The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-02-19
BUILDERS KEPT BUSY.
Con tractors Rushed with Work-The
Seasons Building Outlook.

Seasons Building Outlook.
Over $50 carpenters and half as many
bricklayers are at work now in Savannah.
The demand for labor during the greater
part Of the winter has been better than ever
before, and during the coming spring and
summer, ard in fact through the fall, it is
expected 10 he heavier still
The aiOrity Of contractors seem to think
that there is likely to be some delay in build
ing, due to the large amount Of work that
is to be done The Whitfield building, the
new MOTEL, the Tybee hotel, the Chathams'
club house aud the st. Johns Mission church
are already giving employment to several
hundred hands; besides, large number are
at work on residences in different parts of
the city. A considerable portion of this
number are foreign workmen, and it is
thought by the contractors that they will
not remain In Savannah longer than May
or the first Of June. Notwithstanding their
departure will considerably lessen the num-
Der Of workmen, the building will continue
to increase.
The government building and, probably,
the new court house will soon be under way
and will give employment to a large num-
her of hands. Architect A. S. EichberQ
said yesterday that he has plenty of work
to do, and that ere will be a large amount
Of building done this year. 1--WE may safely
count on as much, and, perhaps, more
general improvements, in the way
OF residences, etc, irrespective of the
amount of public building and the large
hotels and club houses. If all the
work which is now in contemplation
is completed there will be a demand for
foreign labor AS re- ards the scarcity Of
labor, | do not see cause for any apprehen-
sion. The supply in nearly all cases is equal
to the demand, and if the Savannah force
is inadequate, | think we may reasonably
expect foreign labor"
Mr.. Eichberg said that for the last two
years Savannah's building and improve
ment record has been unsurpassed by any
previous year, and this year the amount of
buildi will far exceed that of last year,
when the public building and the hotels,
etc. are included.
Contractor O'Connell said that at present
he has plenty Of labor. He is not inclined
to the opinion that there Will be q serious
scarcity this season. Notwithstanding |
think that the demand for labor" he said,
us going to be so great that it will be an
utter impossibility for Savannah workmen
to fill 1t, | think foreign workmen, that is
workmen from other sections Of the south,
will come here. The newspapers have time
after time spoken of the extensive building
that Savannah will do this season, and
naturally, workmen over the country are
looking out for employment. So that,
think, all we have 10 do is 30 make a call
for labor and we will get it. One thing is
evident, Savannah labor cannot do the
work that will have to be done this year.
Mr.. O'Connell said that he has been here
five years and he has never seen 80 much
building going on as there is now. Gener-
ally during the winter months, carpenters
and brickmasons have certain amount Of
spare time in Savannah, but it was not the
case this winter. He is building eleven
houses for Solomon Cohen. Six of them
brick and the others frame. Besides he
will build soon a number of small houses.
Contractor John D. Gould said that there
is much buster time among builders than
than there has ever been at this early season.
He attributes it to the large amount of
building tina. will come on as the season
advances All the shrewd business men
who have thought Of the matter, he said,
are going ahead now with the building
which they usually put off until a little
while before fall. 1.-THE truth about it isl
he said, 'if they put it off, hoping to get it
done later, it is not improbable that they
would be unable to get it done at ALL" He
said that the building which Savannah will
do this year, will be Unprecedented. 81
don't apprehend any trouble with
reference to the brick work, p"
will be adequately sufficient, provided the
hotel contractors complete the brick work
by May, which we think they will have to
do, in order to complete the wood work by
Christmas. Besides bricklayers will come
here from Jacksonville IN case of a rush or
scarcity Of men, Mr.. Gould is at present
ut work on the six brick houses of Solomon
Cohen, at the corner of Jones and Lincoln
streets.
Contractor Jno. o. Smith, who is Just
completing the Whitfield building, the
bishops residence and tho Chatham club
house at Tybee, said:
al think there is likely to be some trouble
about getting wOrkmen. 1t is manifest
that if contractors are unable to get out
side help, they will not be able to complete
all the buildings that are in contemplation
here this season. There are not more than
enough here now to carry on the work, and
it will increase steadily from now until
fall"
Mr. Smith understood that the carpen-
ters are going to make all endeavor to enact
the nine hour system here If that is the
case, there will be a necessity for more men.
SO that the same amount of labor
which is now being done in ten hours will
be kept up, although the hours
of work are one hour less.
He is not hostile to the movement. If all
VIC WI h'lieh III OIt CAtN, ub shltl, were W
unite on the nine-hour system, it would not
materially effect llbor, while it would af-
ford time for hard worked men to recuper-
ate. Savannah is doing more by a great
deal, in the building line, he said, than she
had ever done before. He will shortly build
several houses.
Contractor Henry Bartlett, of Eason 81
Bartlett, who built S. Guckenheimer's
building does rot antic pate any trouble.
While there might possibly be a scarcity
OF labor for a short while, it will not
retard the progress Of building. He has
noticed that where there is an urgent de-
mand for labor, it usually meets with
sufficient supply. Mr. Bartlett has just
completed the Savannah, Florida and
Western railway Offices at the Savannah,
Florida and Western railway wharf and
has just begun the erection Of the Prayer
laundry in the western portion of the city.
j. E, Burgess Of Winton e. Burgess,
contractors, said last night that he has as
much labor as he wants, and he is not at all
fearful Of being unable to get it. While
the building, which is greater than it CIV or
was, will cal for more laboIers, there will
be no delay in getting them.
I'VE can get all the extra labor that we
wa i'll Florida. The season down there
promises to be dull, and the workmen will
naturally come TO where they can find en-
ployment." Mr.. Burgess is pushing the
work on the st, Johns Mission church, and
will 90 to work on the Tybee hotel shortly.
n hos FNVNNt al INNIrr 1t, Il