New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-12-18

CatskiH water under the Hudson from
Orange to Duchess counties.
He refused to contribute" anything,
mich less the $4,000 asked for. and
The contract went to the T. \. Giles
ME Company for 81 ,G49,O20, or almost
So1TOOO more than the Douglass bid.
The contract was AWARDED on June 20.
1911. and, along with Douglass. the
hoard turned down another bid lower
than the Gillespie company's, which
had been made by Winston & Co. and
Rreuchaud for S1.4S3,936.
Conference with Hassett
Thomas Hassett. who had been sec
rotary Of the Board of Water Supply,
was confidential assistant TO state
Engineer John A. Bensel at the time
The contract was awarded. and Doug
lass. il was reported, included in his
story an account Of several conferences
he had with Hassett through May and
June. 1911. when the bids were under
consideration.
John T. Calvin and Charles Strauss,
commissioners Of the Board Of Water
Supply. will go before the grand jury
to-day. it is expected. and give their
side Of the Douglass matter.
Commissioner Calvin was outspoken
last night in his denunciation of the
whole story. He said that the Doug
lass bid had been thrown out chiefly
because Of the objection that he had no
such experience as the Gillespie com
pany.
The Winston company and Breu-
chaud bid" he said, was declined be-
cause they had just finished one con-
tract for the board and were about 10
start in on anOther-the relocation OF
the Ulster & Delaware Railroad-and
We did not believe it wise to overload
them. This Hudson siphon was most
important link in the whole line. and
ne board did not consider that it could
n ford to consider the $4,000 diff
ference between the Douglass and Gill
iespie bids on such pivotal contract.
II might say that ] went over this
whole matter with Mayor Gaynor and
re Endorsed our judgment Of it, which
was based on the unanimous opinion Of
or engineers and on our own business
experience.
As for this man Hassett. he is not
known TO any Of the Commissioners on
our present board except Mr.. Chad
wick. and IL this man could be shaken
down that way what on earth can any
man do to protect himself? II Doug
lass thought there was anything In
that why didn't he follow it through,
not only as a civic duty, but to protect
himself? Mr.. Strauss, our president,
told me that one Of Douglass's at
torneys came TO him and told him
story Of Hassett demanding $1,000.
"Bribe for Board" Is Hint.
Why. just think what pikers Doug
lass must have considered the members
Of the board If he thought they could
ell three be delivered that way Tor So
0O0' | believe he told me that Doug
lass said he came to the building our
Offices are in, the City Investing Build
ing, with Hassett, and that Hassett
made him wait down on the ground
floor while he came up, ostensibly to
FIX things, and then he went up and
smoked a cigar somewhere. | suppose,
for half an hour, and went back and
told Douglass it was all fixed up. But
Z my recollection is right, even Doug
lass was not so gullible as to believe
that.
Gillespie. YOU see, had just finished
similar piece Of work for us on the
Rondout siphon, and he had the plant
end the organization, and Douglass, |
think. we found had been out of bust
ness FOR some time, or something like
hat.
'In my own business | paid 10 per
cent more than the lowest bid just re-
Gently on a contract for building be-
cause ] wanted TO be sure the work
would be properly finished and on time,
and what I'd do that way in my own
business ] would certainly do on a big
piece Of work of this kind for the city"
Charles Strauss. president Of the
board. made practically the same com
ment upon the Douglass story that
Commissioner Calvin had voiced
Douglass had been i'm politics for the
five years just preceding the time he
offered that bid as ! understood it at
the time" said Commissioner Strauss.
and ! understood he did not have the
money 10 swing such a big contract.
He had no plant and was really down
here on a shoestring, while the Giles
pie company had just proved their re-
sourcefulness and ability in the Rond-
out contract. which was for similar
work.
We felt that the Gillespie bid offered
the best opportunity TO get the work
done properly and on time. and on that
contract. the pivotal one on which the