The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-10-22

plumbers followed the plans, but unfertu-
nately the gas pipes and electric wiring
comes down in the centre of where the tran
SONS should be. Either the gas pines will
have to be moved, and this will involve the
tearing away of a big piece of the ceiling or
the transoms cannot go up. Broome has not
decided what to do yet In the meantime
Carpenter Herman is being delayed, and
Broome is trying to lay the blame on his
shoulders.
The building is scheduled to be completed
by January l. but no effort has been made
as yet to test the engine or boilers Inspec-
tor Tallmann advised three months ago that
this be DONE SO that the building could be
dried out and made safe for occupancy.
WHERE ARE THE ELEVATORS?
Leaving the basement, the question is
asked 'Where are the elevators| After a
pleasant walk through the halls sign is
pointed to. It says ''This is where the ele-
vators will be- Broome wants Carpenter
Kiernan to put the elevators up. Mr.. Kier-
nan insists upon having the walls of the
shaft plastered first, declaring that it is
quite unreasonable to ask him to subject
elevators worth a thousand dollars or more
to destruction by plasterers
Before going upstairs, the interior of the
cupola over the main balcony attracts at
tention 1t is lined with pieces of joist
Galvanized iron was called for, but Mr..
Herman says Broome compelled him TO do
the work with wood. The cupola is supposed
to be finished. The joist is unpainted, and
will doubtless remain so. Mr.. Broome has
devised no means as yet of improving its APP
pearance The cupola has the appearance of
an ornament for second rate country barn
rather than for City Hall. To reach the
second floor it is necessary to go up a wind
ing stairway in shaft about five feet
square, which is as dark as any part of the
basement.
NO DOOR SILLS PROVIDED.
The second floor is nearing completion.
The transoms over the doors have yet to be
hung There is trouble over the hinges to
be used. They must be of pattern to be
selected by the architect. The selection has
not yet been made, and Carpenter Kiernan's
men are delayed. The carpenter work on
the second floor is said to be as fine as any in
building in this State One very noticeable
thing is that there are no door sills. 1t ap-
pears that the $4,000 architect overlooked
them. If the sills are to be put in Mr.. Kier-
nan wants extra pay. The tiling in the
halls is also about half inch higher than
the floors of the rooms The doors cannot
swing all the way back because of the fancy
Jams the architect ordered and the small
butts he specified. He says the fault is with
Herman. Carpenters declare that the
trouble is due to Broome's specifications and
nothing else.
The third floor is finished. Visitors are
staggered when told so; but carpenter,
mason and plumber declare that the specii-
cations have been complied with. The walls
have only the rough plaster ready for finish.
The finish of white plaster was not callei.
for in Broome's specifications, and it is not
to be put on. The centre pieces are white,
aud are quite conspicuous with the dark
background All the walls are the same.
and more unfinished looking piece OF work
cannot be imagined. 1t was on this floor
that the Grand Jury's expert found the cir
cular frames of some OF the windows would
permit the windows to be raised only four
teen inches.
- DOES HE MEAN BROOMEs
ssBroome has been fighting me" said Car
penter Herman 81 have lived up to his
specifications am willing to let builders
examine my work, and | know they Will, as
some have already done, pronounce 1T first
class Good work cannot be done when bad
specifications are followed The strange
things in this building are due to the still
stranger specifications. Mr.. Kiernan paused
moment and then said: 'Some men do not
know enough to blow hot SOUP" Who he
meant no one knows
A visit to the attic is one of the pleasures
of the inspection. Visitors are warned to be
careful as they are liable to drop through
the ceiling at any point. Some parts OF the
attic are foored, others are open and the
lath and plastering are exposed. Carpenter
Herman found that no flooring was called
for and he laid none. His foreman, how
ever, on an independent contract, laid lit
tie flooring. 1t is in the attic that three
chimney hues terminate inside the roof
tiling. Only few iron supporting girders
and about one third Of the tiling will have
to be removed if the fiues are topped out
through the roof 1t appears that the
architect forgot to specify that the fiues we're
to go through the roof. As they are at pres
ent they are useless. The city will probably
have to pay dearly for the oversight.
NOVEL KIND OF ROOF.
Nine people out of every tel have sup
rosed ii at the roof exLenaed over the build
inc from where the tiling ends. They would
be surprised no doubt to find that it is just
one story below the tiline. The roof is sur
rounded by brick wall fifteen feet high,
and on top of that wall is the galvanized
iron works The roof proper is timed and
would make an excellent playground If 1t
were not for numerous bumps in it occa-
stoned by iron girders shooting up at unex-
pected points.
what is the roof doing down herew visi-
tors ask.
reply Of the workmen.
The roof is one of the things about the
building that visitors cannot understand.
The workmen too find amusement in looking
at it. Iron girders which should have been
cut off by the iron men were not touched
When the time arrived to tin the roof the
end of an iron girder overlapping the brick
wall about two feet had to be covered with
tin to hide it. Iron orders supporting the
wall on which the galvanized iron work APP
pears, project through the wall foot in sew
eral places. Wooden braces hold the galvan-
lied iron work in place. The main chimney
fiue from the engine room is topped out
about two or three feet below the galvanized
iron work, and how it is going TO draw is
puzzling men who have examined it.
IF Broome had pounded the other con-
tractors the way he did Herman, the build
ing would have amounted to something, "
said a contractor. ssTnere was too much
leniency with one and too much pounding of
another: Mr. Kiernan's is the best work in
the building. and it would show as very fine
work If the building was not the genuine
botch it is from the top to the bottom. The
fault rests with the plans and specifications.