The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-06-17
ARCHITECT PATTEN.
Auditor Str0ther Wants Him Re-
moved From the City Hall.
1t Will Require About One Thousand Dollars
to Rebuild the Stuffed Walls-Hanks
Fails to Appear.

Mayor Pond presided at the meeting o
the Board of New City Hall Commissioner:
yesterday
Expert Wright was not present, owing tt
the illness Of his wife, but he sent in I
communication containing his estimate Of
The cost of tearing down and rebuilding
that portion of the City Hall walls which
had been found to BIZ defective by the in
vestigation at the instance OF George X
Hanks the brick-layer. Mr.. Wright stated
that the work would cost $1,000.
Auditor Strother said he was sorry tina
Mr.. Wright was not present, as he wanted
to ascertain what amount of money wa:
saved by the stuffing of the walls. BY thi:
he could learn possibly the object of the
person or persons who did the crooked
work.
Mayor Pond said he did not think if the
stuffiDg had been done by the contractor;
they could have saved 500.
NOT MORE THAN TWENTY DOLLARS.
Superintendent of Construction Boyd
said he did not see how more than $40 had
been saved.
Mr.. Strother then asked Architect Patten
and his reply was about $50.
Mr.. Strother added the three estimates
together and divided by three, which gave
$50 6625. That sum, he seemed to think,
was a lair average of opinion on the point.
Attorney Mullaney, on behalf of Mccain
d Riddell, the contractors. stated that the
STAGE filled with the stutfing could be
made sound by $40 worth Of brick and
mortar.
MIR. Strother then caused some surprise
by making an attack upon Architect Pat
ten. The Auditor called attention to card
published in the Bulletin over Mr.. Patten' 5
name, wherein he excused himself for not
discovering the defective walls on the
ground that his duties are so multlfarious
that he could not spend proper amount OF
time in Inspecting the walls.
Mr. Strother construed this as reflection
on the commission, as the law required the
architect to inspect the work, he being the
superior officer of the Superintendent Il
was not proper in him to intimate that the
commission did not allow him sufficient
assistance.
CITY PRISON PLANS.
There is another matter" continued the
Auditor; some months ago introduced q
resolution, which was unanimously adopted
| inStructing the architect to prepare plan;
| Work on the City Hall. Those plans III
| cluded the completion of the western wing
| and the City Prison. He was allowed unit
| May 10Th to complete those plans, 10 ordel
| to enable the commission TO exhaust the
| appropriation for the fiscal year. Undel
| the law we must advertise for thirty days
| before awarding contract, and IN ordel
| that there should be no DELAY, those plan!
| should have been completed long ago. The
| Secretary did not receive them until Friday
and the advertisement was not put III unit
Saturday. The plans contained no pro-
vision Tor a City Prison."
After intImating that Mr.. Patten had no
| performed his duty. the Auditor introduced
resolution that the architect DE dismissed
Mayor Pond and City and County Attor
| ney Flournoy bUth stated that they were
taken by surprise and were not prepared Il
act on the resolution until Mr.. Patten ha(
| been heard.
Architect Patten was then called in. HI
said he had always performed his duty. HI
worked from daylight to darkness every
day, and had been long enough in the bust
ness to know his duty. The letter to thu
Bulletin was written IN reference to the In
vestigation then proceeding. He was no
invited TO participate in that inquiry an(
had not done so.
NOT PART OF HIS DUTY.
Did you not consider it part OF you
duty TO take part i'll the investigation? p
asked the Auditor.
Il did not" replied Mr.. Patten. ''No on,
ever worked harder on the building than
have. There is more work being done nov
than ever before"
| Mr.. Strother asked about the plans TO
| the City Prison.
Mr.. Patten replied that Strother vel
| knew that all the talk about the prison wa
| for political effect, and that the architec
| could not have them ready. He wound u
by telling STROLLER that he was fishing 70
| angle worms.
1t was finally agreed to lay the resolution
over for awhile.
The Auditor next preached the subject o
| a consulting architect for the commission
! and offered the following resolution:
Rosolved, That Augustus LAYER be and he
hereby declared consulting architect for the ne'
City Hall building at a salary of $3.50 per month
In support of the resolution he spoke o
the great amount Of work that is going on
| the necessity of soon commencing work OF
the main tower, and the capacity of Lave
| as an architect.
Mayor Pond said he did not believe tn
law permitted the appointment of u consult
ing architect. At any rate he did not thinl
the official necessary.
The resolution did not receive secont
and was not put to vote.
HANKS NOT ON DECK.
Commissioner Flournoy inquired wher
brick-layer Hanks was, as he had under
stood that lie would be present and tell TIN
commission where there was more crooked
work in the walls.
Mayor Pond said that Hanks had tolt
him emphatically that he knew of no NOR
stuffed holes.
Mr.. Strother said he believed Hanks t
be Il criminal and the author of all the mis-
| chief. He ought to be sent to State Prison
for attempted eXtortion.
Attorney Mullaney said that Hanks b,
| his mischievous conduct in stuffing thes
walls and then bringing public censure OF
his clients had caused them a great deal O
trouble besides an expense of between $50
and $1,000. II any one could point way t.
prosecute Hanks he would do his best Il
send him back to San Quentin.
The Commissioners then adjourned