The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1884-09-03
THE NEW COURT HOUSE.
Magnificent Structure, and One That is
Highly CredluabIe to the County
and the Contractor.

II Under the direction Of Gus Senieur,
the contractor, a RIVER PRESS represen-
tative was shown through the new court
house yesterday, taning in every room
Efrom the basement to the tower (where
1.-THE town clock(?) is situated), and in
general way inspecting the structure.
The building is completed and next
Monday, when the commissioners meet,
the keys will be ~turned--oxeE-@t the
board wfYU wifi doubtless accept the
teTnptT of justice as presented BY the
contractor, as it would be difficult indeed
to nd the least fault with his work.
Silver Bow County has just completed
court house that cost about S2O0, 900,
which must of course be magnificent
building. With this single exception,
however, Choteau county can boast Of
the finest court house in the territory.
For that matter, we believe it would be
entirely safe to lay claim to the best,
most complete, attractive and substan-
Etal court house, for the money it cost,
in any Of the territories. An inspection
of the building will readily lead any
one to come to this opinieff.s~-~-"--'
A~&he contract for the erection of the
building was let to Gus Senieur, OF this
|city, last year for $43 900, and although
his bid was $21 900 less than any other
presented he has completed the building
in first class style, in strict accordance
with the plans and specifications, within
the limited time, and without imDesingI
on the county a single dollar of~eXpan<
diture for .extras. fThe contract price
is<the sum total Of the cost, and the uni
~versal opinion is that it is a magnificent
building for the money.
A hriof 1ocoripticr with tha rranpa-
ment of the rooms and offices, will be
in order. Messrs Kees & Fish, Of Min
neapolis, are the architects, and the de-
sign is certainly a handsome one. the
specifications requiring material OF the
best quality and particular workman
ship-and they have been followed to
the letter by the contractor. The inside
finish is the same as that Of the celebrat-
ed Syndicate Block of Minneapolis, and
would be difficult to improve upon as
executed by Mr.. Senieur's force.
The building is 62xS8 feet IN dimen-
sions and two stories in height, besides
the fine basement, which is equal to an
other story The brick and stone work
has been executed in first class style,
the former under the direction of Sam
Houston and the latter of Chas. Berg,
not a flaw being apparent. The first
CRACK Oi tI6 SIldllGSL ulIlIeuSiOHo JCt
to appear in the walls.
Entering at the front door, the frs:
room on the right hand side of the eight
foot hall is the treasurer's office, AXIS
feet in dimensions. A large fire-proof
vault opens into this room, and also into
that of the county clerk adjoining (22x24
in size), private office (12xl6 feet) con-
Meeting them. Next to the clerks office
and Oh the same side is the library room
(16x22) and adjoining that the reading
room, 12xl4 feet.
On the left hand side of the hall the
first room is designated for the district
clerk 16x22), the next the probate
Judges room, the same size as that Of
the county clerk, and then the sheriff s
office, 16x22 feet.
These comprise all the rooms on the
first floor, and the arrangement is GER
tainly all that could be desired, the sew
eral apartments being handsomely tin
ished, thoroughly lighted and we'll ar
ranged for ventilation.
The court room takes up most OF the
second story, being 4Ox6O feet in dlmen-
sions, with a ceiling Is feet in height.
This room is the special pride OF Mr.
Senieur, and it is indeed handsome
one. Opening into the court room from
luc IIOAC pt1II VI CAC OulIOIuS eSAS viz
grand and petit jury rooms, and in the
rear of the latter the consultation room,
where the lawyers will take their wit
nesses and tell them how to swear.
Mr.. Senieur was fortunate in having
a corps of first class assistants in the ex-
ecution of his task. His stair builder,
Mr. James Moore, of Cleveland, Ohio,
has the reputation of being one of the
finest mechanics in the United States.
John Lalonde framed the roof and 9TH
erwise rendered valuable assistance.
Charley Merrill superintended the in
side finish, and the work is executed in
a way that does him infinite credit. The
painting and granting was done by
Keenan, & Gauyreau, OF this city, and it
will be a lasting monument of their
skillful workmanship.
The county is to be congratulated
upon having secured, at a. reasonable
cost, handsome and excellent build
ing, one that will be credit to Choteau
for many years to come, and the thanks
of the people Of the county are due Mr..
Senieur for the successful manner in
which he has performed his part. We
are pleased to know that he has cleared
nice little sum on the contract-not a
fortune, but an ample amount to recon-