The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-03-01
Bid Last Minute Captured
S15O,OOO in Contracts.
Topeka men ARE PEEVED
Say Capital City Company Did
Not Act 'sSquare."
Jolt Is Given to Cleveland
Trinidad Company.


tors, supply men and paving represen-
tatives left Topeka for their homes
this morning. They came here the
first of the week to bid on So blocks of
brick paving in Topeka for the year
1912. They were prepared to make the
fight of their lives Every contractor
was primed for the other man. And
while they were fighting among them
selves. up slid a paving firm never be-
fore listed in Topeka, and like a dark
horse this new firm grabbed the entire
contract of more than $150,00O
The new firm was the Capital City
Vitrified Brick & Paving company or
Topeka. Primarily this company al
ways has manufactured brick. For
weeks this firm has been figuring with
contractors on supplying them with
brick for the Topeka paving. At the
last minute the company represented
by Hinc6le Guy, presented a bid f,I
all the paving and their bid was low.
IF a man had dropped a pomb il
the meeting it would not have caused
more of a STIR is the way A. R..
Young, city engineer, explained it to-
dav.
The Capital City company captured
all the contracts and will furnish all
the brick The brick will be made ut
the big plant west of the city. The
bid was over So, 600 less than the bid of
Ritchie Brothers of Topeka
Competition Was Strong.
twenty-five bids were made for the
brick paving. The competition was
the strongest in years. The Capital
City bid was much lower than the
city expected and will mean a big
saving to the tax payers of the city.
It is predicted at the city hall that
in the future the Capital City firm
will capture the brick contracts in
h0iT
own brick plant; they have stock in
a cement plant in Oklahoma; they
will install a rock crusher near Tope-
ka and make their own rock. All
they need to buy is asphalt filler and
this is not q heavy expense of brick
paving. They are able to cut out the
freight rates and will have to hire
labor only.
A number of the Topeka contractors
who bid on the work are "peeved"
today. They say that Manager Guy
of the Capital City company had fig
ured with them on brick and knew
their bids. In this way, say the con-
tractors, the Capital City company
was able to go below the other bid
ders.
Trinidad Company spurned.
The Observation-Disclosures paving
firm of Cleveland, O., the firm that
held up the asphaltic concrete paw
ing in Topeka last year bid on the
l.
to have their bid thrown
out before it was opened but City At
torney Ralston interfered. The COM
pany did not come near the contract
price.
This firm bid last year on asphaltic
concrete paving and had the lowest
figures. The city commissioners
would not accept their bid because it
in a number of shady deals and
were ''grafters.' The contract was
given to the next lowest bidder the
Kaw Paving company of Topeka. The
Trinidad company then OBJ
tanned an injunction and held up the
cided against them early in the win
ter. The pavement is still tied up
and the tax payers have been placed |
to many inconvenience.
Commissioner Tandy said this COM |
pany was considered unreliable last |
year and there was no reason why !
they should not be considered so this |
year, especially after the supreme court !
had decided against them and after |
they had held up Is blocks OF pave |
ment in this city.
If the Observation-Disclosures company !
gets a paving contract in Topeka in |
the future they will have to go around !
the present board of city commission
ers-
Firms bidding on the brick pave |
ment were:
A. Jacks company, Chicago; Ritch- |
lie Brothers, Topeka; DISCRIMINATING |
dad company, Cleveland, O.; Kaw Paw |
ing company, Topeka; Hauf & Will |
Jams, Muskogee, Ok; Olson & Schmidt, |
St. Joseph, Mo-; Thogmartin & Gard
ner, Fort Scott; w. w. Jones, Topeka;
Capital City Vitrified Brick and Paw
ing company, Topeka; Western Paw
ing company, Oklahoma City, Ok; W
W. Gilmore, Topeka; MCGUIRE & Stan
ton, Leavenworth; Spencer, Luttjohn
& F'ouIk, Topeka: and the Roach |
Nanigan company. Memphis, Tenn.