The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-10-05

cided to allow the tank to remain as
II was until the next regular meet
ms OF council, especially as several
OF the members had not seen the
Z tank and were unwilling to vote un-
I'll they had done so. The council
| was In a hurry to get to the all-ab-
sorbing matter OF the sewerage bids
and get them through with, as some
of the members wished TO get back
to work that they had to do that
night.
The report OF the Street Commit
tee was called for and on It's be-
half City Engineer Lee said that
Mr.. Berghaus had come over TO
Sumter In the morning, that he had
taken him over the ground and that
he was willing to take the work with
reduction from fifty to twenty
five cents Per cubic yard on the fill
and that he was willing to deduct for
two manholes which should 20 in
with the bid for the septic tank,
amounting TO about 5000. The
original bid OF Berghaus & Moffatt
was s14,43o and with those two de-
ductions. amounting In all to about
1926. the bid would be $13.b05. He
said that Mr.. Berghaus was willing
to leave the septic tank out of his
bid and that the city could build II
, or get some other firm to build II at
reduced price. He thought that
the bid for the septic tank was very
high and that he had had an offer
from Mr. w. A. weathers. of this
place to build the tank for $a,50o.
and that Mr.. Weston, OF the firm of
Weston & Brooker. OF Columbia, had
told him that he was anxious to get
the job. that they had their own
granite quarry at Columbia, and that
they were in hopes of getting a sub
| contract for the tank from the firm
, which got the work. At this point
Mr. Cuttino moved that all of the
work be given TO one reliable firm
and that only one firm be employed
In the work. He stated that he
thought that this ought to be done
as a matter of precaution so that, If
the work went back on the city or
, was not done properly, the city
/ would know who TO go to. This
motion had no second so 1t fell
through. 1t was then moved that
the bid of Berghaus & Moffatt be
accepted with the changes he had
made orally to the Street Committee
and Major Lee. leaving out the septic
tank. There was no second to this
motion and after 1t was discussed for
some time 1t too was dropped.
From that time on for about an
hour different phases of the work
| were discussed and rediscussed. II
| was plain that all members Of coun-
| ell were anxious to get through
| with the subject as soon as possible,
but they also wanted to find out
what Is right and what they ought to
| do before they did 1t. Mr.. McKeiver
| said that he knew something about
the building of concrete tanks, that
| the tank had no connection whatever
with the rest of the work and that
the building OF the tank was the
simplest part OF the job. He said
this In explanation to Mr.. Cuttino
who was against granting separate
| parties parts Of the work. It was
| suggested by Mr.. Booth that Mr.. Nc
\ Keiver take the job at a bid lower
or as low as any that had been Of
fered, but he was against this be-
cause he was on council and, while
he thought that at $2,5s0 he could
clear good money. he would not un.
der any circumstances do any par
Of the work.
The City Engineer explained. in
reply to question asked as tc
whether the material in the old tank
could be used In the new one. that
II would be best to leave the old tani
as II was for various reasons, ant
that the labor employed in takinl
out the material from the old tani
would be equal In cost to the ma
terial for erecting the new tank. II,
stated that he had examined tht
work on Salem Avenue and that h,
had found that the earth there. ant
elsewhere. had not been properl,
packed around the pipe when tn,
pipe was placed. Mr.. Booth asked
II this was because the work hac
not been done properly and, IL so
was 1t the fault OF the engineer. II,
then went further and asked IL tn,
IL