The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-21
WORK ON THE STATE-HOUSE.
The Commissioners Report of the Prog
ress of the Work in the Building.
Dissatisfied Parties Make Complaint of the
Quality of the Plumbing-Wh the
Superintendent and Contractor Say.

mitted to the Governor yesterday. In their
| statement of the present condition of the work
the ommissoners say that 1.-The massive walls
of the dome have been built up TO the top of the
forty first course, and are now on a level with
the ridge of the main roof The copper roofs of
the four pavilions are all finished, and all the
roof of the main building is covered with
slate excepting small space imme-
diately around the DOME The work
of setting brick arches between the
iron beams of the first floor is finished, and the
placing of the hollow tile in all the other floors
is almost completed The vault work is well
under way. and the ire-proof doorways are be-
ing SET. The electric wires for lighting the
building are being put in, about twothirds of
the work being now finished. The whole of the
south half of the building is now ready for plas
tering, which will be commenced in few days,
and continued all winter. Many of the steam
heating pipes are already in place, and the con-
tractor promises that he will be
ready to heat the building by
Nov. 15 which will enable the
plasterers to continue the work through the
winter. The gas and water-pipes have also been
put In. The carpenters are making temporary
window frames, covered with cotton cloth, for
inclosing the building during the winter. I'm
fact" the Commissioners state, work has been
pushed in all departments during the past quar-
ter and hopes are justly entertained of having
the building ready for occupancy by the time the
next Legislature assemblies"
The galvanized iron work. for discharging foul
air into the pavllions, has been dis
pensed with, the specifications having been
so changed as to render the work unnece ssary.
By this change the sum of S., 422 60 is
saved Additions were made, however costing
81. 740.38 The of encaustic tile for the floors
increases the original contract price $23l6 and
there is additional increase of 81 628 80 by the
of patented iron laths
The board has adopted series of sculptnred
figures to ornament the center part of the south
front, and plaster models of these are now beng
made with view of letting the work by CON
tract at any early day.
The expenditures during the last quarter were:
For work on the foundations, 1863 o. cut stone
$46 5S2 70; brick work. $2S 649 SO; iron work,
penter work. So. 1861 3 plumbing. So, 1913. 81;
marble work. $l,S41.49; carving, 1898; glass;
81. 9O1 so; thing. $l.262.05 advertising. SIT;
architect, 2027 SO; Commissioners, 81. 1872
The total expenditures for the quarter amounted
to $128, 923 SO, and the total amount expended
since the work was begun, $l,38l 274 49,.
CHARGES THAT ARE UNFoUNDED.
Yesterday report came to this Office that
committee of the plumbers union, of this city,
to-day. and after making exposure of the
character of the work now being done by the
| contractor, John S. Farrell demand that his
contract be rescinded. 1t was said that com
mittee of the union had visited the State house
building and had pointed out the inferior quality
of the work to Superintendent John Pendergast.
Journal reporter called upon Mr.. Pender
CAST last night That gentleman gave the fol-
lowing account of the visit of the three:
Nhn 9TH do hon / he h,,y1l
Mr.. Sherrer. the architect, came to
me and said there a committee of
plumbers sent by the plumbers union to
investigate the plumbing in the State house.
He took me into the yard. and there they WERE
They said they wanted to look at the work, and
said it was all wrong. intimated that that was
a very general kind of charge and invited them
into the building to show me They said every
thing wrong, nothing right anywhere. They
then proceeded to show me some pipes that they
said ought to be put onto boards | told them
the specifications did not call for anything of
that kind and the contractor could not be re-
quired to do ything that was not in his con-
tract They then said the specifications called
for frst-cass job, aud that it was not first
class done in that way I told them it was
matter of opinion whether the pipe could be bet
ter fastened to the wall or to board, and that,
so far as the State house work was concerned,
there was to be no wood there
II went with them into every closet, and they
found fault with everything. | wanted to send
for Mr.. Farrell the contractor for the plumbing
and said it would be farer to criticise the work
with him there than behind his back They
said they did not want him. They said the
specifications were wrong, to which l replied
that the man who wrote them was dead, and
right or wrong, they would be followed and the
work must be done strictly in compliance with
them. The only thing they could find any par
ticular fault with was that of the pipes
were not hooked up as they should be. told
them the work was not finished; they would be
hooked.
Their chief grievance seemed to be, as they
expressed it, that Farrell had no mechanics at
work upon the job, and that Farrell himself was
no mechanic They said he didn't understand
botch job; yet they could not point
to anything that was out of the
way except where the work was Incomplete
They found fault with the ventating pipes over
the traps in the closets. There also, the work
was unfinished. and the criticisms baseless. I
did not learn the names of this committee of
three: After they went away, got Mr. Farrell
and with him l looked over all the work
Another thing: They said the main soil pipe
was too thin, but they acknowledged it was just
what the specifications called for. The brass
pipe that is being used is much heavier than the
specifications call for, and better quality of
pipe than is called for. The committee said to
me when they left: You will hear from u.s. l
understand they will come before the Com
missioners to-day. / think it is a scheme of the
boss plummers to bulldoze Farrell. They have
been trying. am told. to drive Farrell's work
men into the union, and are trying to compel
him to work union men,"
Mr.. Farrell, who was seen by reporter,
talked as follows:
1.-The whole thing came from this: The mem
bers of the plumbers union have heen trying to
| get my workmen to join the union. My en-
| ployes do not choose to join. One Of the union
| men has notified my men that they would be
compelled to join. and if they did not do so they
would not have work. as they would give Far
| re trouble that would compel them and me to
leave the city l am doing the work according
TO the specifications. / am under bond and a
percentage of my money is kept back / have
the superintendent, the architect the contractor
and the Commissioners lover me to pass upon the
work. The work will certainly be watched
closely enough under these circumstances.
Another thing: The material that is being
used is sneciatY material that is all the soil and