The San Francisco call., 1897-09-03
SILENCE At
THE HALL
OF JUSTICE
The Welkin Does Not Ring
With the Sound of
Hammers.
AIN ARMY WILL FILE A PROTEST.
Kearny-Street Property-0wners
Are Indignant at the
Delay
THEY WILL VISIT THE SUPERVISORS.
Building Trades Council Takes Up
the Fight-Oontractor Bateman
Explains.

Like the multitude that followed Xerxes
across the Hellespont to do battle with
the Greeks, an army of indignant kearny-
street property-owners will swing in line
in the wake OF +. ". Becker on the 14th
of the present month and tramp with
him to the chamber of the Supervisors,
and there, through the lips of Attorney
Shad burne, will voice a protest against
the snail-ike progress of the contractors
having in charge the erection of the Hall
of Justice that will be heard, if not round
the world, throughout the length and
breadth OF eevry precinct in the City.
The property-owners say they have
turned an ear to excuses OF delay so long
that they now believe the fight of ages
marking the period between the placing
OF the first stones and the laying of the
Gaping blocks on the pyramids of Egypt
Will be but an hour in the tide OF times in
comparison with the Vast number OF
years that will roll under them and their
descendants, ere the spire on the new hall
Will pierce the heavens. The contractors
think otherwise. however, and say that
while the owners and business men are
ponderIng over the situation, 200 grimy
laborers are toiling in the rolling-milis,
quarries and jobbin g-shops making that
building, and shortly those disjoin ted
pieces VIII be carried to the site and bolted
together to form the edifice of justice.
According to the extension of time on
the contract but four months yet remains
TO the builders in which TO complete the
structure. Such q thing is i'm possible,
and just how the matter will be arrnged
yet remains to be seen.
One of the first official acts of Mayor
Phelan was the approval of the contract
entered into between the City and County
of San Francisco and Bateman Bros. for
the construction of two municipal build
ings-tne Hall o; Justice and Morgue.
The contractors agreed to erect the
buildings and complete the entire work
on or before the first day of October 1897.
The contract price was $254 Goa sum
$50, 600 lower than the next lowest bid.
The contract, the resolution OF award
and all the official papers of the negotia-
ton provide that the work must be dill
gently and continuously prosecuted and
completed on or before October l. 1897. -
The original signed contract now on
| file in the office OF the clerk of the Board
| of Supervisors contains the following pro-
| vision:
And it is further understood and agreed by
| and between the respective parties hereto that
work shall be begun upon said nun .cipal
building within ten days from the date OF the
execution OF this contract, and that 1t must
| thereafter be diligently and continuously
| pr osecuted and completed, and both of them
| shall BE- erected and completed and made
| ready tor occupancy on or before the LIST day
| OF October, 1897.
A bond in the sum of $685. $50, with the
| curety company as surety, was given to
| insure a faithful performance OF contract
according to The specifications, by John e.
| Bateman and Michael c. Bateman, COM
| prisirg the firm of Bateman Bros. Before
4 notary pubic Wallace Everson, presi-
| dent. and A. P. Redding secretary of the
Pacific Surety Company, acknowled gee
| the execution of the bond.
! The Pacific Surety Company is a respon-
| sible institution, and the City should rot
| have much trouble in collecting $50, $50
should the contractors fail to CO m plete tile
| work within the time specified. The
work that has been done so far is not
much more than perceptible. No doubt
| the contractors Will ask tor another extern
| sion OF time, and a great pressure will be
| eJerted to have 1t granted by the board.
| Mayor Phelan SAID yesterday tnat he
was not able to account for the delay, but
remarked that he would look up the record
| and iacts in the case and ascertain the
| causes which had delayed the construction
of the buildings. He had heard that the
contract was taken at very low figure.
Shea 6J Shea, the architects, were seen
Yesterday, but they were not able to state
| the causes of the delay. Yesterday they
received some assurance from the con-
tractors that future work would be prose-
cuted with yigor. The work OF stone cut
ting has now been given to the MANAGERS
of an extensive yard, hence further delay
in dressing material would be removed.
Among the leaders OF the fight against
delay on the Hall of Justice-those who
I r. Il aar yotra
property owners, if prosperity depends on
the completion Of the building-are: John
Shirley, f. w. Becker, Edward Holland,
proprietor OF the Commercial Hotel; l..
G.. Babn, a real estate agent OF proml-
nence; G. Schulz, owner of the Western
Hotel building; l.. Sartorius, +. S. Fech.
elmer and E. Bohien OF Siebe IL Bohien,
liquor-dealers; G. ID. Shadburne Daniel
| Rogers and W. II. Bodtish.
John Shirley, who has long been associ-
ated with the Kearny-etreet Improve
ment Club, although as anxious TO see the
building completed as any OF his associ-
ates, was very ienient in his criticism of
the contractors. We'll, l have been
making inquiries into this thing of late. !"
he said, ''and l must say that the con-
tractors have been put to a great deal of
inconvenience that they did not at first
contemplate. For instance, the great diff
ficulties of getting stone from the quarry
and having it cut. They went to consid-
erable expense in making arrangements
with Music at his place on Battery street
for the cutting of the stone.
"Since that time they had to remove a
,. portion of that plant to the corner of
Market and Eighth streets, where
greater facilities were offered them.
Again, the architects were kept very busy
with the dome of the City Hall. Now,
since that is finished and the proper
machinery is in good working order for
stone-cutting, l think greater speed will
be made with the work.
sin the meantime, when the Super
visors return to the City and get settled
down to business-that is, if Judge Wal
lace don't give them a longer vacation
they will urge the contractor to greater
speed in getting the building into shape.