Morning journal and courier., 1889-07-10
ITS I,NEmuEs WEJOICE.

Contractor Montgomery Higgins HIS
Attack ON tho BuiIding-Tho Com
tract for tsemoval-Status OF the Caso
An COurt.
Yesterday morning the contract for the
tearing down and removing OF the old state
House was drawn mp In the office OF Attor-
neys william q. and George w. Robinson,
between the city and William j. Montgom-
cry, the contractor, and read as follows:
Memorandum of agreement made this ninth day
of july isS9, between the city Of New Haven, par,
" Of the first part and William J. Montgomery OF
s sa ETY. PSS e party 81
GRAFTON OF the undertaking OF the party or me n.sI
part set forth na.a o State II
to remove from said Green oil the materials OF said
building, and 10 clear the site from all refuse anu
rubbish from said building (but not TO grade the
land where the building now standsl, w,t ttned
s sS sss ely Ss G REMOVAL s said
the foregoing Undertaking q the party Of the SEQ.
ond part hath agreed to pay the said party OF the
said the sum Of fifteen hundred dollars, and further
that all the materials, refuse and ruoolsn Oh s ad
building as ans hs OF party Of
the second part. ~, ,ohr w Iake
auditor Of said city, and the said MSntgomery have
hereuno set their hands and seals the DAY anu year
Aforesaid.
Shortly before 3 o'clock in the afternoon
Mr.. Montgomery appeared In the Mayors
office with his attorney, George w. Robin
son, and five minutes later Clerk Downes
had brought up the big city seal, and City
| Auditor Lake and Contractor Montgomery
signed the contract for the tearing down OF
the State House. Mr.. Montgomery and hie
attorney then proceeded to the State House,
| where a stone team and two men were in
waiting, and at 3:15 pm. the first stone from
the second tier of the north steps on the
northwest corner was removed, amid the
comments of dozen spectators, and the
work of demolition had commenced. Tit
northwest corner of the steps were demol
ished and at 1886 the first load of material
left the Green. The marble blocks thai
formed the square buttress, like corner, tum
bled off at almost the first blow from thu
crowbars. The blocks broke wher'
they struck the ground, ani
the omnipresent small boys grasp
ing the broken pieces found that they
would crumble away like Jumps of salt. The
stone was rotten. The removal of the mar
BILE facing disclosed a mass of loose stone and
earth enclosed In loosely laid rough stone
The spectators expressed surprise at the mis-
cradle condition of the building. The CON
tractor worked an hour, and satisfied at thu
start he had made suspended operations I'M
til this morning, when business will com
menee in earnest and the work be pushed
A red lantern marked the destroyed corne
last night.
Mr.. Montgomery expects to push the wor
pretty fast. The poorest of the material vii
| be used for filling in lot belonging to tn
| contractor. The best stone will be used Il
the contractors business. A bond of So, 90
for the faithful performance of the work vii
be furnished.
The attorneys for the friends of the build
ing claim the present standing of the case
this. A petition was brought TO the Superio
court praying for permanent injunction re
straining the city from removing the Stat
House. Fearing that the building might b
removed before the case was heard in Octo
Der, the plaintiffs in the same document ap
piled for a temporary injunction. The city
l represented by it's corporation counsel, wen
into court and moved that the application
for temporary injunction be set aside. Thi
was done by Judge Fem. His action, how
ever, does not affect the question of the per
manent injunction and the sheriff will in du
time make return of the papers as in an
other case.
After the building is removed the onl
question can be one of damages. As the pc
titioners arc eager to save the building AM
not to make money out of the matter, it
difficult to see where there will be any oh
ject for the permanent injunction. If tn
building is removed it is probable that tina
will end the case in court.