This message was received by me at about 8.40 a. m. November 29. Mr. Dunphy and I took the first train out to St. Louis. We left here at 11.03 a. m. and arrived St. Louis at 6 p. m. November 29. We met Mr. Ranstead at the hotel and talked matters over. The next day, November 30, Mr. Ranstead, Mr. Dunphy, and myself went to the fair grounds and called at office of Mr. Stevens, secretary of the Exposition 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 closeted with the salvage committee in Mr. Taylor's office. While we were waiting there they came out of Mr. Taylor's office without their overcoats or hats on. They had left them in the room where the salvage committee was in session. Mr. Dunphy, Mr. Ranstead, and myself were then requested to enter the room where the salvage committee was in session. Mr. Frank and Abe Harris waited outside until we got through. The same members of the salvage committee present at the morning session were present at this meeting, including Mr. John Scullin, but Mr. Scullin only remained a few minutes after we entered the room. There was another gentleman present, but I do not know who he was. President Francis told me later that he was an insurance agent and that he held insurance on all the buildings then. I handed the bid, or rather Mr. Dunphy handed the bid to President Francis, who in turn handed it to Mr. Kennard, who opened it and read it aloud. The bid was for $101,000 for the buildings mentioned in the specifications, the intramural stations, the fence around the grounds (except the stadium fence), and the bridges. Mr. Francis held a whispered conversation with Mr. Taylor, and then turned to us and said that the committee had decided to let the contract that day, and that they would not wait until Friday for the bid on the other material, that is the rails and the copper wire, and that it would be necessary for me to put in my bid that night, as they would be in session until 11 p. m. I stated that I could not make an intelligent bid on such short notice, unless I was furnished with figures showing amount of rail and wire purchased by them. Mr. Taylor spoke up and asked me if I knew a man by the name of Evans, of Chicago, who was in the wrecking business, I told him that I did not know a Mr. Evans, of Chicago, who was engaged in the wrecking business, and that I was well acquainted with all the prominent wrecking concerns and contractors in Chicago but had never heard of or met Mr. Evans, the gentleman referred to. Mr. Taylor asked me why I could not get in a bid in the same time that Mr. Evans got his in, and stated that Mr. Evans had submitted a bid on all the property from Chicago by wire in three hours. I stood up then and spoke to President Francis and said, "President Francis, how do you know but that this bid of Mr. Evans may be a dummy?" President Francis arose from the table and stood opposite me, and, scratching his head, said: "Well, Mr. Drug, you have got me a guessing. There may be something in that."
President Francis said to me, "Mr. Drug, I made a mistake this morning in giving you the number of tons of steel rail; there are 4,000 tons instead of 2,000 tons of rail." I then told him that it would be impossible for me to give him any kind of an intelligent bid without some kind of a list of the property to figure on. President Francis stated that the matter would be settled that night and that I had until 11 p. m. to bring in my figures on all the property to be disposed of as shown by the specifications, and including the intramural stations, the bridges, the fence around the grounds, the copper wire, and the railroad rails. We then left the room, and as we were passing out President Francis asked our names and where we were stopping as they would call us up later on that day.
As soon as we walked out of the room Mr. Frank and Abe Harris of the
Chicago House Wrecking Company went in.
We left the fair grounds immediately and went to the Lindell Hotel, where we prepared a new bid. About 7.30 p. m. we decided to put in our bid by telephone. Mr. Dunphy called up Mr. Taylor's office and was informed by the party who answered the telephone that the salvage committee had adjourned at 7 o'clock p.m. Mr. Dunphy told me that the salvage committee had adjourned, and I supposed they had adjourned to get something to eat and would be back shortly. I told him to call up again. About 8.30 p. in. Mr. Dunphy called up Mr. Taylor's office and was told that the salvage committee had adjourned at 7 p. m. and would not be back that night. About 10 p.m. he called up President Francis's residence and was inform that President Francis was not at home, and also received the same reply when he called up Mr. Taylor's house, and when he called up Mr. Holmes's residence he was informed that Mr. Holmes had gone to bed. We were unable to reach any of the salvage committee. were not called up that evening, nor did we hear anything from the salvage committee that evening, although we waited in the corridor of the Lindell Hotel until after 12 o'clock midnight.
During our conversation with the committee nothing was said about fire engines, office furniture and furnishings, hose carriages, fire hose, horses, buggies, wagons, steam rollers, roadmaking machinery, three steel greenhouses, with plants of every description, surveying instruments, engineering tools, two hospitals complete, 2,000 folding cots, 2,500 opera chairs, 400 revolving chairs, 25,000 kitchen chairs, 200 roller-top desks, 300 flat-top desks, 200 typewriter desks, the brick in the roadways, and the various buildings, or numerous other valuable articles and pieces of property.
About 8.30 a. m. Thursday, December 1, Mr. Dunphy, my agent, called up Mr. Holmes's residence to find out what Mr. Holmes knew about the disposition of the bids. He was told by some lady who answered the telephone that Mr. Holmes was on his way to his office. He came and told me that Mr. Holmes was on his way to his office. I requested Mr. Dunphy to go to Mr. Holmes's office and try and ascertain what the committee had done about the bids. Later in the day Mr. Dunphy came to me and told me that Mr. Holmes had told him that the contract had been awarded to the Chicago House Wrecking Company between the hours of 6 and 7 p. m. of November 30.
On December 3, 1904, I addressed a letter to President Francis in which I offered him $199,000 for all railroad iron and ties and all wire in and about the exposition grounds. I also, in the same letter, offered to pay him $101,000 for the buildings, fences, bridges, and intramural stations on the exposition grounds, which would total $300,000.
On December 5 I addressed a letter to President Francis as follows:
St. Louis, December 5, 1904.
Dear Sir: Since I have made an examination of the property belonging to the Exposition Company I find a great deal more property than was stated to me at your meeting last Wednesday. If you will furnish me with a correct list of the property I think now that I can make you a bid of from $400,000 to $450,000 for same, half cash, balance to be paid when property is turned over. I am prepared to make my bid in three hours after I receive a list of the property. Should my proposition meet with your consideration call me up at the Lindell Hotel and I will call for the copy at once.