The morning call., 1892-03-29
CITY HALL BOTCH WORK.
Some Shockfngly Bad Jobs Found A
Over the Building.

some shockingly Bad Jobs Found All
Over the Building.
Some Of the brilliant architecture Of the
new City Hall and much of the botch work
of the diff erent contractors is coming to
light from day to day. During the fitting
up of Judge Coffey's old courtroom for use
by Mr.. Humphreys while he is at work
gathering data 10 relation to sewers, the
Mayor happened in and, as one of the city
commissioners who takes an interest in
everything about the building, began sur
yeying the premises to note the condition
they were in. AS he glanced out of the
north windows that now open into an ad-
joining apartment Of the McAllister-street
wing he noticed one Of the massive steel
girders that are used in the construction Of
the entire building embedded in wall over
an archway with but three rows of brick to
support 1t. The girder Is fully twenty feet
long, weighing several tons, and has no
midway supports Of any kind. Aside from
Its own tremendous weight it must support
as much more in its function as q girder.
The Mayor said he WAS not specially
learned in architecture, but it appeared to
him that the girder had a dangerously
feeble support, so he called the attention OF
Superintendent Hughes to the matter.
Mr.. Hughes was mechanic enough to see
at glance that the girder was in a very
unsafe position, and that IL would never do
to let the building 60 TO completion In that
condition. 1t has therefore been decided TO
put one or two STEEL standards under 1t,
which will rest on the solid base below.
The standard will take up more or less
room In the lower apartment, but that it is
thought will be better than TO risk life by
having great massive iron beam with all
that rests upon it come crashing down some
day.
Superintendent Hughes discovered an
other defect short time ago and 1t may be
Just In time to prevent a shocking fatality.
In this case. however, the fault lies with
the contractor and not with the architect.
When the present quarters of the Public
Library were being fitted up the platform
on which the book galleries are built was
not Embedded In the wall, but the jOst
simply lodged over a very heavy door,
casing, the presumption being that that
quired. A large number of high bookcases
were bniit on this gallery or upper deck,
and when they were loaded full OF books
the weight was something enormous.
Needless to say the casing on which it
rested began to sag aud give way. No one
knows what might have happened if ii had
not been discovered and heavy beam
placed under II, resting on two posts either
side of the doorway. The evidence of the
contractors earelessness is still there,
yawnIng at whoever passes. There is a
great gap in the plasteriug, nearly large
enough to thrust ones hand in, and 1t ex-
tends horizontally seven or eight feet over
the doorway. TIE whole gallery trembles
when one OF the boy carriers passes over ii,
and but Tor the strong supports under it
from the door to the opposite side of the
room the weak decreasing would 20 down
in a minute This delectable condition of
things is interesting in public library WIS.,
lied by thous ma people daily.
Another wTetched piece of work was
found by the present administration in the
rOums occupied BY the architect. To make
these rooms more commodiOus the previous
administration had cut an archway between
two rooms, making them in effect one.
The contractors only desire evidently was
10 get the job off his hands and draw his
pay. He constructed what be no doubt in
tended for an archway, but soon after il got
center so that an arm could be thrust be-
tween 1t and the massive two-foOt wall Of
masonry that it was intended to support.
Superintendent Hughes had to take the
wall all out aud construct large steel
girder with steel supports under it.
The present commissioners are finding
faulty work of this kind all over the build
ing and it Is taking large share of this
years appropriation to mend up old botched
jobs. The brlckwork and plastering is out
rageously bad almost anywhere one chooses
to look. The brick has not been properly
laid and the cement or lime was nearly all
stolen from the plaster. Ii is a simple
matter TO punch a hole in anywhere with
the thumb and pull off hunks of dried sand
from the corners and edges of the columns
about the corridors.