Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 September 1897 — CONTRACT LET [ARTICLE]

CONTRACT LET

For a Complete System ot Water Works To the Chicago Bridge and Iron Works Co836,940 is About What the System Will Cost! Wednesday’s Daily. The City Council last night completed by the far the most important single transaction ever transacted by the governing body of Rensselaer. They contracted for a complete and extensive system of waterworks. The bids that were received were in accordance with plans and specifications prepared by the city's special engineer, W. H. Rooney and revised as to legal points by our city attorney, C. E. Mills. The bids w’ere as to separate items or sections, and not in lump sums for the entire work. Only three bids were submitted. Summed up they were as follows: Chicago Bridge &Jlron Company, $37,100. Represented by Mr. Ladd. Seckner Contracting Company, represented by Mr Brown, $37,800. D. W, Mead, represented by Mr. Neiver, $38,400. The council after due consideration, awarded the contract to the firm first mentioned. The bid called for three new boilers, but one new one, of 100 horse power has been decided sufficient, in connection with the light plant boilers. This would largely reduce the above sum, but a larger water lower, has been selected, which will increase it to $36,945. The plant, in its general features will be about as described in $ Tuesday's paper. The style of pressure reservoir decided on, is a steel tank supported on a steel tower. The bottom of the tank will be 101 feet high, and the top of the water 140 feet. The tower will be a handsome affair architecturally, and will be so strongly built and firmly anchored, as to be secure beyond the possibility of danger. The capacity of the tank will be 100,000 gallons, and all of this will be available for water pressure, unlike the contents of the lower half of the ordinary stand pipe. The hydrants chosen are the Corey patent, and are known as the Rensselaer’ hydrants, being made in Rensselaer Co. New York. They are pronounced by our local plumbing experts as the finest piece of mechanism of the kind they ever saw. The distribution of the water mains is excellent for the purpose of water circulation and, generally speaking, good for fire protection and the reaching of probable patrons, but in these two last respects the distribution can certainly be changed some, to great advantage. The firm which has the contract, which is far the strongest and wealthiest of the three bidders, has an immense plant at Washington Heights, Chicago. They build the greater portion of stand-pipes i and water towers used in this section of the country, also immense numbers of large bridges, and much of the elevated railroad work, in Chicago. - The firm will build the plant and

then sell it bodily to the city, retaining mortgage upon the plant for security. The management of the works, the adjusting of rates etc., being all in the city's hands, from the start. As the power house and pumping machinery, tower and well will also be on the electric light plant lot, it is probable that negotiations will be perfected whereby the waterwork’s firm will advance the money to pay the General Electric Company for the light plant, and become the city's creditor for that amount also. Of course the intention is to operate the light and water plants jointly, so far as practicable, whereby great saving can be effected both in help and fuel. The heating of the school houses by steam from the plants is also to be a feature of the system.