Evening journal., 1915-06-08
Bic PAVING Contract
Goes Goes TO topeka CO.
Will Do 100000 So. Yards
of Work at Estimated
Cost of $5OO,OOO
TO ASK BIDS FOR
SECOND CONTRACT

The Street and Sewer Department
this morning let the contract for 100,
O00 square yards of street paving and
curbing to the Topeka Paving Com
pany, Inc. of Brooklyn. \. y, exclusive
of 1000 yards of stone block paving
which the successful bidder did not sub
NIT figures for This work. President
George W. Sparks said. will be done byI
the city with material now ON hand
Additional bids for lll,O0O squaI eI
yards of paving will be asked for I'M
the near future, President Sparks said.
Both Frank D. Van Horn, supcrintcn.
dent of the company to which the con-
tract was awarded and representatives.
OF other companies. who bid on the l04,
600 square yard contract, were present.
They were invited to bid on the larger
contract.
Mr.. Van Horn. speaking ON behalf
of his company, thanked the board for
awarding him the contract and declared
the work would be done meritoriously.
President Sparks declared the con
contract was the first one of its kind
let by the board, and great care would
be taken TO supervise the Workmanship
and material used in the work
Mr.. Van Horn said he was glad the
board was taking this precaution TO
insure good workmanship in which,
he said, il would not be disappointed.
Asked what the amount the SUCCESS
full bidder had given for the entire
contract, Mr.. Sparks said it was
about $500000 An exact figure. he
said. il was impossible to compute
as the bids all we're for parts. Assum-
ing certain figures as a basis. Mr..
Sparks. said the next lowest bidder
was the Hassan Paving company. of
Worchester. Mass. This company fig
ure, he said, was about $4,000 more
than the successful bidder. The next
lowest bidders were the American
Paving and Construction Company,
the Newton Paving Company and the
Warner-Quinlin Asphalt Company.
These figures" said Mr.. Sparks,
do not in any way estimate the total
cost of this work Many persons are
easily misled by figures. and IL must
be remembered that there are many
b charges besides those mentioned in
the bids that must be considered. The
inspection and supervision charges
are included in these.
1T is a difficult task for a board
to select the successful bidder in
case like the present one. All the
figures are based on rates for vari-
p Gus parts Of the work Many Of the
contractors representatives here this
morning came with the idea they were
low bidders They we're, on some
items. but when they all we're put to-
/, gether the successful bidder was the
, lowest"
Secretary Christy and clerks Of the
J, Street and Sewer Department, who
> have been working on figures sub
mitted by the fifteen bidders who sub
, mitted prices on amounts of from
5000 to 100000 square yards of paw
ing finished their task this morning.
The figures we're tabulated on six
pages. giving the prices in detail for
various parts of the work
A number Of small items of busi-
ness were discussed at this mornings
, session of the board, which was one
of the busiest in some time.
. Several persons appeared before
% the board to give their views on vari-
Gus improvements desired before the
. body officially recognizes the merger
, Of the Wilmington and Philadelphia
Traction Company with the Peoples
. Railway Company A resolution that
- the board recognized the merger was
p tc have been introduced today. but
was not prepared and will come up at
the next meeting of the board.
, The ordinance for regulation of iitney
+, buses in Wilmington, which has come
up at each meeting of the board for
r a month. was laid over until next
, week. The ordinance will probably be
, adopted by the board next Tuesday.
John f. Neary, counsel for the vii
o. mingtOn and Philadelphia Traction
Company. declared the company had
not completed determining on changes
TO be made in the service and would
prepare the boards resolution authoriz.
, ing such improvements as soon as pos.
sible.
In answer to Mr. Neary's request
. that the commissioners give their own
private opinions on the work to be
done. Mr. Christy declared he wanted
the belt line on Seventh and Eighth
streets run west on Eighth and east
on Seventh street
Mr. Neary said this was what the
company had planned to do. but was
awaiting the public's approval or any
suggestions otherwise. He said MIR.
Christy's wish could be granted, he
thought.
Commissioner Murphy said he
thought the Eighth and Market con-
nection should be changed so cars
going north on Market street would
, turn to the right at the West Eighth
! street corner. AT present cars run up
Market on the southbound track and
y that make their turn.
President Sparks declared a dou-
BILE frog switch would eliminate this
! difficulty and also allow cars to turn
/ east at this crossing on Eighth
= street
2 The work on the Boulevard extern
sion, Mr. Neary said, had been