, 1881-02-20
COUNTY-DUILDING.
Architect Egan Favors Arbitration
with HinsdaIe.
Visit to the Court House and Inspection
OF the Work. =:

ing communication:
70 the Joi,,t Committee on Buildings aud Sc'u-
icc-G ESTi.EaES: In view OF the peculiar c,s"
cunstauccs pertaining to tho H.nttcr OF .arni-
strong and ninsdu1e now being investigated ny
your honorable body. trust thnt my posltlon us
architect of the building will he sufficient w'tr-
ra nr for the following suggestions and RECON-
neutl.tion which would respectfully present
| for your considerations: ......--..-.. -
| OF tho value OF the work dune outside OF the
contract, or '.cxtra work. and also the value
Of work omitted from the contract OF the lilis-
| dale Doyle Granit Company, be submitted 10 inc
decision OF tWn experts. who shall DC prnctlc;lt
men engaged IN the business OF supplying such
@Scc0utl-That one of these experts shall be APP
| pointed by each Of the parties to the contract:
that Is to say. by the Hinstla!c- Doyle Gr;'nlt
Company and one by your honorable body on
behalf Of tho county, with power tt' c:li IN i
| third. whose decision shall be binding OIL them
| in case 0f Il future to aErce.
Th,u-Thut the report of such experts rs 10 tho
value of the wnrf done and work omitted. eS-
hibitlng Il balance due on either sdc-tho cu!ltl-
Is or the contractors rs the case may Dc-sh'tI DC
considered binding on tho parties 10 INC con-
tract. a.. ---.-...,. ,,,a+
from the rclauons which hase existed hetwcen
Mr. Armstrong and MIR. Hinsdnle, it must be ua-
| mittcl that any statements made by Que party
against the other u be regarded with dotlot
ana suspicion .......,
| Nevertheless the idea ilus now been raised,
| and ;,l,st remain in tho minds of many incnl-
| bcrs Of ybur honorable body. ami nlso to a great
!
| mate business relations formerly existing uc-
| 1wccn the parties tn this contract. something
NAV be wrong, even though majority OIL your
| bptly should decide otherwise
| II is :,!sn :Ec to myself Hut ntaG such rec
otn,leItlution in order thut my own statements
n,.l,lc 10 your honorable body hc substantially
yin.licatcti Dr he left open to REJECTION. 1t Is
evident to iIlc thnt. even though my statements
were accepted by II majority, the sMtnc feeling
Of doubt aud uneerlnt .'sf s., ef." ,r -
! and in Il matter involving sieh lnrGc sums Ut
| money am not satisfied IL rest Under that slis-
picion even the rnrt OF Il few, Or even ono
member Of your honorable Board:
Finally, the adoption OF such course rs
have i1dicate will !,nve the grrat advantage: OF
avoiding IL long ind costly lawsuit by settling
| MIR flinstlaes cailns.-, matter which Is rs yo1
| are well aware. II subject OF serious difference
! between the fr1n aud myself.
| would, therefore. pciug the result OF steh
experts examination and report. respectfully
be. leave to withdraw Ill estimates tnd certii1-
cat..s now under discussion.
Respectfully submitted. J. J. EG.tS,
| Architect
| Mr.. Hinsdale said that he would agree TO the
| proposition contuInetl in the communication.
| Mr. ScnEe read from the record OF the Doars1
| resolutions which had been passed requiring
that no changes should be made In the coustrsc-
| ton of the buildings without the consent OF the
| Hoard l,cng gr..n,ctI. Hc asked why The nrchi-
tect lid not get the authority If the Board he
/ fore the changes III the construction of tho
| Col1nty-Isuld.u, were made, He held, also, that
| there was quite
| 4 LARGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TIE PRICE
| charged for the work which bud been done nIl
| for that which had been omitted. Tn stone
| which had been placed III position as much ~
| Sla5 to l., Il foot had been charged, while only
- cents foot htl1 been allowed for tint which
| had not been employed.
| Mr. Egan said that the work of preparing tho
| stone and placing it In its position had tn be
| taken into consideration. Tho allowance for
! unemployed stone WIS simply for the rough ma
| tcrial. We would remind the Committee that
tho building they had erected WIS altogether an
exceptional one. being Que or the wcighticst
| structures ever built for municipal purposes.
AS architect, he Wills authorized III his contract
TO lsc his Judgment so us to have Il perfectly
safe building. and he hnd done 50. He believed
| that tho resolutions read by Mr. ScNne were an
| infringement OF his rights aS IN architect and i
| proof of tho 1nis,nnagcmcnt which the Boarl
md snioyea 10 ts t Iaf Of the nun
| nlcnt was :, pretty big wSrd but Mr.. EgAt' per-
sisted that 1t WIS the right ont. When he took
the nlildi1l, III hand 1t w;s III Il very prccurit4ls
| conuirion. the limestone walls havin;: gone up
with three big gaps for the column work, and It
| needed the greatest care i'll Il building Of such
size erected on Il soil OF 81 com )rtsslb!H nat
ure to perform successfully the task before
| him. Tie really. when he thought IF the mhuy
! changes that had been made i'll the original
lhnt the building had becl successfully raised.
lie did not think hc should be held dawn to the
|
the time they were passed.
Commissioner Scrinc-All want to know is.
| where tile changes made in the stone-work Of
| the building authorized by the board?
Mr. Egal-They were. With regard to the
t resolutions, would say that in tnsc tays n
whole month would psss solnetlncs before
| would hear uf the pusSaLc OF resolutions rclat-
| ing to the work TIL the huiLlng.
| Commissioner O'Ncili-Thc charge has been
r t mt The sae f 5h IN G Tine Wnsib W9sk
was for the benefit Of the contractor remains yet
to be seen. Neither the architect nor any other
person ratl any right to nuke changes 1T it, and
| they rr. unt binding on 'Couk County according
| u the resolutions
Mr.. E:...i-1s this aninvcsttgatlon Of Mr.. ARM
| strong s charges o.. nf tho architect?
Mr. HnstlaIe said tha1 Mr.. Scn,e ought to re-
| member the changes being authorized, rs he
ago and showed him the Wurl. and the proposed
cuatlEcS III it.
| Mr.. .Srnnc said tint he did not remember any
! The Committee then, accompanied by a{cssrs
Exan, Hins.ialc, aud Armstrong. visited the
building and exn'nine Inc. II tho dslatahle points in
trance first Tucked ut. Mr.. Egan culling ,lt-
teition to tile heavy blocks vi polished grant
which bore the weight OF the Onderos columns.
Fnult WAS found III these because OF the black
sp.,ts upon their surface. but It was stated that
such large masses Of grant could not be pro-
called to tAe softness of some Of the stone form
ing part OF the inner wall ri the entrance Com
missioner HUT stating that the sparrosvs mad
trnnce the architect pointed OUT where limestone
had been substituted for grAnt in the arcade,
| and said that this was part Of the
''G1vE AND TAKE" ADVANCEMENT
by which cheaper work was done in some por-
tiou$ Of the building to allow OF expensive
wrrk belus dune in others.
| The buildiu. WIS then entered, and in the
| main yestibuic where, Mr.. Egan said, no change
had been made, Ms. Armstrong called attention
to the fnct thIr fourteen grant panels aud three
ornamental kcystDNcs had been omitted.
Some discussion WIS bad here, during which
sir. Eg,,n said that If the omissions really repre-:
! sented Il value of S+}Eh as charged by Mr.
! Armstrong. then the value or tho whole con-
| tract wuul Uc not less than G:r}0.GAl
| The Committee adjourned ut about nom until
2 p. ILL.,. when IL resumed its sessions, Colntnis
stoner Cobuf;1 presiding.
TIE communication handed in by Mr.. Egan at
| the morning Session WAS taken up.
| Commissioner O'Neil Thought that the suc-
| gcst!on thut experts he appointed was guotl
| Que. A1lu moved that the communication should
be referred to the Board for its consideration,
| leaving it to them to DO rs they saw tit III the
| Mn1tGr.
| The motion was carried.
| Some discussion WIS had rs to whether tho
| Investigations by rhe experts shunll be nEltlc
settling tho whole matter ut issue between the
county and Mr.. Hius.uie, lis settling the cDr-
| rccti.esS nf Mr.. -lrulStrOngs ch.trstS. 1t was
| held by Mr.. linsutc's counsel that, If the cx
pcr1s merely reported after their investigation
| upon the correctness Of Mr.. Ar;nstrongs stutc-
| ment. the controversy ln.tween :lr. i1insla1c
aud the Board would still he. in stain nslo