Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-06-10
AUSTIN.
The Stone for the Capitol Building Need
Not Necessarily be from Texas
QuaTries.
The Syndicate Likely to Use Granite Il
the Capitol Board Holds Out Against
Indiana Stone.
STONE FOR THE CAPITOL.

AUSTIN, TEX, June " -Ine opinion
seems TO have been generally dissent
mated that the stone used in the new
capitol must be from Texas quarriea
under the present contract. This Is O
mistake. Section IL Of the contract
reade:
ut is distinctly stipulated, agreed
and understood by and between the
parties hereto, that all work and mate
rails performed upon or used in the
construction Of the said buildings shall
be strictly first-clRss In every respect,
and that the work and labor, skilled
and unskilled, shall be performed In
the best, most substantial and thor.
oughly workmanlike manner, style
and manner that the beat and most
skillful artisans, mechanics and labor
ers, In their several departments, can
execute and perform, and that the
material shall not IN any respect differ
from those samples now In possession
Of the capitol building commissioners,
marked and designated, as set forth in
the specifications.
Section 266 OF the plans and epecfl-
cations reads; "Where samples Of ma
terial have been selected by the COM
missioners, the contractor will be re-.
quired TO furnish material strictly cor
responding with the contract"
Extract from section Is Of the speci-
iicatlons: "All the cutstone work
named In this section, except as here
matter specified, shall BIO fossliterous
stone, as per sample No. on file with
the commissioners II the quarries con.
tiguous to Austin will yield stone Of
the required dimensions If they
should fall TO yield such stone, then
the work TO be hard limestone, free
from coloring matter, and correspond.
ing with sample ON file numbered
two.n
Thus IL will be seen that the con-
tractors may procure stone wherever
available, the only restriction being
that II shall correspond with the sam
Piles. II Ia this latter provision that
precludes the use OF the Indiana stone
unless the capitol board and commits
sioners shall agree to IL. While II Is
claimed that IL Is OF a much better
quality, and there can be no doubt
that IL is more compact, In color IL is
totally different from the samples, and
perhaps 1t would be difficult ifnot Inn
possible to find In any other state a
stone that would In this respect cor.
respond with samples two and four
on file with the commissioners
1t IL not contemplated by the
contractors to construct the
entire building OF Indiana
stone. The total amount OF stone re-
quirod is 1900 carloads, of which
they only propose TO get 5000 carloads
at the Bedford quarries, or enough to
complete the exterior walls. The rest
would still come from Oatmanville.
The advocates of granite claim that
the syndicate was very anxious to Sc.
cure the passage OF the granite bill at
the recent session of the legislature
and was much Chagrined at It's fail.
ure. They say that the terms which
the state now offers are as good az
could have possibly been made II that
bill had been passed, and that therefore
the syndicate will ultimately come t.
granite II the board holdslout agains
the Indiana idea. The penitentiarN
board is willing to hire the contractor
as many convlcts as they can utilize a
the mere cost OF feeding, clothing ant
guarding them, and the capitol boarC
Will HMM III Nlit HtCtsehIy Slhlktb ~
the specifications In the way of prun
ing OIL the ornamental work. Thi
was all that the granite bill contem
plated and the officials believe tina
they already have full authority unde
the law to do IL, Some members q
the board think that with these alters
tons the building can be erected u
oheaply Of granite as of limestone, an
that II the contractors are really sir
cere In their assurance OF willing
ness to carry out the contract, the
will accept this proposition. TIL
contractors, to the contrary, assert tina
II costs three times rs much to wor
granite M limestone, baslng this est
mate, however, on free labor.
The board will make another efio
TO adjust the matter on Friday, whe
Comptroller Swain returns. Then "
shall see what we shall see.