The San Francisco call., 1898-12-25
METHODS Of
 FERRY DEPOT ! MEASUREMENTS Sorrows [ of the Sem ate Committee. A DRAGGING INVESTIGATION HOW WOODWORK AND. IRON
 WORK ARE JOINED. Masonry Contractor Mccarthy Re- fuses to State the Amount of
 His Vermont Marble
 Profits.
A DRAGGING INVESTIGATION
HOW WOODWORK AND IRON
 WORK ARE JOINED.

It Is rumored, that one of the first acts of the Legislature will be to offer a prize for public building measurements-some what along the line of the missing word contests-in which contractors will be in- Vited to get out their tapelines and ascer- tain the dimensions of the structures they have built. It is not yet known what the prize will be, but from the severity of the task the award to the lucky competi- tors can only be considerable. This novel idea is the result of several weeks of hard work on the part of the Senate Com mttee Investigating the ferry depot pug gle.
 Men who took contracts to work on the great stone and steel house have come before that legislative body to tell how we'll they builded have stopped short when asked simple pointed questions. They have come with countless figures relative to the amounts and values-from their own private memoranda-of materials they used in the course of construction, but have shied at every attempt of the investigators to get behind their exhibits. They know the committee's expert Is in correct in his estimates on their work, grossly unfair and incorrect They rap idly pass from original specification to re- NlSeQ pfdIli ana explain dlOHS d llII6 over the hill, and far away from the simple point at issue. They talk Volubly of al- lowances or deductions which were to bear the same proportion to the total contract price which the work added or decreased should bear to the whole work contracted for.
 They tell from their prepared tables how much the State would have lost if the same materials had been used and the same space filled herewith in accordance with the original specifications; but as the work had been done in accordance with the revised plans the State was the gainer thereby. Both addition" and ''reduc- tion" in the course of construction were money in the public pocket. Against this stands the State experts statement that by reason of changes in plans, of unau- thortzed substitution of one thing for an- other and of jugglery in the laying of brick, In the rlVetlng of steel sheets and the setting of masses of stone the State is out about Sl00;000.
 The contractors have denied this, but the denial has not been made good. Archi- tects. Reid and Faville may be i'll error. Possibly the official records over which they have labored since September have told them no truths; perchance those records are silent on the methods by which the ferry depot arose from ground to mezZanine; but the witnesses who have gathered before the Senate Committee to topple over the expert testimony have made explanations that did not explain, have groped for answers when broken in upon by querfsts, have led one another across miry places with the tenderness of counsel for client; but they have brought confusion and not satisfaction.
 To a casual looker-on comes the ques- tion as to what they are trying to get at and to a closer observer they are either befogged or befogging. Last Thursday the committee adjourned for the purpose of permitting Contractor Bateman to get the dimensions of the pine partitions and other woodwork he had put into the building. Chairman Dickinson had asked him for information on the subject, had Simplitied and repeated the question with out eliciting an answer. The committee had been unable to get the contractor and the expert on common ground for a be- ginning, and insisted on Bateman finding an answer, even if he had to get a tape line and measure up his work.
 Yesterday morning came, but no report. The contractor had been unable to find an architect to make the measurements. It was d work of such magnitude, they had told him, that days would be consumed in the task. Some of the labor had been covered by subsequent work and was out of sight: partitions had died nfaith, 'tis good word-had disappeared at their ends in wooden joints against masonry; other woodwork had been covered or had died in something else and could not be found
 Cant you possibly find somebody-the State will pay him. wearily exclaimed General Dickinson, who will go into that building with a foot rule and ind out how many square feet are in those partitions? Get a stepladder and stenographer. Put your architect on the ladder and let the stenographer take down his words. Can you have your report here by-how long will it take you to get a report?'
 Judge Sullivan for Bateman mentioned next Wednesday and the next meeting was set for that day.
 Architect Swain, who revised the plans for the Harbor Commission; was asked if there was in the specifications any plan of joining wood to iron He said there was none.
 Dickinson-We how were the carpen- Ts,sS nd {rnF1 rrlan tn m ka those tions?
 swain-The different workmen didn't bother themselves about that. Each man simply does his own work and pays no at tention to the work of the other.
 Dickinson--Would not the ironworkers make some provision for joining onto the woodwork?
 Swain-I don't know.
 Dickinson-W did they?
 SWain-I think not.
 Dickinson-Is it not unusual in building to have no plans for such fastenings?
 Swain--It is not unusual.
 Contractor Bateman said he should have charged the State $3260 for certain work, but lowered his bill to s2230 45. and he held that the public was fin" that difference. By Expert Reids s figures the State lost on this work $1137 25. The total loss to the State on the Bateman contract by Reid's report is over $2S ,OOO
 fled as to the masonry. He was asked about the Colusa stone, and stated that he was sorry the commlsSlon did not re I controlled the Colusa quarry and could have made more money out of the State than he had made. In reply to d question he said that be had received bids from different marble men, the lowest of which was a $14,OOO proposition, but he accepted the offer of the Vermont quarry, which was for $20 900.
 ager of that quarry, came next to visit
 McCarthy-Yes and we closed the bar gain.
 Dickinson-Mr. Mccarthy, what did you really get that marble for? McCarthy-To that question. general. I will call attention to the boards resolu- ton: ''The board shall have the right to increase or diminish the work described in these specificationS
 Dickinson-In such case, what did you really give for that marbe? McCarthy-I decline to answer. If the Senator was good enough to make me q present of the marble 1 don't think the State ought to have the benefit of the amount I obtained from the contract aft erward.
 It will be remembered that this ques- ton was asked MT. Hawley. the local manager of the Vermont marble quarry, and he also refused to answer Both Me, ! ~1l,r ~,..1 L