Competition for the Port Orchard Dry Dock
A flurry of bids arrives for the massive Navy project in Port Orchard, testing the influence of Seattle and Tacoma firms.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The new bids for the Port Orchard, Wash., dry dock were opened at the navy department today. The department found it necessary to readvertise due to complications with the eight-hour labor law. When previous bids were opened, Matthew Brannigan of Seattle was the lowest bidder, but his figures were so low that officials feared he could not complete the work. Nine bids were opened today. Nelson Bennett of Tacoma was the lowest in one respect, complying with the required 'pile' clause. J.M.P. Phillips of San Francisco bid nearly $23,000 lower than Bennett, but failed to account for the pile clause. The department indicates it is probable Bennett's bid will be accepted.
“The department had found it necessary to readvertise for bids for this work owing to the complications growing out of the eight-hour law.”
The shipyard at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard remains a vital regional institution. This 1892 fight over federal contracts and the eight-hour work day represents an early example of how federal labor standards began to shape industrial bidding wars in the Pacific Northwest.
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