xposition Company.
This was about 10.30 a. m. At about 11 a. m. Mr. Stevens took us to the
room where the salvage committee was holding a meeting. Mr. Stevens did
not remain in the room during the meeting. There were present President
Francis, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Kennard, and Mr. Holmes, members of the salvage
committee. After a short preliminary talk, we were told by Mr. Francis
that we would have to put in our bid for all the buildings shown in the
specifications, including copper wire and railroad iron, and that we
would have to have the bid in by 4 o'clock that afternoon. It was then
about: 12 o'clock. We protested against such short time for figuring on
all the property shown by the specifications. I requested more time and
told them I would be able to make an intelligent bid if granted more
time. I asked President Francis to give me the figures on the steel
rails and the copper wire, and stated that he should have the figures
showing the amount on hand, as it was all bought by weight; that if I
could get an idea of the amount of wire and rail I could get my bid in
all right in time. He stated he could not give me the figures on the
rail and the wire. Mr. Kennard then stated that I could put in a bid for
the buildings that were shown in the specifications, including the
intramural stations, the fences, and the bridges by 4 o'clock that day,
and that I could have until Friday, December 2, to put in my bid on the
railroad iron and the copper wire. I asked if it would be possible for
me to get an extension of time in which to do the work, providing I
secured the contract. President Francis stated that the time could not
be extended one day. I then asked for a list of the property so I could
figure on all of it. President Francis stated that they did not have any
lists and that it would be necessary for us to go over the ground and
get our own data. He stated to me then that there were 2,000 tons of
steel rails. We then left the office and walked over the grounds and
looked at the buildings, the intramural stations, the fences, and
bridges, on which we were asked to submit a bid that afternoon. We did
not look over the rail and the wire, as we thought we would have more
time the following day for that. We went back to Mr. Taylor's office at
4 o'clock p. in. We waited there in the anteroom until about 5.30 p. in.
While we were waiting in the anteroom Mr. Frank and Mr. Abe Harris, of
the Chicago House Wrecking Company were clo