The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-15
TO A MONTANA CONCERN
The Butte Company Will Build
the New State House.
AWARD HAS BEEN MADE
The Work Will Be Begun Next
Month and the Building VIII Be
Turned over to the State
in May, 1900

Helena. Sept. 1.-THE Montana
Building company OF Butte will build
the new state house. The state capitol
building commission reached that con-
clusion to-day after giving further con-
sideration To the four bids that were
held over until to-day out of the nine
submitted yesterday. With but one ex-
ception the Montana firm of contract
ors was considerably below all of the
other competitors. The next nearest bid
was that of c. +. II. Campbell & Co
of Council Bluffs. Iowa. Those two
were the only bids that were inside Of
the 100000 limit. After making the
award the board gave out the figures
submitted by all of the contractors.
with one exception. Canary a Co. OF
Great Falls. The check accompanying
that bid was not in conformity with the
advertisement, consequently the bid
was not considered.
The lump sums Of the different bids
were as follows: Montana Building
company of Butte. S2S9.S9i: c. +. II.
Campbell. Council Bluffs. $29S. ZIG; Texas
Construction company. Galveston, Tex.
two bids, $32l,370 and $359. .S65, the differ
ence being in the quality OF the fire.
proofing. G.. w. Atkinson e. Son. Coll
orado Springs, Col. 1929. 500: II. B.
Fotheringham, Spokane. $342O 900. with a
reduction of $4,000 providing a different
quality OF fireproofing were used: But
Ter & Ryan, st. Paul two bids. sand
stone, $377.O00. granite, $4,000; w. ].
Spear, Toledo, Ohio, s404 .59S; William
Goldie & Son, Chicago, 1899, ,423.
The specifications called for Montana
sandstone. All of the contractors with
the exception of the Butte firm speci-
fled the stone either from the Ulm
quarry i'm Cascade county, the DAILY in
Beaverhead, or the Billings In Yellow
stone. The winning firm agreed to use
any sandstone the board might name.
Only one firm, Butler & Ryan, proposed
granite as well as sandstone The bid
Of the Butte concern was not only the
lowest, but IL was considered the best,
and the board voted unanimously 10 ac-
cept it, The original bid was $3.50 600,
hut the y-efa de - iesA Ssts~ps~aesu.s vfssissr.
changes. such as n dynamo for the
manufacture of electricity and a change
in the material i'm the finish Of some OF
the offices. as well as the substitution Of
fireprooting i'm the construction Of the
outside doors instead Of wood which
made slight change in the total
In all Of the offices. excepting the
governors quarters. the supreme court
and the two legislative halls, Montana
tamarack will be used instead of east
eTn white oak. This, i'm connection with
the Montana stone and the Montana
copper. will make the building largely
a home production, with the exception
of the iron and other material that can
not he obtained in this state. The board
decided to accept n small portion OF
the bid of the Minneapolis Fire Proof
Door company to furnish the material
for the doors for the five entrances.
These doors will be of a fire proof sub
stance, consisting Of a combination of
asbestos and other non-inhammable
material sheathed in an antique copper
finish. a new wrinkle I'm building that Is
highly indOrsed. 1t is claimed that the
reason that all but the two OF the bids
were so far from the limit was because
the contractors In figuring placed the
valuation Of the Iron to be used in the
fire proOfing between the different
floors at too exorbitant a figure
A contract has been drawn up be-
tween the board and the Montana
Building company and signed. To-mor-
row Jacob Soss, the superintendent
and general manager Of the company,
will furnish his bond in the sum of $780,
600. The contract specifies that work
on the foundation will begin by the
first Of next month and that the build
ing will be ready to turn over to the
state by the latter part OF May. 1900
The contractor will have the founda-.
tions finished before the cold weather
begins and start upon the walls early
next spring. At later date the board
will decide which of the three quarrics
mentioned will furnish the sandstone
10 be used. As the excavation made for
the million dollar Mann building is con-
siderable larger than the proposed
structure will need, the board will have
to bear the expense OF filing a portion
Of ii So that the contractor VIII have
a firm foundation upon which 10 stand
the derrcks to be used I'm holsting ma
terial. Satisfaction Is expressed on all
sides that the contract went to a Mon
tana concern. This fact is also a
source OF qualification 10 the board
SO far as can be learned the board
reached its conclusion in making the
award without being bothered by a par
ticle of outside influence and without
the semblance OF friction.