The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-07-22
NEW CITY HALL DONE
Commissioners Will Prob
ably Accept the Mon
strosity in a
Few Days.
GLAZED BRICKS APPROVED
Mr.. Blair Tells the Board That
Those in Place Are Up 10
the Standard.

tHo pldHudIus
The City Hall Commissioners met to-
Gay and received from Corporation Coun-
sci Blair the following Interesting letter
relative to the glazed brick work in the
monstrosfty;-
I'm the matter of the resolution Of your
Board of July requiring John English,
the contractor. TO remove all glazed
brick in corridors and toilet rooms on
first floor which do not conform in quail
ity color and workmanship TO the glazed
PRICK laid in vestibules on Mercer and
montgomery street entrances, / do not
think You can justify such a requirement..
Inc contract requires all vestibules 10
be faced in first quality glazed brick The
brick now there are pure white brick and
are there in replacement OF other brick
laid by consent of the architect No ref
erence is made in the contract to the COLI
or OF the brick 10 be laid in vesfibuIes.
and there is some doubt If you could
have compelled the removal of the FIRST
brick laid there simply on account Of coli
or II they We're first quality glazed brick.
However, the contractor consented TO
make the change and has done SO. Your
resolution requires the contractor to re-
place the bricks in the corridors with
brick which shall conform in quality. coli
or and Workmanship to those in the veS--
tibules; that is pure white. The contract
the first floor on both sides TO be VAIN
scoted with glazed brick in color as So
lected.
The brick is to be in color as selected
by the architect, of course. In obsdieJlce
to the request OF your predecessors, Iae
first brick put up in the corridors were
removed because they possessed too much
variety Of color. are now finished With
white glazed brick of much more uni
fornity OF color and which We're selected
by your architect
II believe that the brick now on the
corridor complies with the terms of the
contract. and that the contractor can
successfully defend himself against any
attempt to compel him TO replace them
in the manner required in your resolution
Your resolution further requires the con-
tractor to remove the glazed brick in the
toilet rooms on the first floor, and replaces
vestibule
f.The contract requires that Khess
rooms shall be faced al around, from
! floor to ceiling line. with white glazed
bricks equal to the best English make
| The bricks now in these rooms are NOT
the kind called for by the contract IN
! point of color / am, however. advised
| that the bricks used in these rooms were
put there by some agreement or direc-
! sors. If that is SO they ought TO re-
main. If not. and the former Board has
| not consented TO or directed this part
| of the work to be done as 1t is done.
| says so. think The bricks used n these
| rooms were originally intended for the
Fl cOrrluOrS, uf1QSr lie impression IfldL t14E
| corridors required eolored brick + be-
| lieve they are in no way inferior in
| quality or cheaper in price than the brick
That the opinion of the Corporation
| Counsel would be to this effect was fore
told in s"The Jersey City News" Broone
had taken precautfon in preparing his
| specifications to insert clause that all
4 disputed work was to be settled by him.
! self. Having been Instrumental in get
ting Contractor English to buy the glazed
| bricks he quite naturally has pronouneed
! them according to specifications nctwith-
standing the fact that the old Commis-
sion condemned them. A thorn in
Broome's side. however, is the ruling OF
! the Corporation Counsel that the bricks
| IN the toilet rooms are not according 10
| specifications. Broome has held that they
are. The opinion of Mr.. Blair that they
1 are all right in quality, if not ir COLOR
| however. caused Commissioners Dlckiu-
son and Hough to accept the glazed
| brick in its entirety. Commissioners Data
| voted against the acceptance. He ex-
| planned after the meeting that he had
| voted to condemn the bricks and ne SAW
no reason to change his mind at this
| time.
The glazed brickwork was one Of the
| things which led to the Indictment Of the
| old Commissioners and Mr. Datx -
| anxious to have himself set right before
| the public. Although the bricks have
| been pronounced according TO specinca-s
| ton, he does not like thern. Builders and
| ElSBtoIS VINO nave 4USprclcu l1ie Alotts-
| frosty declare that the glazed bricks
| mar what little claim the corridors and
1 halls ever had to beauty. With the
| glazed brick question settled. there VIII
/ probably be very little trouble about any
| other part of the disputed work
1 Upon BroGme's recommendation. Eng
! lfsh was paid SIT 800: W. W. Farrler was
paid s., coo; Herman received nothing.
| Notwithstanding the fact that there IS
| still due him $21.000 Broome's explana-
| tion is that so much of Kiernan's work
\ is in dispute that he cannot pay him
| anything until certain questions are de-
cided.
Relative to the roof President Datz
was authorized to engage Architect Kreit-
Ter to make an examination, ascertain iS
| real condition and report whether or not
| Herman has made the changes he (Kreft-
| ler) suggested after making an Inspections
of the roof last November. The roof
stiH shows signs of leaking after heavy
storms, but Herman says ne Is repairlA
all the weak spots as rapidly as possA
| be 1t is said by builders that 1t viii
be almost impossible to make the roof
water-tigl9t, owing TO the fact that the
| main iron beams have sagged about threa
| inches. Broome holds Kfernan RESPONSE
| Bile for the sagging, but the Conu1is-
! sioneTS hold that the fault is beyond all
question with the iron contractor. The
| rlonstrosity viii probably be accepted
| as complete in few days.
P. Donaldson was authorized to do some
| extra carpenter work in the basement
! Datz endeavored to secure the passage
| cf a resolution 10 have glaZer bricks re-
place the plaster in the side entrances
| His colleagues agreed with him that
1 the change would improve the appearance
Of the entrances. but they did not want
] 10 incur any greater EXPENSE.