Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-19
CONTRACT WAS
Not AWARDED
BIDS OPENED At CONVENT LAST
NIGHT FOR THE PROPOSED
NEW ACADEMY.
NARRows TO THREE
Twelve Of tho Bids Rejected and Con.
test Lies Between Ottumwa, Des
Molnss, and Chicago contrae-
toFs For the Job.

The opening Of tho bids last night
at st. Joseph's academy on Fourtn
street for the erection OF the new
academy and convent that Is to cost
about 1160, 900, was featured by the at
tendance of no less sixty-e1gnt con-
tractors, bidders, sub-bidders. clerks,
etc. as we'll as a number OF local men
and Architect John OConnor Of Des
Moines. The opening Of the bids OF
which there were fifteen that covered
the entire Job Of construction and
some that considered but part OF the
building, was scheduled to begin At
80 sharp because OF the great num-
Der To be gone through The pad
weather and other causes made 1t I'M
possible for all to be there on time and
the opening did not begin until later
in the evening. In order to expedite
the work and permit the bidders from
out of the city to get away during the
night Architect O'Connor the repre-
sentative of the sisters and the sisters
who have the matter in charge decided
on all of the bids but three telling the
other twelve of their finding and thus
permitting them to leave for their
several homes The hour of midnight
was almost reached before the work
was completed for the night and the
party broke up. ......s.. ~,
Crisman a Factor.
= Today has been busy one at the
convent and Architect OConnor was
engaged with the sisters in going owe!
the three plans reserved for maj
selection throughout the morning. No
decision has yet been reached. The
bids that now compete tor the JOB are
those Of l.. T. Crisman CO. Of Ottumwa,
Smith Brothers of Chicago and John
r McGorrisk of Des Moines. Within
short time a decision will be reached
and the successful bidder announced.
| All the competitors expressed them
selves as pleased with the compett-
| ton and left the city during last night
and today.
| ID, >..,... A Big Task. " ~.
Some idea Of the magnitude OF the
task can be gained If one will consider
how long it takes to go over more than
} a dozen bids on job of such size as
| the proposed new academy. The
amounts OF the bids were not made
public although the three to which the
contest has narrowed down, offer
peculiar advantages over the others
and one of these will be decided upon
Ehefore long.
Depends on Funds.
+ The length of time to be consumed
before the decision will be reached.
will depend upon the adoption 81
| Just what plan Of building Will
| be carried out. The bids reserved
for the final award cover three partic-
ular kinds Of bids. One Of these COM
prises the erection of the entire build
ing and finish, another the building and
partial finish while the third covers
the building of the structure but less
of the finishing than the other bids.
The amount Of finishing to be done
at the time of building will depend
entirely on the prospect for funds that
ne sisters can look forward to IN the
e-oction of the academy, and this will
bc.o much to do with the selection of
the contractor.
Architect John O'Connor who drew
the plans for the new building, left this
morning about 1870 for his home in
Des Moines after going over much of
the detail work of the proposed build
ing and the bids covering same at the
convent.