The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-22
MUST WAIT SIX WEEKS.
NOT MUCH BEFORE THAT WILL THE
COURTS BE ABLE TO MOVE.

The Completion of the New Govern
ment building Delayed Because OF
the NOn-ArrivaI of sfateriaI-Conrts
VIII Take Possession of the Upper
Floors About Aug. 1.-The New
Court Room Very IIandsOme-Post-
Office May Get in by July 10, But
There VIII Then he Work to be
Done.
There is no chance for an immediate
occupancy of the new government build
ing by the courts aud other departments
whose Offices are located ON the second,
third and higher floors. Six weeks will
elapse before this part of the edihce viii
be ready for use, although the rooms begin
even now TO assume the appearance they,
will wear when compile ted.
When the court quarters are completed
no tribunal of justice in the country will
be more attractively located nor have had
its wants and convenience guarded ana
looked after with more jealous eye.
Considerable work remains TO be done
on the upper floors, in some of which the
paneling has not been completed nor the
decorative woodwork put in position. The
glass for some of the doors and windows
81
minor details that must receive attention
and will in all likelihood delay the COM
pletion of these offices and corridors ana
their readiness for occupancy until near
the latter part of July. BY the first OF
August it is expected that the entire work
will be completed, all of the offices of
the departments installed and all of them
in operation in their new quarters.
he Ella
the district court room is certainly the
most beautiful in the city and is not sur
passed In the South. Most of the carvings
on wood and etchings on glass are sym
bolic OF the government or the department
OF justice and all of them have been exc
cuted by master hand. The room itself
Is a noble auditorium, massive and simple
IN It's proportions ana designed with an
eye to mingled beauty and usefulness. In
the entire country there are few handsom-
er court rooIns-perhaps none.
The rooms and offices of the judges, the
district attorney and the clerk and marshal
OF the courts are models of convenience
and viii permit the transaction Of business
Wi h much greater facility than the cranp-
ed quarters they have been occupying IN
the custom house have allowed in The past.
Reading rooms and library for the mem.
bers of the bar Of the courts and handsome
lavatories are among the new comforts
and conVeniences that the building offers,
For the weather bureau and the United
States engineers office ample accommoda-
tons have been made. With the exception
of the court rooms and tie corridors, which
are finished in solid mahogany, all of the
offices are panened in oak and ornamenled
with bits of elaborate wood carving.
Some time before July 10 the postofflce
will forsake its present narrow and con-
fined quarters in the Whitfield building
and move into the new and spacious ones
that the government has provided for it,
No date has been fixed for the change and
none can be fixed definitely, as there are
portions of the work yet unfinishd be-
cause of the non-arrival of material that
cannot be finished until this stuff comes.
For some time the postottice authorities
at Washington have been extremely anX-
ious to make the change and have moved
| heaven and earth and the department of
the supervising architect and put in mo-
ton all the wheels that they thought
might have an influence upon the general
result in order that the work of construc-
ton might be facilitated and FASTENED and
| the building got in readiness for occupa-
| ton by the postoffice at least by July /.
| They have done some good, of course but
| too many minor obstacles have attended
| the task OF putting the nnal touches to the
| structure to permit absolute success and
no one thinks that the postoftice will get
into the building by the time that has
would be a safer and much more likely to
| be correct figure.
However, there is little apparently to
| do on the lower floor. The woodwork or
almost all of it is in position, and the
floors are finished The lock boxes for the
| reception of mail matter went UP yes
| few finishing touches only remain 10 be
| done. But there's the rub, for in these
| finishing touches a vast number of small
| pieces of carving and other woodwork are
| necessarily used, and some of these it
has been impossible to get out from the
| factory. The absence of a single piece of
| this character will delay the construction
and finish of an entire panel, and in this
| manner the end has been delayed.
The lease. on the Whitfield building ex-
| pires on June 80, and for this reason the
| government is very anxious that the post
Office should shift its quarters as soon
after that date as is possible. 1t will be
| a matter of inconvenience and annoyance
! TO remain in the building on uncertain
| and perhaps disagreeable terms after the
| interfere with the plans of the owners
| of the building, to be fore
ed to make terms which would
put the government to extra expense and
| thus decrease a fund for operating ex-
| penses that is already too small. II is prob
| fore, just as soon as the building is in a
| state Of completion that warrants it and
| even although there still remains some fin
| ishing touches that must be looked after
| before the quarters will be complete. Ii is
not likely though that this shift will be
| month
When asked about the matter superIn-
| tendent Anderson, of the construction COM
| pany, said that the postoffice might be
! able 10 get into the building prior TO the
! 10Th IL it's officials were willing TO take
| 1t in an uncomp9eted condition. but that
| he did not think so. Much of the work OF
| finishing can be done even after the build
! ing is occupied, but this would subject the
| employees of the office to much inconVen-
fence and possibly seriously interfere with
the transaction OF its business.
|