It was now some time after 1 o’clock.  We were all waiting there when President Francis came in and announced that they were going to lunch, and for us to come back later on.  We all left the room and I with several other gentlemen went to get a little lunch.  We were back in the anteroom of Mr. Taylor’s office by 2.30 p. in.  We waited there until 4 o’clock when Mr. Taylor’s secretary came into the room and requested all the bidders to go into the room where the salvage committee was in session.  The committee met in Mr. Taylor’s office.  President Francis, Mr. Taylor, Samuel Kennard, Mr. Holmes, and some other gentleman, I can not call his name now.  President Francis arose and said:  “Gentlemen, the bids are all there on the table and we will open them shortly.”  He asked how we wished the bids handled—­that is, whether we wanted them opened in our presence or in a secret session of the Committee.  Mr. H.S.  Albrecht, of St. Louis, immediately arose and stated that he wanted the bids opened in the presence of the bidders present, as he wanted everything to be open and above board.  All the other bidders present requested that the bids be opened in their presence, except Mr. Abraham Harris, president of the Chicago House Wrecking Company, who arose and offered an objection to the bids being opened in public, and stated that he did not want his bid to be opened in public, but wanted it opened in private, for the reason that he did not want everybody to know what his bid was; that if he was the successful bidder his bid would be published and everybody would know what it was, but if he was not the successful bidder he did not want it known what amount he bid.  President Francis held a whispered conversation with several members of the committee and then turned to the bidders and said:  “Gentlemen, we have decided to open the bids in secret session.”  He thus favored Mr. Harris and ignored the demand of the other bidders.  Mr. Albrecht again demanded that the bids be opened in our presence.  We were then told to repair to the anteroom and wait until called for.  While we were waiting in the anteroom Mr. Taylor’s secretary called Mr. Abe Harris into the committee room, where the salvage committee was opening the bids.  He remained in there some little time.  As soon as Mr. Harris came out Mr. H.S.  Albrecht was called in.  He told me when he came out that he had entered a vigorous protest as to the way the bids were being handled, and that he as a stockholder and a bidder had again demanded that the bids be opened in the presence of the bidders.  Mr. Schmitt and myself were next called into the room where the salvage committee was in session.  Mr. Taylor asked me if I knew a Mr. Schluetter, of Chicago.  I told him that I was well acquainted with the gentleman, that I had done considerable work for him in Chicago, and that he had always paid me for it.  When I made this remark President Francis looked at Mr. Taylor and laughed in rather a sneering way.  I presumed