St. Louis, December 5, 1904.

Dear Sir:  Since I have made an examination of the property belonging to the Exposition Company I find a great deal more property than was stated to me at your meeting last Wednesday.  If you will furnish me with a correct list of the property I think now that I can make you a bid of from $400,000 to $450,000 for same, half cash, balance to be paid when property is turned over.  I am prepared to make my bid in three hours after I receive a list of the property.  Should my proposition meet with your consideration call me up at the Lindell Hotel and I will call for the copy at once.

    Yours, truly,
    S. Krug.

    Hon. D.R.  Francis,
    President Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company,
    St. Louis, Mo.

I never received a reply to either of the letters referred to.

In the specifications as prepared by Mr. Taylor it was stipulated that a charge of $6 per car would be made for switching empty cars into the exposition grounds, while I notice the contract between the Chicago House Wrecking Company provides that only $3 per car shall be charged for this service.

The specifications as prepared by Mr. Isaac S. Taylor, director of works, provides that—­

All bids must be made out upon blanks furnished by the director of works, and with each bid there shall be deposited a certified check, payable to the exposition, upon a responsible bank doing business in St. Louis, for the amount of 50 per cent of the amount of bid submitted, the sum indicated in said check to be forfeited to the Exposition Company in case the party or parties to whom award is made does not enter into contract with the Exposition Company within five days from date of said award for the work called for in these specifications and instructions—­

while I see by the contract between the Exposition Company and the Chicago House Wrecking Company, which is of record in office of recorder of deeds, city of St. Louis, in book 1811, page 195 and following pages, that the bid of the Chicago House Wrecking Company was accompanied by a check for $100,000, which amount represented less than 25 per cent of the amount of their bid, viz, $450,000.

The specifications further stipulate that “A contract will be written by the Exposition Company for the faithful performance of this work, and upon the signing of same by the parties thereto, the full amount of said contract, less the amount of the certified check held and to be appropriated by the exposition Company, must be paid to the said Exposition Company by the contractor,” while the contract between the Chicago House Wrecking Company and the Exposition Company, which is of record, provides that the Chicago House Wrecking Company shall execute and deliver to the said Exposition Company at the time the contract is signed four promissory notes three for $100,000 each, and one for $50,000, making a total, all told including the certified check, of $450,000, and allows them six months in which to make the payments.