The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-06-19
NEW CITY HALL TROUBLE |
Contractor Kiernan Complains
to the Board Of Architect
Broome's Doings.

There is the liveliest kind of row
brewing in the City Hall Commissions
It is all over those leaks in the roof
of the new City Hall. 1t is probable
that charges of incompetency will be
filed against Inspector Tallman for not
discovering them and then failing to
report them after they had been dis
covered by some one else. Architects
Broome is credited with having discov-
cred the leaks, but as a matter of fact
their existence was kept secret By
the architect and also the inspector un.
til after the announcement was nada
in 1.-The Jersey City News" Since the
condition of the roof was disclosed there
has been war among the contractors
and architects, and it promises to terrni-
nate in numerous lawsuits which will
probably bring to the surface more dis-
agreeable features.
CONTRACTOR KIERNAN'S LETTER.
The City Hall Commissioners met this
morning and received the following in
teresting letter from Contractor John
Kiernan:-
"As your honorable body is aware, by
the report made at your last meeting
by the architect in charge of the new
City Hall, now in process of erection,
tificate as the foundation for another
payment under my contract. BY said
contract I am entitled to payments in
sums of $1,000 as the work progresses.
TO the extent of eighty per cent. of the
| work done and materials furnished. q 2
to the time I last demanded a certificate
from the architect, had done and fur
nished work and materials exceeding in
value S40, 900. I have been paid only
600, and l am, therefore, entitled now
10 a payment of $4,000; yet the architect
refused to give me any certificate. His
treatment has been most unreasonable;
he has asked me to do work now, which
interests of the city, should be delayed
till a later stage of the building, and
he has objected to my doing toitil
later time work which ought to be Zone
for example, the laying of floors. Be-
cause l have laid these floors, notwith-
standing his objections. he refuses to
necessary to lay them, and they are in
all respects in conformity with the con-
tract, He processes also that the tier
roof leaks, and that he will not accept
it. l deny that it leaks, and confidently
assert that it is the best roof of its kind
in the State of New Jersey. The re-
fusal of the architect to give me GER
tit1cate is unreasonable and amounts to
fraud in law. Under such circumstances
hold the payments due me, because theA
architect refuses fuses a Gertifleate there
fore, respectfully call upon you to ordeE
THING ALSO BEHIND.
am constrained to repeat my re-
quest of former communication, that
nish me detail drawings for the front
doors of the building. 1 am greatly en-
beg also, that the mason contractor
may be called on to lay the thing on
the third story of the building. The
dor doer frames s or M put in the trim until
the tling is n place 1 regret exceed
ingly that there IS this lack of harmony
l can only assure you that I am in no
way in fault. I rely upon your sense
Of Justice to enquire into the diffserenees
feel justly entitled
AS soon as Clerk Farrell had finished
reading, Architect Browne announced
| that he would answer it at the next
meeting of the Commissioners and would
ments We're false. The letter was re-
ferred to Corporation Counsel Blair for
an opinion as to what course was adj
The Commissioners also had to con-
slider claim of Inspector TallmanT's
for services during the month OF May
A' 'ne Mr. Mr. pATz D I - woNr VOTE.
81 will not vote for the claim" de-
serted that he has neglected his duties
and If that is true 4 DO not propose pay
ing him or any ether man s. per day
Inspector Tallmann filed "a report OF
the work being done at the City, Hall
! and it showed that there are thirty
! three men at work Contractor English
is finishing the plastering on the first
| third floor Contractor Kiernan is lay
| ing the flooring on the first and second
stories and putting the glazed windows
| in on the third floor. The Western
Electric Company IS at work in the
| basement and on the first floor, Appeal
| Commissioners Pattberg. and Landrine
| sfoners as to the location of their office:
| 1t was decided to put the Appeal and
| Tax commissioners on the first floor in
adjoining offices.