Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 February 1913 — STERNBERG & SONS TO DREDGE IROQUOIS [ARTICLE]

STERNBERG & SONS TO DREDGE IROQUOIS

Big Contract Went For 6.90 Cents a Yard, Which is .6 Cent Below EstiniatedOdst. - Charles Sternberg ft Sons will dredge the lower Iroqhois river, having bid in the contract last Saturday afternoon after a sharp bidding contest with J. J. Lawler, the wealthy Chicago stockman and Jasper county landowner. Mr. Law-' ler is not a dredge man but he was assessed about $8,500 for the construction of this ditch and his object in bidding so closely is said to have been for the purpose of reducing his assessment and his action will have the effect of saving in the same proportion all who are assessed for the construction. About thirty dredging firms were represented at the letting, although a number of them did not bid and several did not even qualify by putting up a certified check for $5,000. Several dredge men came here and went over the line of the ditch and when they found that Sternberg ft Son had a big dredge already in the river, decided that the handicap was too great for them to bid against. Sternberg & Son built the hipper construction and when it was done left their dredge boat in the river in anticipation of this job. The excavation yardage, as estimated by the engineer in making the specifications is 1,611,741 The estimated cost was 6.5 cents per yard, which would make the total cost $104,763.16. Since the ditch went for 5.9 cents a yard, the total cost will be $95,086.82, or $9,676.34 less than the estimated cost. This saving can be attributed to Mr. Lawler, as all other bidders quit when the estimate was reached, Horton & Mosely having made the bid of 6.52. After that time only Sternberg and Lawler continued the bidding and gradually the price was whittled down a tenth of a mill at a time, until Sternberg bid 5.9, when Lawler quit and the sale was closed. A tenth of a mill meant a saving of $161.17, and a mill meant $1,611,74, and other dredge jnen said that the contract was sold too low. Mr. Sternberg felt somewhat the same way about it but he probably has it figured out that there is a profit in it at the price for which it was taken. The sixteen companies making bids were: The Hummer Construction Co., The Horton ft Mosely Co., the Timithy Foohey Co., the Sullivan Construction Co., John J. Lawler, D. H. Yeoman, the Northern Construction Co., the Wolcott Dredge Co., Sweet ft Thomas, Dilley ft Berdine, Clyde A. Walb, Chas. Sternberg ft Sons, H. E. Rosebrook & Co., Fred C. Morgan, De Poy ft Enyart and the Rensselaer Dredging Co. Other dredging companies represented at the letting but not making bids were: E. B. Thomas, Royal Center, Ind. Gilmore Bros., Toledo, Ohio. Clyde A Walb, Lagrange, Ind. D. T. Dilley, Hebron, Ind Will Brown, Hebron, Ind. C. Y. Oyan, Valparaiso, Ind. The Spankle Co., Ft Wayne, Ind. M. J. O’Meara, Cullom, 111. John Hack ft Son., Lowell, Ind. Tripp ft DeYault Grgpnview, 111. Engle Bros., Monterey, Ind. John McMann, Goshen, Ind There were also several supply men here, including J. A Ghetty, the hustling representative of the American Steel Dredge Co., of Ft. Wayne; J. E. Marbaugh, of Monterey, representing the Fairbanks Steam Shovel Co.; C- 8. Kehler, of the Puritan Coal Co.; E. J. Sarber. of the Leashins Rope Co., St. Louis; and G. J. Tompkins, of the Trenton Iron Works. Mr. Sternberg talked with a reporter for The Republican after he had bid in the job. He said that he will begin as soon as the weather is suitable to enlarge and repair his, dredge. The dredge as it stands now cost about $19,000, and to equip it for the work it Is now to do will require an expenditure of about SB,OOO more. The boat, which is 90 feet long, will be lengthened 20 feet and its width increased from 35 to 45 feet. The bank spuds will be taken off and vertical spuds erected in the center of the front part of the boat The boom will be lengthened from 70 to 86 feet. The dipper, which is of 2 Y» yards capacity, will be used without alteration, except to be attached to the longer boom. The ditch Is required to be completed within two years from the time construction Is begun and Mr. Sternberg is of the opinion that this time will be ro qnired. The specifications for the three laterals do not require so great width, but Mr. Sternberg will make the laterals of the same, width as the main ditch If the land owners and superintendent will consent. This will permit him to

use the same dredge Otherwise a smaller dredge would have to be used in making the laterals. As the ditches would be much better constructed on the wider plan, he hopes to get the consent of the taxpayers to make this change. The route of the ditch is through George Ade’s Hazeldon farm and Mr. Ade was allowed damages amounting to S3OO on one forty-acre tract. The sale will have to be approved by Judge Hanan and he will probably receive the report of the superintendent, Myrt B. Price, Thursday of this week. This Improvement was originally petitioned for by Carey L. Carr, oe al, and that petition was defeated by remonstrance. That was about five years ago. Soon thereafter J. C." Borntrager, who then owned a farm southwest of town, headed a petition and it was attacked by remonstrators, who sought every means of delay. Attorney George A. Williams represented the petitioners and about all the other attorneys were lined up against the ditch. Aside from securing some modifications in assessments the opposition accomplished nothing, and after giving notice of their intention to carry the suit decided by Special Judge Hanan into the supreme court, the remonstrators suddenly withdrew their opposition and the contract letting followed within thirty days. The estimated benefits to be derived from the digging of this ditch are about $145,000. That it will reclaim a great amount of hitherto waste land and vastly improve thousands of qther acres is a sure result that evQd 'the remonstrators conceded. It is the effect of these big dredges that has made our farm lands almost double in value within seven years. The benefits have far exceeded the most sanguine claims of the petitioners and this will doubtless be the result In this case. T