The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-01-14
JURY VIEW IT.
Botcn' Work on the City Hall
MonstroSity Inspected
by Courts Order.
MAYNIcKE's B~RoADsIDEs
Testimony at the Trial Of the
Commissioners Reveals More
Disgraceful Conditions.
MAYNICKE's BROADSIDES

Disgraceful Conditions.
Robert Nfaynicke, the expert architect
from New York, who exposed the defects
in the new City Hall. spent the entire at
ternoon yesterday on the witness stand
until the adjournment Of court. Mr.. May
nicke said he had been an expert for
twenty-seven years. and that he had SUI
p~erinrended the construction of New
iYorkss most notable big buildings. He
mentioned the Mills building. the Produce
Exchange, Cotton Exchange, Cornelius
Vanderbilt's house.. C. p. Huntington's
house and others. The witness read from
the report he made to the April Grand
Jury upon which the Indictment was
based, and Mr.. McDermott followed him
fr0m Mr. a M s9gy ct The REP Fepo fjrs fod dafeets 80 mem nlIa
toned were the chimneys. which the
specifications. required to be topped out.
leading from the boiler and furnace
rooms. All the ether chimneys stop
within several feet of the roof, and II a
fire should be started in n other room
in the building. the smoke would, have to
escape from the windows OF the attic.
Brick arches which are required in. the
specifications. have not been built, and
in the opinion of the expert. it was Just
as well that they We're not, If they NAG
tQeen IlGH WOulQ nave IalleQ QOWI. "A
Furnished. Cheap thing. and cheap
glazed bricks have been furnished. For
foot is called for. hut the thing put in is
mot worth. more than so cents. So with
THE glazed brick Tbs brick used lis Is
brick called al d. for d:O is $50 SHi Of. SO per loo. So
it goes all through the building: Concrete
made of sand and cement should have
been used in filling in between the iron
beams. Instead of that cinders We're put
in dry and the board flooring laid over
fRoebling Standard. fire proof wire ..lath-
Ing. The latter absorbs more plaster,
but the witness could not say positively
Sthat it was. The walls of the vaults on
the first, and second floors have not been
piastered nor the walls in the basement.
{ Speaking of the iron work, the wit
sness said it was the worst he had ever
lseen. the rrusses and girders are not
is not much difference in the trusses
except in the size. One is two feet high
er than called for. but that makes It
sthe iron work is bad, secondhand mater
sdal, or material that had the appear
sance of being secondhand, was used.
Holes had been punched in the iron as
las If it had been, or was intended to be
rused for other purposes. There was no
possible use for the holes in connection
A blackboard was brought from Pros
secutor Wintield's office so that the wit
mess might maked diagrams of the trusses
an order to demonstrate the difference
between those put in the building and
those called for in the specifications.
One blackboard seemed to have a familiar
look to many of the spectators. 1t was
part of the SpoilS gathered in a raid on
a Weehawken poolroom. 1t was marked
OF into columns n and . on the top t Of a each
ond race" and so on Mr.. .MeDermott
jokingly suggested that it might not be
safe to use that board unless the pro-
lection of the Court was guaranteed.
Judge Hudspeth retorted that no protec-
ton would be needed, as the board, for
the first time probably. was to be used
for a legitimate purpose.
After drawing the diagrams and ex-
planning them Mr.. Maynicke said, ut
seen in all my experience" He had one
OF the towers examined and found the
angle plates 21sx21a, instead of 6x6, as re-
CURED. one of the work seemed to be
according to specification. The orna-
1uental work IS all omitted from the iron
staircase on the Henderson street side.
SO that the mouldings would be exposed,
hut no mouldings We're put in, SO they
could not be exposed. The cast iron
were made plain. Newells which should
be Sx8 are SKIS. The castings are exceed
tngly rough and unfinished.
Winfield, 'in the difference in the cost
Of the iron work as it is and as it should
Ee2'
IT could not tell exactly. but it is a
great many thousand dollars"
The witness continued that there is
not a stone on the outside of the build
Should have been at the window heads
and near the keystones on all sides of
the building have been entirely omitted.
The setting of the stone work was done
10 an regular manner. Some of. the
joints are large and others small, and
there is. no uniformity. There are seve-
raj cracks in the h1IiIQinp c9llSPQ nv the
shrinking of the masonry. The cracks
which are mostly in the corner towers
dation. The weight all rests on the out
side piers. There is none on the centre
pier, The Intel over the front door is
been bolted It would fall.
w MT. T 81 9ss d asksd him !, f again what
the building as it is now and as it Ought
TO be, and ne. answered that it was I'M
possible to get at it with any degree OF
NJ. M%eDsrmott took the witness in
Give me" he asked, the name of
street the construction of which you
superintendent that has not more cracks
on one side Of it than there are in the
II don't recall any at present.
How many are there in the Mills
Il haven't counted Them
Hasn't it cost 100000 to bolster IT
I'M '
Nc. not so much as that.
Equitable buflding?"
of it,
How many are there in the Cotton
q don't know. 7 haven't ssen it re-
IS rs r not the Intel over the entrance to
1t broke after the building was fin
SliEU
- Name any building hat you have
cracked liHtels?s
There are none in the Post building
or the Havemeyer building
How about the World building?
Aren't there cracks On both sides of
Yes,
Now the Drexel-Nrorgan building;
you ever noticed the lintels there.
They're, broken. aren't they?"
aAad the Postal Telegraph build
i don't know how many are broken
Isn't it an ordinary thing for a Intel
to break from settlement
Yes. but when they break we cut
TEL ne \ that you cut cut"
The walls Of big, buildings crack FREE
Il never knew Of one that didn't
in the morning just notice from the
street the Smith building that you are
putting up and tell me how many cracks
there are in that. will your
Al Mr.. McDermott's suggestion, the
trial WAS nnGtnAnad IN cnohla tho 1rrxy r