Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1909-01-04
3 PUMPS AND
9 BOILERS ARE
S0LDFOR$5OO
Herman Ellis Also Gets Five
Tons of Iron from the
Water Board.
PRICE CONSIDERED
FAR TOO LITTLE
Purchaser Was Highest Of
Three Bidders--T Deal
Is Commented Now.

For $5o250 Herman Ellis has pur-
chased from the water department,
through Comptroller w. A. Growney,
the Loretz pump and five tons Of scrap
iron at the city pumping station at
Runyon, and two Blake pumps and two
boilers in the old Smith street pump
house. From good authority it was
also learned that the Loretz pump,
which is said to be still servieeable,
was purchased by the water board in
1891 for about $4,000. The Blake
pumps, which are said to have been ont
of repair, were purchased, it is under
stood, In 1881, or thereabouts, for three
or four thousands of dollars. Both
pumps were sold, practically, for old
junk and, according to the statement of
a prominent machinist, they went for
much less than they were worth.
At meeting of the water board on
February 10, last, the following resol-
ution was offered by Commissioner Con-
very;
"That the comptroller be requested
to advertise and sell the following prop
erty, viz: Q Blake pumps at the old
Smith street pumping station, l Lorets
pump at the Runyon pumping station
and the Water Stand Pipe on the east
side Of the road leading from South
Amboy to Runyon Pumping Station to
the highest bidder or bidders -
The motion was carried by the fol-
lowing vote Yea-Commissioner Clark,
Convery, Haney, Grouse and Fraser;
nay-none.
AT the next meeting Of the board on
March the following motion was car
ried by full Affirmative vote:
"That the resolution adopted at the
last meeting relative to selling of pumps
standpipe, etc, that of boilers at the
old Smith Street Pumping Station shall
be added, /. g. "two Blake pumps and
boilers at the old Smith Street Pumping
Station. -
Comptroller Growney for some reason,
which he would not make public this
morning, held up the sale until last
week, when he sent to all local ma
chinists and several out of town frTY
for proposals on the material. |le
proposals were to be submitted tofh I
comptroller at city hall at $50 o ,fUck
on Thursday night last.
On the night in question three pro
posals were received as follows:
John H. Gregory, $410,
Hyman Isaac, of Elizabeth, $3.50.
Herman Ellis, $502.50,
AS Mr.. Ellis bid thsl highest, Comp
troller Growney sold him the lot.
Mr.. Ellis said today that
his bid had been accepted and that he
would start removing the material in
a few weeks. Mr.. Ellis seemed we'll
pleased with his purchase.
A member of well known local firm
said this morning that he considered
$5O250 ridiculously low price for the
material and added that if he had sub
mitted a proposal on it, he would have
been ashamed to have offered so little.
He added that he did not receive a
letter from Comptroller Growney until
last Tuesday, which only gave him
three days in which to prepare bid.
He also stated that the reason he had
not made a proposal was because he
had been been very busy and it has
slipped his memory, but that If he had
had any idea that the material was 60
ing to be sold for such low figure, he
would certainly have been among the
bidders. When asked what he would
have offered for the material, the speak
er replied that he would not have pro-
posed anything less than $1,000.