Seattle Hires a Contractor to Keep South School From Sliding Into the Street

The school board yesterday afternoon let the contract for the improvement of the South School grounds, which threaten to slide into the street at the northeast corner, endangering the building, to James Parke for $5,500. Mr. Parke furnished an indemnity bond for $25,000, with John Collins, Charles L. Denny and William Cochrane as bondsmen, to be forfeited in case the building were damaged by the slide. Work on the bulkhead will be commenced at once, as the repairs must be completed by October 1, before the commencement of the autumn rains. Three rows of piles will be driven, then braced together and made solid so as to hold the earth in place.

In response to the call of the board for bids some time since nine contractors entered into competition for the work, their bids ranging from $2,973 upward. As the engineer had figured the cost of the improvement at nearly twice the amount of the lowest bid, and as the work of repair, unless thoroughly done, threatened the destruction of the building, the board decided not to let the contract unless a suitable bond was furnished. There were six bids lower than that of Mr. Parke, and each bidder failed to furnish the required bond by 2 p. m. yesterday, the expiration of the time previously set. The action of the board was simply to accept the bond of Mr. Parke.

Before the board accepted the bond and awarded the contract Director MacDougall offered a motion, which was not seconded, to the effect that the board re-advertise for bids, stating fully the requirements of the indemnity bond; that the bidder be required to accompany his bond with a certified check, and that he submit a list of the proposed bondsmen, so that the board could select from the list the bondsmen that were most satisfactory. The other directors thought the matter was too urgent to allow of further delay.