New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-01-12
TIE NEW N. Y. CAPITOL.
REPLY TO ARTHUR GILMAN BY A MEMBER
OF THE BOARD.

OF THE BOARD.
CARD FROM GEN. K. A. MERRITT, ONE OF THE
NEW CAPITOL COMMISSIONERS
To tho Editor Of The Tribune.
SIR An editorial in tO-days TRIBUNE in regard
to the Capitol is calculated to do injustice not
only to the present Commissioners but to those i'm
mediately preceding the present Board The article
is based upon letter of Mr. Arthur Gilman.
Under the law prior to 1868 the Commissioners
were not to adopt plan for building exceeding in
cost S4OOO.O0O. Hereunder many plans were sub
mitted. and all rejected. Finally, in 1857, Mr
Gilman was employed to make a plan, which was
also rejected ThereupOn Mr.. Fuller, in connection
with Mr.. Gilman and Mr.. Kendall submitted plan
which was approved by the then Commissioners
the Land Commissioners and on the 18th day of De
cember 1867, by tho Governor, if certain modifca-
tionS were made. This plan was submitted to the
Legislature in 1863 and also three estimates that
building upon this plan could be built for less than
S4OO0OOO were submitted by Fuller and Gilman,
Walter Jones, and j. T. Smith.
The Legislature, after protracted examination
of the plans appointed Board of Commits
sioners. eight in number, and directed them to re-
wise and modify the plans, or adopt new ones II
they saw fit; and without limiting the plans to a
building costing not more than Sl,00OGO), directed,
however, that they should not proceed to the cree
ton oil Dulldlng III uAuer inc pl5 III was 10 Coot
more than S4000,000,
The new Board appointed Mr.. Fuller tho aTchi-
tect and adopted the old plans with notifications
to be made by them. After careful studies. the new
Board adopted modified design on the sth day of
July, 1869, and modified plans on the 18th of JAN
uary 1870, and submitted the same to the Legisla-
ture. and Informed the Legislature that the build
ing under these plans would cost from $sOOO,OOO to
S1OOOOCOO. With these facts before Them the Legs-
lature made an appropriation for the commence
ment of the work, and similar appropriations have
been made at every session of the Legislature since.
The walls of the building are now more than
three-ftths done and there has been expended
upon the entire building to the present time,
S514OOOO. The third story above the basement has
been commenced, and three courses of granite have
been laid in it, The third story and the fourth and
last story, be erected and the roof put on for
S2.50OOOO more, making $7,6OOOOO for the building
roofed which is less than any other public building
of any pretension and near the magnitude erected
in this country within the last 10 years Tho foun-
dations of the new Capitol cover little over three
acres of ground; the foundations of the New-York
Post-Office cover about one acre.
Mr. Gilman was never employed architect of
the building; he was only employed by the first
Board of three to make plan; after the Board of
eight was appointed by the Legislature of 1863 with
power to modify the plan of 1867 or adopt new
PLAN Mr.. Gilman was not employed. In his letter
he refers to the old plan of 1867, which was aban-
doned, and during the period that Mr.. Gilman was
employed the Commissioners had no authority to
make contracts or otherwise expend money for the
actual construction of the building. The plan upon
which the Capitol is being built is radically different
from the one Mr. Gilman refers to; and Mr. G. seems
to be entirely unacquainted with it with the work
since it was adopted since he speaks of the work as
if the first story was not yet completed whereas the
workmen are now on the third story, and is thus
EXPRESSED in the Controllers report to which he
refers aud which precedes the paragraph on which
be based his letter, and which is as follows:
The work has pushed forward in practical and
workmanike manner aud with dspatch ana economy
and t Is believed with great saving OF expense as com
pared with former expenditures The outer walls OF
granite stories IN hight Including the basemen
or ground floor with three OF granite laid OF uni
form hight on the third story and all the round granite
columns placed position on the exterior walls and
red ND and arched TO the top OF The second story all
the girders and beams upon The two stories have
has suspended and the walls covered aud protected
for the Winter: The expenditure upon the bnlIang
during the past Summer been about 100000 leaving
about 100000 pended Of the appropriation OF last
Winter, winch will when IL reaches the Treasury, ~
honed be ample to pay off ali existing liabilities against
the Capitol contracted before Mr. possession
No matter what we may now THINK OF tue lOy Oh 'S
placing il upoa present site, the structure Is 80 Tar
dyanced is OF such vast proportions that some pro-
vision should be made for tho continuaDce OF inc VOTE
In the early SprnR. or serious damage ny tno o'on''
will occur to the walls.
Asa further confirmation that the Commissioners
have not exceeded the authority granted to them l
would quote from the report made by the sub
Committee of the Ways and Means Committee OF
Assembly on April 30. 1874, as follows: The Com
issioners have been held in some quarters respon-
sible for the adoption of plans for the building
that would necessarily cost more than the sum
originally contemplated by the Legislature for It's
completion. 1t is deemed by US matter OF justice
70 the Commissioners to say that in $780, before any
stens had been taken toward the erection OF the
sunerstructure when the Legislature appropriated
Il ono 900 for the Capitol and particularly In 1871,
when the Legislature also appropriated S6oOOoo foI
the same purpose after it had been authortatlvely
informed that the building, in the opinion OF the
Commissioners, if built upon the modified plans
nronosed by them, and which were authorized 10 o'
made Inv the Commissioners by the law OF 1868
wonld cost over S10,0000O0, the Legislature ltsei
assumed all responsibility for the plans OF the bultd
| ING and adopted the same definitely" 1t may AIS
ne proper to state that the Senate at its session Las
wear appointed Committee to inquire into all maj
! ters relating to the New Capitol including
| change of plans, increase of cost, &C. ana
| renort during the present session Yours,
| Potsdam, ~ Y. Jan. 8. 1875 Il. a. mEHiHii'
| |
| large black marble tombstone, bearing TN
Intfon in gold letters was laid over IN