The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-18
NO HOPE FOR MARBLE NOW.
THE CONTRACTORS WON'T WAIT
FOR A FURTHER APPROPRI-
ALTON.


Congressman Lester Has About Given
Up the Question of Marble for the
Public Building. Though He HIS
Written Another Letter to secre-
tnry CarIiSIe-The Additional APP
preparation Could Not BE Secured
by Jan. 1. and the Contractors VIII
Not wait Any Longer-They VIII
Probably Begin Work Very shortly
Now.
There seems to be little or no hope for
Savannah getting a public building OF
marble. Congressman Lester has about
given the matter up as a bad job, and
when he gives a thing up that is in Sa-
vannahs interest, it may well be said
that there is little hope for it.
Col. Lester has just answered letter
which he received from Secretary Car
isles Office with regard TO the matter
and he expressed some surprise in his
reply at the decided turn the matter has
taken.
The letter from Secretary Carlisle prac-
tically stated that it would be impossible
to change the contract so as to have
Miles & Bradt of Atlanta. the contrac-
tors, consented to wait only until Jan.
for an additional appropriation to be secur
ed in order TO make the building OF mar
bic. They have their contract and they
are not willing to suspend operations I'M
der it any longer than that time AS is
well known to all who are familiar with
the workings of congress it would be i'm
possible to get a bill for an additional APP
preparation through by Jan. / as the gen
eral appropriation bill is not finished and
passed until way along in the spring and
sometimes not until summer So there
the matter stands.
1t was suggested that Secretary Carlisle
could give out the contract for a marble
building, using the amount already appro-
priated to pay for the structure, and rely
on an additional appropriation to COM
plete the work. If the superstructure were
put up in marble there is just about
enough money left, according to the esti-
mates to pay for that part of the build
ing.
With reference to this matter Secretary
Carlisle quoted the United States statutes
showing that he is prohibited from en-
tering into any contract which will cost
over 10 per cent. of the amount esti-
mated without the authority from congress
50 that ends that part of the question.
marble until an appropriation has been
made which Will be sufficient to pay for
the work.
Secretary Carlisle stated in his letter
that il would require an additional appro-
priation of 100000 to complete the work
in marble. so that it will be seen the
amount that would be necessary for that
purpose over and above the appropria-
ton is more than 10 per cent. greater
than the estimate by about $4,000.
There appears to be little doubt that this
he GO
vannah must be content with a building of
stone and brick. Col. Lester takes
this view. of the matter, but
in spite of it he wrote to Secretary Car
Isle expressing his surprise that such
determination of the matter had been
reached, and reiterating the arguments
that have been made on the part of Sa-
Vannah for a building Of marble. There
is little or no hope of changing the mat
ter now, however, as the contractor posi-
lively refuse to delay operations on the
work longer than Jan /, and even now
they want TO make claims for alleged
losses incurred on account of the brief
delay. 1t is probable that they will COM
mence work on the new building within a
week or two, as they are required under
the the contract to finish within a year
from the time at which it was signed
About the only thing Savannahians
have to congratulate themselves on now
is that the building will be hurried on to
completion.
Interest in the Savannah public build
ing has not been confined to Savannah
alone, but attention has been given it in
many sections. The progress in the mat
ter has been watched as far away as
New Orleans as is evidenced by the fol-
lowing from the New Orleans Picayune:
me good people of Savannah are NOV
ing the earth and Washington for an
appropriation for new public building,
to be constructed of marble. Marble it
must be- Plain brick smacks too much
of the plebeian for the good crackers.
What really gals them is that Jackson
vile, Fla, has such a building, and Sa-
vannah must not take a back seat" of
the two l certainly prefer the terra Gotta
building. A marble building always looks
to me as if it were made of notified
bars of soap. The thought has suggested
to me the following lines, which. with all
due apologies to the late Mr.. Balfe, can
be sung before any respectable audience,
without fee or reward. 1t can go under
the caption of THE Dream of the
Cracker
l dreamt that 1 bossed it in marble halls.
Midst niggers and clerks by my side,
And Of all Georgia Crackers, within those
walls,
That I was the boss and the pride
I'd the finest state building the south II
could boast,
Right here in Savannah, our place,
But l also dreamt, that charmed me most
Was that Jacksonville was out'n the
race,
That Jacksonville,
Jacksonville was wiped off the earth. -