The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-04-13
BROOME SAT UPON.
Judge Blair Says He Has
No Right to Change
a Contract.
HAS EXCEEDED HIS AUTHORITY
City Hall Commissioners Will Now
Attempt to Complete the
Grove Street Mon
strosity.

The City Hall monstrosity job was
| given another raking up this morning
at meeting of the City Hall Commits
sion. For the last month everything has
| been going along smoothly at the NOM
strosfty except for the vicious s.ttacks
OF the $4,000 architect on John Kiernan.
the carpenter contractor. At almost every
meeting some complaint was made against
klernan or his work and in almost the
| same breath some clemency for Richard
English, the mason contractor, was
| Droacned, or some change suggested in
MS work SO that he was not to be com
pehed to live up to the specifications
me commissioners were also surprised
'Wnen they found that Broome without
tnelr authorization allowed English to
| uo aoout as he liked.
The Commissioners became suspicious
an9 decided to look into Broomes power.
Big. ane bnls morning Corporation Counsel
6lalr sent, the following letter to the
y am in due receipt of your communf-
ceSatlon eS OF the Sth instant stating that
lines OF work necessary for the construc-
oion al OF the City Hail. and requesting my
contractor may change a contract AFTER
Mard or depart in any degree from the
oerins l OF the specifications thereof The
arc1hitect IS simply the agent of the city
under your Board in this case. to see that
the City Hall building is construefe5 80
acllg nc as the contract requires. and has
no i olner power save such as he derives
alrsctly from your Board The parties
70 20 tne contract are the Mayor and Board
Board on one side and the cont7actars FOR fo,.
n,lmself on the other, and the parfies
gaaslas rlleInseives ~ s. are the only ones who have
power . 70 change the terms of the written
CONTRACT in any degree. Unless. therefora-
your your Board has given the architect fur.
yast slet power I,N eltner by resolution or in
hrrA AZ
cf the contract itself, he is Wifhout an
thhority to change its written terms. All
Han, including the one under which ths
paffmcular refa.. ~ work was done to which you
eier fei,awiny IN your letter to me contained the
any time by resolution of said Roarff
naVing charge of the work meaning yol,1.
as ooaTa' f at after the plans ana specifications
snaH have. no claim for any work NOT
va1sa ,,aIasl TOT IN the plans, or specifications.
n Deen ordered by resolution of said Ros-,l :
dil dne contract provides further that anv
phispu5e ~ NE regarding the true meaning sf
e.ded by the. architect. and his decision, Ser
snaai snaaif, oe flnal on all parties;' and the
clned IN writins and recommended b.r ~ Is u
stl.eed Sion aSd ana mavap approved by the Commis-
work shall be done under the arcb;+act.e. ;Sneise
SUPERVISION sup who shall have power to
pseserfpe aese f fne manner of executing the
Telectlng materials, work. or wor5,osrl .3.sf s1l
5dp Sndp winch does not conform ia f51e.
wiss case TIE ana n1 This specification, in which
same ,saI with approved materisl. etc s,,e ss
i,TS7 i,is own cost The circumstances where.
architect @ .sba1I hban'raee, &c the decision < the
part or the contract is of ambfaq1o,,s
tior tHieanlng, ne or capable of a double construc
NE llen 4ln tne architect is to deterlnine
guage is. Aneanins Oh the ian-
when the language of the eontrsc+ ..
clear and explicit The archftac3 3nSLract Ls is
dopet ddoMsr except to see that the work Is.
9s,1 zone IN a manner to correspond to # T
specica tons IN wb;ne Sne contract contract nor In the
sivlng the architect or Contractor ~. u ho.S.
frs,,a ffrse.ner f the right. to change or denarts
tract. - - esseu Terms OF such con-
~ III the architect has legally chanyst1
had tbe Tue pans or speci1cati tions ana has
Su nSo, lie ne work done according to snei,
iifna1fges, ifl fg he must have obtained auf5or- sS1
Board be9 a9i1s 4s So from your Board Your
thority iaf by cue sis rlgns to give him such au-
Board rstaf also has power by resoiutio1I our ar
ithor;gzad5 5ne work done under any unatI-
,ahS srcb,taaa and specifications ordered BY tbe the
The Commissioners saw that +ba -
Ject in getting this opinion is me, one op-s
len5ple them to shut Broona s1re 9reiy s9s
MAKE maj him carry out their instrupp+,as.ru ny anu!
himsalf him lI3e attempt to run things to suff
eycenaas yGeemamslssloner s Hough says Broome hos
anyoae nygsueq h MS rs :, power Unauthorized by
be changed This was necesSor,l ~, pian 70
iT,.,i Ias as ms specifications were al,nossis
tn sIio,p arIicaple PIE creations He was goinsi
make smooth joints in the isnito,,11 u -, ~
an9 a n rooms where plastering vas svaai nan
han banends rus aneatest scheme, which is stijl
prick prick work, behind which IL bas I boI sIazso ;s
timated there turks a scandal Oeen M
ed the the 'ae afaeed osd GSolmlissioners condena-
nave been of uniform size anS Tere co, 20
iHroome i3lb paid no attention to them. Eng.
5b ahead u'1aef 1ayIn BrqSme,s instructions, went
ABOUT as uniform In color as rad "s.y a,y
,rn 9iacS so,,;,, would be If placed side BY side
aS,nounnad untsld fa ous OF this hole, Broome has
M pc prettier to have the variegated moIorl Io,a
sd sxb;t pricks IN the main halls and the
on what is beautiful corresn5nSss 2 sSsiVis w,1tt
nus nus apparent conception of architectursIi
3iDseaqlys Pc OF which the monstrosity. VIII
If Commissioner Hough ils has ,asal anvtasn
b.,s,ay Say ABOUT II those variegated glazed
sh erlcRs WI be taken out and bricks a
tns e, klnd specified put in Instead -
me Commissioners regard the Rroo,na
cngtisn comoination as an unhealthy onst
ahu g 1,,,d are gong to look into it. Broorns
tried for some reason He was was iips ins,,cssg cseg
with the old Commissioners -tNteesu
contractor Henningsen was deputiza7
70 foua put new new tin on the deck Of t61a1a the main
bowss; 70 Inc york is to cost $50 and win
kSiernan, tS who has made affidavit 4bSls
me timing was done according to cnnS
tract, although Broome disputes if
Broome has also found that one narsT
Of the roof is lower than another snss
ina Snat " water collects there He says il IS
says it is due to the changes Rroor,,ss auras
made in the pitch Of the roof ana the
remarkable iron work that was done ss
a. consequences. The Commissioner ara
Danlel J. Harper was appointed niebt
of $50. q = "a A'ai y
With my best respects to Sheriff Tos-
icy, remarked Commissioners Dickinson
when the appointment was made -
Harper was a constable in the sher-
III ofhce He was delegate To fhe,
convention which elected Colonel Dicls-
inson and Congressman McEwan dele
gates to the National Convention. Ha
did not vote for Toffey He was bounced
re IS a Dickinson man from head to
foot and opposed to everything Toffev Is
connected with. =