The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-05-17
McCORMICK'S RECORD.
His Bad St0newOrk On the Girls
New High School.
What the San Diego Grand Jury That In
dicted Him Said Of HIS Work on the
County Courthouse.

of the few honest public buildings In the
city.
Honest in material used, honest in con-
struction it will be, but the credit of its
honesty will never burden the shoulders Of
the man who secured the contract for build
Ing it.
His name Is J. P Mccormick. the man
whom the San Diego Grand Jury indicted
three years ago for fraudulent work on the
| courthouse down there; the man who built
the Fell-street apology for a sewer.
1t is only just to state, however. that Nc
Cormick was tried on the San Diego indict-
ment and acquitted. He has not yet been
| indicted for the Feli-street sewer fiasco nor
the Girls High School 'job."
The report of the Grand Jury that inves-
! tigated Mccormick work and material
| makes interesting reading at this time, but
| that will be given later. The people have
| been told of the Fell-street sewer farce, now
| word or two of the high school fraud.
In November, 1890, j. z. Mccormick was
awarded the contract for constructing the
| high school. The price was about SIS, GOO.
He had just come up from San Diego.
| He talked big, told about how he would
! show San Francisco builders what was
what; he would revolutiOniZs things in the
contracting line, he would, and he claimed
10 have $4,000 in the Pacific Bank to do it
! with
Well, he started in to revolutionize. He
began by disobeying and disreGarding the
| plans and specifications be had officially
sworn TO follow to the letter.
An honest man drew up those plans and
! specifcations-yes; an honest man doing
public work. His name is T. j. Welsh, and
| the Board of Education did wisely and we'll
when they made Mr.. Welsh the supervising
architect of the Girls High School.
L 81 81 lN.,k
| strictly true, that Mr.. Welsh set about to
supervise the construction of the Girls High
| School as though ii bad been a private con.
ira or his own home.
There is prevailing idea that public
contract is legitimate prey for even men
who in other things are generally considered
honest. 1t is not dishOnOrable or mean to
swindle the public.
This is the view Revolutionizer McCor-
mick took of the high-school contract.
Architect Welsh took a decidedly opposite
view.
And tho latter soon found that the former
was not doing his work according 10 plans
and specifications. Mr.. Welsh kept prod
ding the tardy contractor and insisting upon
his living up to Specifications. This was very
annoying to the man who built the San
Diego courthouse that was afterward con-
| demned by the Grand Jury.
PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS.
X.
the plans and specifications were suFrepti-
Iiously removed from the building 1t may
not be susceptible of absolute proof that
| these documents were removed by or
| through Contractor McCOTmiek-they might
have walked off on their cWn lookout this
| fact is significant:
When Architect Welsh threatened to ar
rest Contractor Mccormick unless the plans
| and specifications were returned forthwith,
they were returned.
Mccormick let the sub-c0ntract for the
brick work TO Cookery IL Doherty Of San
| Jose for $1,000, while the stone was fur
nished By San Diego firm.
knowing that Mccormick was not doing
his work properly, and therefore fearing for
the safety Of their own bills the brick con =
| tractors forced Mccormick into assigning TO
them his whole contract on these terms ::
! Cookery e Doherty are TO pay all the bills,
deduct their own Dill OF $1,000 from the
money to be received from the Board Of Ed
ueation when the building is completed. and
| turn over the balance-if any there be-to
/ Mccormick.
| But it isn't likely there will be much of a
/ balance for Contractor Mccormick, because
! he took the contract too low in the FIRST
| place, depending upon doing inferior work
| aud furnishing material below the stand
| ard, and because
But this is a story that calls for para
graph of its own.
/ 1Ge SpcClUCatiOuS say THAT all exposed
/ portions of the stone steps and pierblocks
| and buttresses to be what is termed pene
! hammered and then bush hammered, leav-
| ing eight blades 10 the inch" This meaEs
! that the stone must be roughly dressed
! first. and then smooth finished to the stand
ard Of eight blades to the inch. q grade
! of finishing just few points below that OF
| polishing
six weeks ago Architect Welsh discov-
| cred that the stone was not being bnsh
| hammered. The stone Is trimmed and fin
| ished on the ground. When the discovery
was made between $500 and 5000 worth of
stone had already been finished according
| to Contractor McC0rmck's idea of finishing
| stone for public buildings,
Architect Welsh was refreshingly stub
born and obdurate in demanding that every
letter OF the specifications be adhered to,
There was but one thing left-to do the
stUnework all over again.
And it was done over again. at the cost
above stated. And this is another reason
10 believe that tile balance to be turned over
TO Contractor Mccormick, when the work
is all done, viii be as petty and small al
most as the contractor himself.
June Of this year the new Girls High
School will be finished and ready for its
furniture II will be one Of the finest school
buildings In the country As to light. ar
rangement, sanitary conditions, general con-
strueti0n and appointment. it is the univer-
sd BDtutuu VI ttdCutIS anu GQuCdlOIo WHO
have seen it and examined the plans and
work that the Girls High School will be q
model educational structure.
San FTanciseans will be Justly proud of
the new structure, because il is admirably
built and honestly built
MCCORMICK SAN DIEGO WORK
As to Contractor McCormick's San Diego
experiences, the Grand Jury OF the county
that examined his work on the courthouse
speaks in no uncertain words. and tells the
| tale best in its own words. In its report.
among many charges, it says:
That said Mccormick has not used NOR
tar in accordance with specifications, said
mortar being composed largely of sand with
a small pro orton of cement. The mortar Is
prepared with lime Stacked the same day,
| so hot at the times of using as to render its
use Of absolutely no effect. The mortar is
used the same day of its preparation in
! direct violation Of the terms OF the con tract,
| which provides that no mortar shall be used
| less than four days after its preparation.
THAT said Mccormick has caused the
| brick TO be placed in walls without first
| being wet as provided in the specifications.
That said Mccormick has not caused the
| walls In the said courthouse TO be carried
! even, as provided in said contract, or caused
| them TO be built up true and plumb, but on
| the contrary the walls have been carried up
| one side at time and out of plumb to so
| great an extent as to be observable TO the
/ naked eye.
THAT said Mccormick has not caused
heading courses to be placed In the walls of
| the building every seventh or eighth course
as required by the contract, but on the con-
| trary in some instances the heading courses
| are 90 courses apart.
THAT said Mccormick has not used the
| best hand-burnt bricks 10 be obtained in the
yards supplying the San Diego market as
| specified IN the contract but on the contrary
he has used refuse bricks, tue poorest to be
| obtained, and bricks which had been re-
| lected as unfit for use by other contractors.
That large quantities of such worth
| less bricks have been used in construction
| OF said building, so that said building so
far as constructed. is not safe, nor is it fit to
| bear the weight Of another story or dome
| as provided In the specifications.
THAT said Mccormick has used large