioner Snedeker who stated
that, not having written the bid, be
could not say whether the middle figure
twas "4n or a "7''. President Clark
asked that Mr.. Peterson, who was wait
ing outside be called. Commissioner
Haney, as soon as Mr.. Peterson appear
! ed, asked him what the bid was, and
the bidder replied $245. Mr.. Haney
said that it looked like "7p and Mr..
Peterson replied that there was no tol
on the figure to make it look Ike
"7.o
Littell Five Cents Lower.
1 Mr.. Littell g bid was then read and
J found to be FIVE cents lower than TINT
of Mr.. Peterson. Cash in the sum of
500 accompanied the bid of the latter
and President Clark remarked that 1t
was the first time that it had ever oc-
cured. After the contact hal been
awarded to Mr. Littell and motion
passed that the money of the bidders
4 be returned, Clerk Tice walked to where
Mr.. Peterson was standing and handed
him the cash and his bid. Mr.. Peter
81 l.. ha ~
the board, placed the money in his
pocket ana left the room.
Well Driver Seeks $75.
! Henry II. Bennett, Of Belmsr, who
drove the ground storage wells for the
board at Runyon, was present relative
to balance OF SIS, which, he claimed
was due him for his work and alsb pay
for some extra work The matter was
referred to Engineer S. j. Mason. who
viii report at the next committee ses
sion.
Packing Gets Into Meters.
! Superintendent Crowell addressed the
board and said that the most important
question at present was in regard tC
packing the Worthington pump at Run
won. Mr.. Crowell stated that, in the
past, the pump has been packed every
1.-TWO months and, as result of the kind
of packing used, he believed that every
meter in the city would have to bt
cleaned. He showed the board a paper
full of pieces of packing which had re
Gently been taken from meters. Super
intendent Crowell stated further that
the packing in the meters frequentl,
stopped them from running and that, b,
packing the pump every two months, !
days time WAS lot and the pond watel
put into the mains The pump has t.
be shut down while being packed.
Mr.. Crowell said that the presen
kind of packing which has been useS
! for some time is too soft, on account o.