The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-02-26
TIE CASE OLosED.
The Legislative Committee Concluded the
State House Inquiry Last
Evening.
The Report to be Submitted to the House on
Tuesday-It VIII be Favorable 70
the Commissioners.


After lingering along for about three
weeks the committee to investigate the
selection of plan and the letting of the
contract of the State House concluded its
work last evening. The committee held
session at the governors room in the Court
House yesterday afternoon. General Love
was cross-examined, as 10 the award,
but no matter of moment Yves
brought out, not contained in the examIna-
ton in chief as published in yesterday sSentl-
mel. He explained the various steps taken in
investigating the plans. and declared that he
underworld to keep his mind clear, and not
! determine which plan he would vote for
until within few days of the award. Some
times he would prefer some part or parts of
one plan; then the next day he
might discover defects, and, what he
was not fully satisfied with at
one time might appear better at some other
time. And so the matter was left unsettled
until the time came when he was compelled
to come 10 decision. He could not tell all
| the points in which he thought -Lucidus
Ordo" was superior to Others, but he thought
that altogether it was the best. He did not
decide on the changes before the award and
! he did not know that such changes could be
made. He thought the building would do
4 without them, but it would be improved
with the changes.
| MR.. COLLECT EXAMINED.
Professor Collett, assistant State geologist
/ and member of the board, was next ex-
\ amined. He described in detail the method
of examining the plans as it had been pre-
I viously described by General Morris and
General Love. While the expert engineer
and builder were making the estimates for
| the two plans, the commissioners, with the
ar11,-
/ note book in which he made
memoranda of the. answers given by
the experts TO various questions propounded
and from these answers and his own obser
vations made up his opinion. In the course
/ OF his observations he was compelled TO
change the notes he made on some matters
| several times. He did not give more atten-
! ton to any one of the plans than 10 several
| of them.
noross-exsminatlon he stated tina; be came
+; into the board sometime after it was organ
| izsd. and was so entirely unacquainted with
architectural terms that the architect. Mr..
! Wilson, came with him to the Court House
/ 10 explain and illustrate the various terms
/ He did not pay special sttention to the
method of lighting the corridors and CALLER
| les.
i The examination was not very ex-
tended, there was little to gain, not given
IN the direct statement
THE CONCLUSION.
The committee met again last evening at
| the rooms of the commissioners in Fletcher d
Sharpe's building. The Commissioners at
torneys and all the members of the commit
tee except Mr.. Oyermeyer were present. The
session was devoted mainly to examining
the records of the board, the law under
| which the board is working and the contract
and bond of the architect and contractors
The act providing for creating board of
commissioners and defining their duties
txt hov ifxy 10 NIL
visiDg architect, who may be paid not more
than three per cent. on the cost of the build
ing. Mr.. May was employed by the board
at two per cent, which on the entire con-
tract will give him about $4,000. which is
nearly $4,000 less than the board might
| have paid
The contract with the architect reserves
the right to the board and the Legislature, to
make any needed or desired changes, and
the per cent. is in no case to be paid on
any sum in excess of $2.000000. The bonI
of the architect is conditioned for the faith
full performance OF all matters and things
set out in the contract. The bond also spec
ifes that the building shall be fire-proof,
and all of the material of the best quality,
and the work all to be done in q workman
| like manner.
The specifications prepared by the archi-
| tect cover Thirty closely printed pages, and
| refer in tail 10 every item of material and
work in or about the building. A clause at
changes, and any failure of the architect and
contractor to agree on the cost of chsnges is
| to be subject to the absolute control of the
commissioner. The contract with the build
! ers, Messrs kanmscher and Denig, is il pcs
sible. more closely drawn and carefully
worded than even the contract
with the the architect. 1t requires the
strictest compliance with the specifications
and with the drawings, plans etc. These
are so minute in detail as to give the form
-, - nj rod 90, %la
building. Each of the drawings plans speci-
fcations and each page OF the specifications
are sized by the architect and the contrac-
tors. The bond of the contractor is worded
so as to require the complete fullhlment of
every part of the contract.
Mr.. Potts suggested that the bond did not
refer to the plans and Specifications under
which the work IS going on, but that it did
refer to the specifications before the changes
| were made. On examination of the record.
however, it appeared that the plans and
specifications were completed before the
contract was made, and that the specif
tions, plans, etc., were the ones rererred to
in the bond.
Mr.. Bell called attention to the fact, in
connection with the question of cost, that
six of the bids on the contract were within
the limits fixed by law.
Having finished the examination of the
record, the taking of evidence was contin-
| ned.
Mr.. NELSON'S TESTIMONY.
Mr.. /. d. G. Nelson, a member of the board
Was called to the stand and, after the usual
| preliminary questions, said:
The plan of Mr.. May was finally adopted
! by the board, because it was thought to be
the best and without any desire to benefit
Mr.. May. No changes in the plans were
decided on or agreed to prior to the adop-
ton of the plan.
| He did not 60 about with the other COM
missioners, but put in most of his time fig
| uring on matters OF detail.
He went to the Office one Sunday morn
| ing and found Mr.. Wilson making some
sketches. They did not specially apply to
the May plan. Wileon said that what he
was doing would apply equally to any plan.
His act had nothing to do with the adoption
| of the May plan.
We did not find any special defect in the