Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-02
COURT CALENDAR.
Full Specifications for the Court
House Building Received,
County Commissioners viii Advertise for
Bids for Construction Within Two
Weeks-other Court News.

Another step in the Worcester county
court house erection has been made, and
the county commissioners are rejoicing
over the receipt of the full specifica-
tions for the new building. The copy has
been received from the architects, An
drews, Jacques & Rantoul, Boston, and
covers about a hundred closely type
written pages. The specifications will be
closely studied, and an order has been
placed in the hands of the printer for
publishing number of copies to be
sent out to the various contractors and
builders who shall enter bids for the
work of construction. These copies will
be ready shortly, and viii be had of the
county commissioners. 1t Is now thought
that the formal advertisement for bids
will be published within two weeks. The
bid advertisement will be placed in all
the Worcester papers, and elsewhere,
and 1t is expected that there will be a
large competition among prominent
contractors and builders
The terms in the award of the contract
to the lowest bidder are stipulated in the
act providing for the erection Of the
new court house, and there will be some
quotation from the act in the pamphlet
issued for the benefit of the bidders. AS
Is well known, the building is to cost
under 100000, leaving $4,000 remaining
of the appropriation for other expendi-
lures. Although the detailed specifica-
tions for the entire building have been
printed, the detailed floor plans have not
yet come from Boston, although they
are expected this week There will be
four or more sets of these plans, two or
three to be kept at the county commits
sioners' office, where the bidders and
contractors may easily inspect them, and
another in Boston. When these come the
formal draft of the advertisement for
bids will be made, probably within two
weeks. According to the present inten-
ton, two weeks at the least will be al
lowed for the bid competition to close,
when the contract will be awarded and
the formal work upon the construction
of the court begun. 1t is hoped by April
to have the building under way.
The first operations will probably be
in the way Of laying the foundations for
the new building on the space now ex-
listing between the two court houses.
The brick structure will be kept stand
ing as long as possible, but will yet be
among the first to be demolished. And
with this comes the question of court
room for the criminal court, which opens
May g. BY that time it is anticipated
that work will be highly advanced, and
without the old criminal court room,
other accommodations will have to be
secured The March sitting of the super
ior civil court which opens Monday, has
over 140 cases to consider, which is less
than the number of the December term,
which adjourned after two months
sitting.
If the March civil session should ad-
journ before March g. then the criminal
term may be held in the stone court
house without Inconvenience. The com
missioners hope that this will be the
case, so that for this term at least it
will not be necessary to hire special
rooms or a hall outside.
The equity room over the county
treasurers office has ample accommo-
dations for the jury-waived session,
which is held monthly, and there this
session will probably be held until the
new building is ready for occupancy,
although other accommodations may
| later be secured. There has been some
thought, too, of having the criminal
court open in Worcester, and then ad-
| journ TO Fitchburg, the court house
| there affording full accommodation. But
| the great objection to having the court
| adjourn to Fitchburg is that all the
| cases before the criminal term arise
| from Worcester and surrounding towns,
| and the change to Fitchburg would be
|
county Judge Gaskin presides at the
March civil session, and 1t is hoped that
some arrangement may be reached to
| the end that when the criminal term
| opens here, the jury civil sitting will be
| adjourned and the stone court house
| will be open for criminal business.
AS the justices Of the superior court
appreciate the situation, it is probable
| that the next criminal term will be held
| at the stone court house. The natural
length of the civil session will be but
two months at the most, which would
bring the end of the sitting before the
opening of the criminal term, and, al
though the supreme judicial court will
hold short session here in April, it
is hoped that satisfactory arrangements
may be made so that it will be unneces-
| sary to secure outside accommodations
until fall. Then if 1t is found that there
will be a conflict Of sessions in the one
building, the commissioners will have
| ample time to make full arrangements
for the court sittings until the new
building is finished.
The old city hall building would be
| greatly desired by the commissioners,
| but no move has been made yet in re-
gard to the question, aside from inform
al discussion, although the commission
ers with continue to be on the lookout
for a suitable hall and rooms for a
1 court sitting, if outside accommodations