Milltown Historical Society

Tag: Public Service Corporation

This Day in History: August 28th, 1905

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This Day in History: August 28th, 1905

BLOCKING THE BRIDGE AT MILLTOWN


Freeholder DeHart Dodges Question About Award of the Contract on Bridge Company Plans.

The probe into the Milltown bridge contract award to Dean, Schweirs, Sutton & Company, was commenced this morning before Supreme Court Commissioner James H. Van Cleef at his office. Testimony was taken on the writ of certiorari taken out by Charles A. Bloomfield. The morning was devoted to examining James DeHart, the chairman of the Milltown Bridge Committee, and Engineer Lehay, of the Public Service Corporation. The case was still on this afternoon.

Willard P. Voorhees represented Mr. Bloomfield. Alan H. Strong represented the county, with County Solicitor Willis. Judge J. Clarence Conover, of Freehold, appeared for Dean, Schweirs, Sutton & Co., who have the contract for building the bridge.

“Do you think it fair to the bidder to invite bids on one set of plans and then award the contract according to another set of plans?” asked Lawyer Voorhees.

“All of the acts of the committee had to be ratified by the whole Board,” replied Mr. DeHart.

Mr. Voorhees inquired minutely into the award of the contract, which was made at the office of the Public Service Corporation in the Prudential Building at Newark on July 1. Freeholders Fountain, Jackson, and DeHart, with Engineer Dougherty, met Col. Hine and Engineer Lehay there that day. The engineers approved of the plan of Dean, Schweirs, Sutton & Co., and it was approved there. Mr. DeHart was unable to point out the advantages of the plan selected, saying that he took the engineer’s word on that point.

He admitted on cross-examination that he had received a letter from the West Virginia Bridge Company, after the award of the contract, offering to build a bridge according to the Dean, Schweirs, Sutton & Co. plans for $100 less than the contract price, $8,900, and that he had not reported this letter to the Board, as he had thought the incident closed. He said that he did not think a man would make a statement of that kind in earnest when he had not seen the plans.

He was followed on the stand by Engineer Lehay.

Among the Freeholders present at the hearing were Messrs. James DeHart, Arthur O’Neill, Asbury Fountain, Michael Concannon, Joseph Allgaier, and Mr. Rusher. Director Logan and Engineer Doughty, of the Somerville Freeholders, were also present as witnesses.

Freeholder DeHart testified that when the bids were opened the Board found that the bid of the West Virginia Bridge Company was the lowest. He had been advised against giving this company any work, he said. In Somerset County, the county had given a contract to this company and had had trouble with it and had been compelled to withdraw the work. Director Logan, of Somerset, he said, had warned him against this company. For that reason, the contract was not given to this company.

He held that the contract had been given to Dean, Schweirs, Sutton & Co., because the plan which they had presented seemed to be superior to the plans which the county had adopted and which had been approved by the Public Service. Mr. Voorhees brought out in cross-examination that the county had invited plans which had been approved by the county and the Public Service Corporation, and that after bids had been received on these plans, the bids were not considered because Dean, Schweirs, Sutton & Co. had submitted a plan of their own which the Freeholders thought superior, as the weight seemed to be more evenly distributed and because it provided for concrete sidewalks.

Mr. DeHart explained that the Freeholders had at first intended to let the bidders in on an offer of the Public Service Corporation to sell scrap steel to the successful bidder at cost but had abandoned this plan because it did not think the arrangement fair to the bidders, as one might be located nearer to the steel than the other.

The-Daily-Times-New-Brunswick-NJ-Mon-August-28-1905 pg.-1Download

This Day in History: August 19th, 1905

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This Day in History: August 19th, 1905

MILLTOWN BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN

MILLTOWN, Aug. 19—The Milltown bridge is being torn down now. Start was made yesterday. Look out for “an injunction which will act as a stay of proceedings,” when it gets so we will have to jump over from pole to pole, or walk over on the ice. Nearly every large structure has to go through the courts before completion, you know.

The German church picnic was a great success in every way. We are told “Everything was eaten up except some bottles of soda water.”

Rev. W. T. Barny will preach in his German church both morning and evening.

In the Methodist Church, Rev. George S. Sorber, of the Dutch Reformed church at York, Pa., will preach in the morning and the pastor, Rev. J. E. Shaw, will preach in the evening.

Rev. Mr. Shaw attended the opening of the camp meeting services at Ocean Grove, Friday.

Mrs. Jos. A. Headley and her niece, Miss Mabel Hagaman, of Blackwell’s Mills, visited relatives in Elizabeth this week and enjoyed as best they could the long trolley ride in the rain.

The J. A. C. Club of Milltown will hold their first grand picnic in the Milltown grove opposite Parsons Grove, on Saturday, September 2.

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This Day in History: April 29th, 1904

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This Day in History: April 29th, 1904

PUBLIC SERVICE WILL LIGHT MILLTOWN

Contracts Awarded Last Night – Electric Lights to Be Installed.

MILLTOWN, April 29 – At a special meeting of the Borough Council of Milltown, held in Red Men’s Hall last night, it was decided to illuminate the place with electric incandescent lamps. The matter of lighting the borough has long been a cause of dispute at the meetings of the board.

It was deemed that the lights now in use are inadequate, as they are only stationed on the side of the pond known as North Milltown, while on the opposite side, where the population is as great, there are none.

The old lights now in use do not throw enough light to compensate for the expense of keeping them. This was a matter of dispute among the councilmen at many meetings, several of them believing that by purchasing an additional number they could be made to answer the purpose satisfactorily. A test was also made with gasoline, but as the results received from them did not meet the demands of the board, the question of installing them was speedily dropped.

It was then decided that the only lights which could give entire satisfaction were electric.

Figures for the cost of construction and power were received from Sayre & Fisher Company, of Sayreville, but after considering the matter it was determined to advertise for bids and get the figures of several companies.

The only bids received were from the Public Service Company for furnishing current, and Mr. Lansley, of Woodbridge, for construction of poles and wire. The contracts were both awarded to the two companies.

There will be three and one-half miles of wire and poles distributed about the borough, with about sixty lights, a number which is thought to be enough to light the place from end to end including the side streets.

There will be a very slight increase in the tax rate, as the surplus in the borough treasury is almost sufficient to meet the expenses which will be incurred by the construction of the line.

Great credit is due Mayor Riva and several of the council for their efforts in bringing the question to a satisfactory terminus, after months of arguing and disputing.

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This Day in History: March 4th, 1909

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This Day in History: March 4th, 1909

GAS FOR MILLTOWN

The Public Service Corporation, it understood on good authority, will extend its gas mains to Milltown next Spring, and light the homes of that borough. Milltown already gets light from the PSC, though not in the same manner as do New Brunswick residents. The light is bought in bulk by the borough and sold by the municipal corporation.

It is now planned by the P. S. C. to deal directly with the Milltown people in the sale of gas. A lot of pipe as been distributed along the road to Milltown, which, it was thought, were to be used for gas mains here.

These men said today that as far as they as they know this was not the case, and that they had not heard of the gas extending mains going forward this early. It can be almost positively stated, however, that in 1910 Milltown gas will be burning.

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