This message was received by me at about 8.40 a. m.  November 29.  Mr. Dunphy and I took the first train out to St. Louis.  We left here at 11.03 a. m. and arrived St. Louis at 6 p. m.  November 29.  We met Mr. Ranstead at the hotel and talked matters over.  The next day, November 30, Mr. Ranstead, Mr. Dunphy, and myself went to the fair grounds and called at office of Mr. Stevens, secretary of the Exposition Company.  This was about 10.30 a. m.  At about 11 a. m.  Mr. Stevens took us to the room where the salvage committee was holding a meeting.  Mr. Stevens did not remain in the room during the meeting.  There were present President Francis, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Kennard, and Mr. Holmes, members of the salvage committee.  After a short preliminary talk, we were told by Mr. Francis that we would have to put in our bid for all the buildings shown in the specifications, including copper wire and railroad iron, and that we would have to have the bid in by 4 o’clock that afternoon.  It was then about:  12 o’clock.  We protested against such short time for figuring on all the property shown by the specifications.  I requested more time and told them I would be able to make an intelligent bid if granted more time.  I asked President Francis to give me the figures on the steel rails and the copper wire, and stated that he should have the figures showing the amount on hand, as it was all bought by weight; that if I could get an idea of the amount of wire and rail I could get my bid in all right in time.  He stated he could not give me the figures on the rail and the wire.  Mr. Kennard then stated that I could put in a bid for the buildings that were shown in the specifications, including the intramural stations, the fences, and the bridges by 4 o’clock that day, and that I could have until Friday, December 2, to put in my bid on the railroad iron and the copper wire.  I asked if it would be possible for me to get an extension of time in which to do the work, providing I secured the contract.  President Francis stated that the time could not be extended one day.  I then asked for a list of the property so I could figure on all of it.  President Francis stated that they did not have any lists and that it would be necessary for us to go over the ground and get our own data.  He stated to me then that there were 2,000 tons of steel rails.  We then left the office and walked over the grounds and looked at the buildings, the intramural stations, the fences, and bridges, on which we were asked to submit a bid that afternoon.  We did not look over the rail and the wire, as we thought we would have more time the following day for that.  We went back to Mr. Taylor’s office at 4 o’clock p. in.  We waited there in the anteroom until about 5.30 p. in.  While we were waiting in the anteroom Mr. Frank and Mr. Abe Harris, of the Chicago House Wrecking Company were closeted with the salvage committee in Mr. Taylor’s office.  While we were waiting there they came out of Mr. Taylor’s office without