The Advocate and news., 1898-04-27
CAPITOL WALKS COST MONEY.


I'VE propose to construct a heXa-
gon block walk similar to the one on
the east and north side Of the capitol
building, which we laid for the Board
OF Public Works in 1892, for the
sum of 81 cents per square foot.
"The said walks shall be laid as
follows;
"1st-We will excaVate full width
of the walk, which shall be IL feet,
to the depth Of Is inches.
2d-We will I'LL in the excavation
with 10 inches Of cinders, leVeled and
we'll rammed.
3d-We will place upon the Gin
ders 3 inches Of concrete, composed
of clean Kaw river sand and Fort
Scott cement.
"4th-We will place upon the con-
crete II inch heXagon block; same
to be 2 inches thick, and wash the
same in with best Portland cement.
"5th--We will make a concrete
border on each side Of the walk
4 inches in width; composed Of Port
land cement, clean Kaw river sand,
all to be finished in a strictly first
class manner.
1--WE will complete the said walk
on or before the 18th day January,
1897, providing the weather does not
turn sufficiently cold to prevent do
ing the work in a proper manner,
In which case the time shall be eX-
tended for the completion as many
days as equal the whole number OF
days so delayed. We shall be given
estimates from time to time on the
material upon the ground and labor
performed equal to 80 per cent. Of
the value thereof"
The Executive Council awarded the
contract to this company on November
"a upon the above proposition, the rec
ord of the order being on page 81. In
the same order the Council kindly voted
down an order to change the speclfca-
ton providing for Fort Scott cement
to Portland cement. This action permit
ted the contractors to use material which
would cost Is cents per barrel instead Of
that which would cost from $3.50 to $4
per barrel.
The provision to get the walks done by
January IL was a rather unusual one
in view of the fact that it did not give
the contractors sufficient time to prop
erly do the work In addition it pro-
vided that they should be constructed
in the dead of winter, when such work
can never be properly done. A repre-
sentative of the company protested that
a workmanlike job could not be done at
that time of year. Nevertheless, he was
ordered to proceed. AS the work pro-
gressed and cold weather came on the
contractors had to keep fires along the
walks to keep the cement from freezing.
At night 1t was kept covered with tent
cloths. After all this effort the walks
are very badly cracked and In very poor
condition. A comparison OF these walks
with those constructed six years on
other sides of the square will conyinCe
any one that the Morrill, walks are very
much inferior to the latter.
The oVerworked architect, superin-
tendent and civil engineer were not bur-
dened with the job of preparing specif'
cations the company attended to that
In this contract no provision was IN
serted that the contractor should be paid
in vouchers. Tax money was coming II
and there was no danger just at thai
season Of a mot paid for want Of funds
condition.
Business" methods began early in this
affair as in the others. The Executive
Council allowed q bill OF $4,000 on De
cember IL on this contract. This wa
Just thirteen days after the contract wai
let and was over 40 per cent. Of the to
tai amount paid ON the contract TIL,
record OF the order for this payment \
found on page 36 Of the Executive Coun
Gil record. The balance, amounting t
$4,964.52, was allowed by the Executiv
Council December 80, 1896, fully fifteel
days before the job was completed. Her
was $7,964.52 paid on this Job before
was completed. This was $1,922.19 NOR
G-xn nQpaVaA IN 40 kh