The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-15
WILL BE COMPLETED TO-DAY.
END OF THE FIRST CONTRACT ON
THE GOVERNMENT BUILDING.

The Last stone 40 BE I'm Place by To-
nIght-NOthing Has Been Heard,
However, From the Plans for the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS They Been
PIEeOn-hOIed, or Is the Govern
ment Getting ParsimOniOus!-Iff the
CIarks' Bid on the SuDerstructure
IL VIII he on a Basis Of Eastern
Granite.
The work on the present contract for
the building Of the basement story Of
the new public building VIII be entirely
completed to-day. This brings up the
question as 10 when the plans for the
superstructure will be advertised and bids
called for. If there is not a change IN
the situation the building may be an old.
instead OF a new. one before it Is com
pleted.
Messrs, Thomas Clark & Sons will have
their work on the basement structure
completed by tonight. The iron work Is
complete and so is the brick work. and
all that remains to be done is TO put in
place three pieces Of stone, one of which
belongs in the heavy mailing platform.
Tomorrow the sheds and outhouscs, which
they have used in the work Of construc-
ton, will be torn down and a few loads
of dirt hauled in to finish up the grading.
and the work will then be in shape to be
taken up by the next contractor.
An immense amount of material has
been used in the basement story. There
were used 100000 brick, 10000 cubic feet Of
concrete, sixty tons of iron. 200 tons of
granite below the ground and 400 tons
above ground. Altogether the COO tons of
granite used make about 1900 cubic feet.
The original bid Of the present con-
tractors was S22, 72l for the entire work,
but there have been extras which will
bring It up to about $4,000. Among the
extras were an Office built for the gov
eminent on Bull street in front of the
lot and the digging out q foot lower for
the foundation than was estimated on in
the specifications, which had to be done
on account of the soft earth.
The presnt work is feet inches above
the street level. The grade peculiarly
enough IS one foot and a half inch higher
at the Bull and President street corner
than at the Whitaker and President street
corner. The grade on the York street
side is three inches lower than on the
President street side.
Mr.. John Rossiter who has been here as
superintendent of construction for the
contractors, was asked whether his firm
expected to bid on the superstructure.
1--WE may bid on the next contract" he
said, but If so it will more than likely be
on basis Of eastern granite. We had con-
siderable trouble in getting our stone
from the Georgia quarries. Our contract
with the government was dated June 2,
1894. We made a contract with the Lex
ington Blue Granite Company June 20,
1894 for the delivery Of all granite required
for the footings within thirty days from
the receipt Of the order. There were re-
quired in all 2,40O cubic feet of footings
and at the expiration of the 30 days only
800 feet had been delivered. The same
thing applies to the cut stone. The mat
ter dragged along this way until Novem-
Der when we asked the government TO al
low US TO change the stone. The Licking
ton people could not get out the large
pieces as was shown, and about Jan 10
the government allowed a change to the
Elberton stone, the last piece of which
was not delivered in Savannah until June
20 Of this year. Taking all this into con-
sideration, If the firm bids on the super
structure IT viii be on basis of using
eastern granite"
Mr.. RossIter was asked about the claim
that is being advanced on the side Of the
government to the effect that the con-
tractor should have had the sub-contract-
ors under bond. lie said in all his ex-
perience he had never known of a sub
contractor being put under bond by the
firm. The contractors. ne said, had con-
fdence in one another. and if they had
to bond a man. he thought the firm would
go to a place for supplies where that was
not necessary. 1t is not the custom out
west, he said, and very little of it is ever
done.
The present contractors were to have
| finished their work Nov 2, 1894 but were
unable TO do so, owing to the trouble ex-
perlenced in getting the stone. The stone
used was al dressed here in Savannah,
under the direction of Mr.. William Roche,
| as foreman. The work was well done, and
the fact that 1t was done here left just
that much moro of the money expended
! In the city.
| The government reserves the right I'M
| der its contracts to charge the contractor
| $40 a day demurrage for all time after
| Nov. 2 up 10 the time the work is finished.
| Supervising Architect Akin says that all
| penalties are to be enforced, unless there
/ is good reason why they should not be.
| In this case, however, the contractor has
| labored under difficulties and it is hardly
| probable that the demurrage charge will
/ be made. If any at all, it is likely to be a
| small penalty. If the demurrage for the
| entire time were charged, the contractor
would have to pay back to the government
| about $4,000.
The question is, when viii the plans
4 for the superstructure be ready? So far
/ nothing has been heard from them. 1t
\ was reported that they were furnished
| about a month ago, when Congressman
| Lester went on to Washington to look
| after them, and hurry the department
| ahead with the work. He found at that
| time that the department was working Oh
a basis of about 100000 less than the ap-
| preparation now available for the work.
| Why this was he did not ascertain, but
he took steps to have the matter corrected
| at once which was done. The officials
/ told him that the plans We're ready. and
| would be advertised within a few days.
| That was the last heard of them. 1t is
| believed that the spirit of economy which
/ has come over the treasury department
| has been responsible for the fact that
| they have not been advertised sooner.
| They could have been advertised as easy
as not thirty or sixty days ago. If, as
has been stated, they were completed. II
is said the work on the public building
plans is done by spurts and starts. ana
| that it takes a little urging before a
squirt is made. 1t might be a good idea