The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-09
FOUR MONTHS ARE NEEDED
1t Will Take That Long to Finish
the City Hall Tower
and Dome.
THE TIME WAS TOO SHORT.
Contractors and Commissioners
Knew All Along That 1t Would
Require Year.

1t has been thirteen months now since
the contract for the building of the new
tower and dome on the City Hall was let
By the conditions of the contract the work
was to have been finished within six
months from the day the papers were
signed.
At the last meeting of the City Hall
Commission another extension of thirty
days was given, and it is clear to any man
who casts his eye upward in that direction
as he passes the big building, or who
stands and watches the slow certainty
with which the great pieces of steel are
hoisted, that many more than thirty days
will be required to finish it.
There has been disposition in some
quarters to criticize the contractors for
being tardy and careless of their obliga-
ton, and the City Hall Commission for
countcnancing it, both on the theory that
the longer the work was delayed the longer
and other employees would continue to
draw their 500 to $3.50 per month, to the
aggregate expense to the City in salaries of
over $21 900 year.
The question was put to Auditor Brod-
erick yesterday and he dismissed it sum-
marily. at is folly to say that the COM
pletion of the dome would dissolve the
City Hall Commission. There is new
roof, new story or half story, for which
the architect is even now preparing plans
and which is to be built before the hall is
completed AS for the tower and dome,
the length of time of its building does not
add dollar to the expense; but that is no
reason why the work should not be COM
pleted as speedily as possible. The fact is
H. Oh, W. -
Every one of the contractors at the time
they bid said it would be impossible to
complete the work within year.
Now if any one of them had bid high on
account of the short time with the purpose
of spending money in speeding it he
would have good cause to complain. But
every one admitted that they bid with no
idea of being able to complete it within
the time called for by the resolution and
specifications They said it would be i'm
possible to rush the steel and iron work.
Besides there have been other causes of
delay for which the contractors have not
been responsible. | guess the work is being
done as rapidly as it can be done we'll"
Commissioner Creswen made much the
same statement.
''There was delay of two months after
the contract was signed over the question
of whether the steel blooms could not be
manufactured in this State. or whether
they could, under the contract, be brought
from the East. Then there was another
delay, caused by the LAYER litigation,
which contested the right of the Commits
sioners to let the work, as being unauthor-
lied by the law and in conflict with the
original plans. That case is still before
the Supreme Court, but the contractors
were satisfied to go on under Judge Slack
decision. Finally, as is well known. the
unusually rainy weather of last winter
hindered .he progress of the brickwcrk. l
think that these considerations would in
fluence individuals in dealing with a mat
ter of this kind, and that we should, as
board, act as would individuals, and the
extensions have so been granted"
Then the question was put to the con-
tractors, O'Connen & Lewis, themselves,
why the delay and how much more time
would be required to finish the work.
at was about sixty days after our es-
Inmates and bid were received before con-
tract was signed" said Mr.. O'Connell.
"We knew, as every other contractor
knew at the time, that this tower could not
be built inside of one or two years. At the
time we signed the contract there were no
detail drawings made. The original draw
ings that we and all the others figured on
were simply scale drawings which are