The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-02
BROOME'S BLUNDER.
Contractor Brannigan Re-
fuses to Board a Ceiling
in No. 4 Truck House.
NOT IN HIS CONTRACT
The Architect Insists 1t Is, and
Refuses to Attest His Work
Is Completed.

Architect Lewis II. BroOme and Contractor
Brannigan, who is erecting the new No. 4
fire truck house on Ocean avenue near
Dwight street, Greenville, are at logger
heads over a clause in the specifications of
the truck house. The trouble has been
caused by the refusal of Mr.. Brannigan to
encase the ceiling on the first floor of the
structure with wood. Architect Broome in
sists that the contractor shall do this, and
before the matter is settled the Street and
Water Board will be appealed to.
When Mr.. Brannigan bid for the work OF
putting up the foundations and walls n
plastering the interior, he secured a copy OF
the specifications n in the section refer
ring to the plastering work he foundt the fol-
ceilings of the first and second floors OF the
main building will be lathed plastered."
Then in parenthesis is the following clause:
Except first story ceiling, which will be
cased with wood Contractor Brannigan
only bid on the mason and plastering work,
as the carpenter work was made a
separate contract. After reading the
on the first floor he naturally supposed that
inassnuch as it was in parenthesis it in no
way concerned the bid called for on the
mason and plastering work. As soon as his
bid was accepted Brannigan put his laborers
to work and in a few weeks the structure
was erected. Last week his laborers, who
were at work plastering, completed their
part of the work. The plasterers, acting
upon orders from Mr.. Brannigan, did not
PLASTER the ceiling on the first floor. When
Architect Broome received word that Mr..
Brannigan had completed his contract he
visited the truck house and made an 1nsDec-
ton.
BRooME TOOK EXCEPTION.
"Why, your work isn't complete" said he
to Mr.. Brannigan, "the ceiling on the first
floor isn't cased with wood
THAT part of the work doesn't belong to
me- . replied Mr.. Brannigan. 1.-THE specif-
cation don't say that / am to put up the CELL
ing"
ssYou must put up that ceiling, and 1 will
hold you responsible for it. You won't get
n cent of your contract money until you
do"
Mr.. Brannigan showed Architect Broome
how the clause in the specification referring
to the ceiling was set apart from the plaster
ing contract by the parenthesis, but the
architect insisted that he should put up the
ceiling, and laughed at what he called Mr..
Brannigan's ignorance. But Mr.. Brannigan
proved the wrong man to be laughed at. and
refused to touch the ceiling. n he will not
do so unless the city pays him extra.
SAYS ms H ARCHITECTS
Mr. B~rannigan. when interviewed by a re-
porter of The JERSEY CITY NEWS, yester-
day, said-"I am determined to fight this
matter, as 1 am sure that ] am right. The
architect made a blnnder in the specifca-
tions, and he wants to make me suffer for it.
l have been in the building trade many
years, and know that the placing of the
parenthesis, as they are in the specifications,
means that the ceiling is to be put up by the
carpenter. The clause plainly says that the
plasterer shall put up all ceilings and walls
except the one on the first floor. The word
except plainly tells VINO is supposed to finish
the ceiling. If Architect Broome intended
that / should board the ceiling he should not
have placed those p~arenthesis around that
clause. 1t Is a blunder on his part, and now
that it has only been discovered at this late
day he tries to shift the blame on to my
shoulders. The ceiling on the ground floor
measures sixty-fve by twenty-one feet, and
to cover it either with boards or plaster
would cost considerable money. If I put up
either material without extra remuneration.
| would lose instead of gain on the contract.
l am not making a fortune on this structure.
I am giving the city full value for its
money. 1t IS one of the few buildings in
the city that win stand q rigid inspection"