The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-01-15
THE COURT HOUSE AND JAIL.
Queer Doings OF the Committee.

There is a good deal OF street talk about the
doings Of the Committee of the Board of Su
pervsors having the new court house and Jail
business in charge, and if current reports are
true it is about time to talk out and suggest
to the committee to check up triflc in their
pace.
The committee, consisting of seven mem
bers, was appointed in September last, with di.
rectlons to put themselves at once IN cominu'
nica,ion with architects and get plans for the
new court house and Jail, with estimates OF
cost, &c Under these instructions they open.
ed correspondence with SIX architects, solicit
ing plans for the new court house and Jail,
proposing to accept whichever set suited them
best, but agreeing to pay all the architects
whose plans should be rejected 500 each
for their labor. Thus invited, plans were pre-,
pared by each of the six, as well as unsolicited
sets by Mr.. Meyers of Detroit, and Mr.. Toan
Of Fort Wayne, though for some reason the
last two were not opened. AS, however, most
of the members of the committee knew as lit
tie about architecture as horse knows about
Greek roots, It was but natural that no two
should be able to agree on one plan, and that
the members spent the time given them to
make their selection in useless wranglng.
However, as all the plans submitted for the
Jail were substantially alike, they agreed to
recommend to the Supervisors the adoption of
that OF Mr.. G.. p. Randall Of Chicago, and at
In pnnatiuu nj ln BOARD M
mcndatian was adopted, with certain moditica
tons, on his acceptance Of which the commit
tee were directed to enter into contract with
Mr. Randall to prepare plans, specifications,
&c, and take charge of the erection of the
building
There are however, pcculiarites about this
contract with Mr.. Randall, prepared by the com
mittce under these instructions, to which we
desire to call attention. II is admitted that all
the Jail plans submitted were substantially
alike and that all the architects asked for
their plans and drawing the specifications and
overseeing the work was three per cent on the
cost Of the building 1t is also admitted that
while the cost of the building, aside from the
iron and steel work, would not be over $4,000
to $4,000, the cost of the latter would be any.
where from $4,000 to $4,000, according to the
quality of the iron or STEEL ordered. Now rs
the various iron men engaged ia that kind of
work would glanly furnish the plans and specl-
fcatlons for their work free of charge, the
architects Cor at least some OF them agreed
their charge of per cent should include the
cost Of the building only outside of the iron
matchmaking the whole cost for plans over
seeing, &c, from $500 to $500
In the contract with Mr.. Randall, however,
the committee agree to pay him FIVE per cent.
on the cost of the whole building, incLuding
tie iron mork, as well as his travelling expenses
and hotel bills at Ottawa while here to oversee
1t, and to allow him lOcal superintendent at
the expense of the county! Thus Mr.. Ran
dall's expenses foot up about this way
per cent. of $25000-cost of bulldog. 81 $50
Local supt-say $50 days. .,."..... $50
Hotel Dills nc, say NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. $50
Total. Observation-Disclosures. SO, $50