The morning call., 1890-08-31
STROTHER'S VENOM.
Architect LAYERS Dismissal Still
Troubles Him.

Auditor Strother has never recovered from
the snub he received at the hands of the
City Hail Commissioners when Architect
LAYER was asked to resign. LAYER was his
particular idol. What LAYER said was law
in his estimation. and every suggestion and
within Of the qu0ndam architect found in
| Strother a thoroughly seryile champion.
| That cloud should have lowered on the
| architects Office and necessitated his resigna-
ton was great blow to the coneeit of the
bOmbastie autoerat, and he cannot get over
| it Not a meeting of the City Hall Com
missioners takes place that his resentment
! does not shoyitself, and at Yesterdays meet
| ing It was more apparent than ever.
Architect Patteu submitted lis monthly
report ard openly stated his views in relation
| to Bateman Bros bid on Contract %. He
| said it came wholly within his estimates and
he considered it reasonable bid 1t wa:
| about 5000 lower than any other but an OBJ
lection TO il had been raised by the other bid.
| ders on the ground that 1t was put in a hall
| minute too late.
Mr.. Patten had hardly finished speaking
| when Strother took him severely to tasE
! for not communicating his estimates TO the
board secretly. 1t had always been the
custom heretofore, he said, and this open
way of doing business looked as If he
wanted to favor some particular contractor.
Such proceedings were not. he said, prae-
ticed when Mr.. LAYER was architect.
a communication was received from Mr..
LAYER calling attention to bids on the con-
tract for the basement rooms. The designs
and drawings, Il was stated. had not been
made out on time, dereiiction that had
never occurred when he was architect Of
the City Hall Commission. 1t was further
stated that even when the drawings were
completed they were so meager in details
that contractors could not bid IntelIigently
on them, and as natural consequence the
bids were all too high. The communication
apoiogiZed for its existence by stating that
If the commission were not correctly in
formed of the facts large amount of the
City Hall funds would be squandered
Mr.. Strother looked triumphant during
the reading of the communication, but did
not offer to explain that it was written at
his instigation, and intended as a snub to
Mr.. Patten.
When McCann & Riddell asked for an
extension Of sixty-hTe days on the contract
to construct the brick work of the northwest
wing, Mayor Pond said he was tired of
granting extensions Too much time had
already been consumed in his opinion. He
had hoped to see the wing completed before
the close of the year.
Mr.. McCann's excuse was that the
Risdon Iron Works had been unable TO get
out the iron capitals, and that he was now
paying a bonus of $500 to that establish
night
Upon Superintendent Boyd's representa-
ton that forty-five days would give plenty
OF time to finish the work, an extension for
that period was granted.
A Ike extension was granted to MIC
Gowan 81 Butler for the brick work on the
northeast wing, not however, until Mr..
Strother had facetionsly inquired of the
contractor if he thought he could finish the
contract by 1901.
The award of the contract for the statuary
to be placed on the Hall Of Records was
postponed until the next meeting Of the
commission.
The discussion over Bateman Bros bid
was again resumed. Several witnesses were
called by Henry Eikoff, representing the
Western Iron Works, to prove that 1t was
few minutes past IL o'clock when the bid
was fled.
Matt i. Sullivan, who appeared as attor.
ney for Bateman Bros, argued that there
was doubt about the correctness Of the clock
by which the bid was timed, bence, in view
of the fact that the bid was to the city's in
terest $1,000 the bidder should be given
the benefit of the doubt
Mr.. Strother assured Mr.. Sullivan that IL
the contract were awarded at all, IL would
be to the lowest bidder, but it was cues
ton with the commission IL all the bids
should not be rejected. Architect LAYER
had informed them that they were all exor-
btant
Mr.. Flournoy said he was certain that
Bateman Bros bid was fled after the speci-
fed time. and thereupOn moved that all the
bids be rejected.
No enc seemed to agree with him, SO the
matter was Laid over till the next meeting.