80 Chicago Bureau of Public Efficiency 



park weights. The balance, 6,478 tons, was delivered on board 

 scows and tugboats at the contractor's dock in the Chicago River, 

 There are no facilities at the dock for weighing the coal, and 

 it was paid for on a basis of the carload weights, as given by the 

 contractor. They are supposed to be mine weights, but the con- 

 tractor is not required to furnish bills of lading or other railroad 

 records for the purpose of verifying the weights. Of the 6,478 

 tons of coal delivered at the dock, approximately 5,000 tons were 

 delivered to the scow for the dredge. The method of receiving 

 this coal is open to serious criticism. When coal is needed for 

 the dredge, the scow is taken to the dock by the captain of the 

 tug. It is left there for periods of from one-half to three or four 

 days. The coal is loaded direct from the cars to the scow. The 

 tug captain does not always see the coal loaded. When the tug 

 returns for the scow, the captain is given two coal tickets, show- 

 ing the numbers, initials, and weights of the cars from which the 

 coal was unloaded. He signs these, leaves one with the contrac- 

 tor, and takes the other to the shipyard, where it is kept on file 

 for checking purposes. The capacity of the scow is about four 

 carloads, and three or four carloads are generally taken on at each 

 coaling. Although, from an inspection of the pile of coal on the 

 scow an estimate might be accurately made as to the number 

 of cars of coal, it would be impossible to tell whether all the 

 coal had been transferred to the scow unless someone had actually 

 seen the cars unloaded. 



Although the specifications state that evaporation tests shall 

 be made at "frequent intervals," and provide for penalties when 

 the tests show that coal of an inferior quality has been delivered, 

 no samples were taken and no tests — either evaporation, chemical 

 analysis or screening — were made. The prices paid in all instances 

 were the per ton prices of the contracts. While the size of the 

 coal delivered has at times justified the entering of complaints, 

 no rejections have been made. 



SAVINGS POSSIBLE BY PROPER SELECTION OF COALS 



The table below shows the kinds of coal used by each of the 

 Park Boards for heating the various buildings for the contract 



