The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-06
WHY THE WORK HAS Jagged.
CAPT. N'HARG AND THE CONTRAC-
TORS TALK ABOUT HOSPITAL.

the Delay Has Been the Fault OF
the ContrnctOrs-Says Too Few Men'
Have Been EmplOyed-Finds the
Work Has Gotten on Faster Dur
| ing the Last Day or TwO-Archf-
| tect NesseIIer for the Contractors
Claims Capt. McHarE Is Responsi-
! BILE for the Delay in Not Hnving
Allowed Them to Prosecute the
Work as They Thought Best.
Surgeon General Sternberg's criticism of
the progress of the work on the army hos
pital buildings seems to be well founded.
| Beyond a doubt the work has been slow.
Capt McHarg. quartermaster in charge,
and those representing the contracting
firm of w. f. May & Co.. admit this.
Capt McHarg was seen yesterday with
regard to the statement of the surgeon
general that the hospital has been get
ting on very slowly. The captain sold 1t
was true and he did not hesitate to say
that the contractors are to blame. 'ATr.
May has not been here constantly TO look
after the work and that has been one of
the reasons 1t has Jagged. Another has
been that the men are not paid sufficient
wages to keep them. Carpenters here get
$3.50 day, but the contractor tries to get
the work done for less. 1t was all right
for poorer labor to be employed in the
rougher outer work on the building, but
it is now necessary for good carpenters
to be engaged"
How about the force of hands? Has
there been enough of them at work2"
mo" the captain replied, there has
been too small force. There are proba-
bly, 125 men at work now. For some time
I was told by the contractor that there
was much larger force, but | began to
keep a check on the number myself and
found that there was not as many men as
the reports made to me indicated. Prob
ably 10 or 100 would be a fair average of
the number that has been employed since
the work was commenced.
II have noticed for the last two days
that better progress is being made. i is
possible that things will now run along
more smoothly. A new man has been
sent down from Chattanooga to assist in
| experimenting the work. Mr.. Hybeck
seems to be a very good man. He has
enllvened things somewhat, and I believe
his connection with the work will hurry
it on
when does the contract cali for the
completion of the buildings" capt. Nc
! Harg was asked.
FEB. J." he answered. Capt. McHarg
was asked if any action would he taken
| by the government in the event of the
failure, which seems probable enough, of
the work being completed within the
time called for in the contract He replied
that the contractors may be allowed to
complete the work, but that is a matter
about which he could not tell just yet
Bridges should not be crossed, he said
until they are reached.
A bond of $4,000 was furnished by the
contractors. Most of this was secured
from the Fidelity company of Baltimore,
though a portion of it was an informed
late bond. Judging from what Capt. Nc
Harg had to say about the matter, 1t Is
not likely that there is any present inten-
ton of calling the bondsmen to account
upon the failure to have the work COM
pleted within the specified time.
The captain seems to think the contrac-
tors will be allowed to continue the work
now. He has been Impressed with the &C
tivity of the last day or two Had it not
been shown, it is not improbable that
something significant would have resulted
Capt DIcHarg was asked when he would
have the buildings or some of them ready
for use He answered that it would be
by the first Of the month, at all events
He says the work is of such a character
as to admit some of tie Buildings, on their
completion, being used as a well equipped
hospital.
A representative of the Morning News
went out to the hospital buildings yester-
day. He was shown over the work by
one of the contractors assistants. They
| did not deny that the work has pro-
| crossed slowly. There have been reasons
for this, Architect Nesseller said.
Mr. Nesseller is architect for the con-
tracing firm. He says Capt McHarg has
been responsible for the delay, as the
| work has been retarded through his re-
fusal to give them the grades of the build
ings as they were desired. The architect
explained that it has been the method of
the contractors to employ three classes of
workmen. The first and least skilled, class
was to lay the foundations of the build
ing, getting the pillars built and the stills
in place. Then it would come the turn OF
the second-ciass to go to work, and 1t
would fall to these workmen to build the
walls Of the houses and put on the roof
That being DONE the third-class, consist
ing of good carpenters, would be put to
work on the interior f1nishings
This is the plan, the architect says,
! which, If they had been allowed to follow
by having the grades for the buildings
! given them When asked for, would have
resulted in having brought the buildings
much nearer completion than they now
are. To keep the whole force at work on
the least difficult work would have meant
| loss, he says. He claims that the cap
tain virtually took the progress of the
work i'm his own hands when he would
not allow the contractors to-carry it on as
they deemed best.
The contractors expect to turn over sew
eral of the buildings tomorrow night as
completed. These will be two or three of
the ward buildings and the officers quart
ers. From that time on buildings will be
turned over as rapidly as they are fin
| ished
The contractors say they have been pay
ing the hands all they were worth. 1t was
said by Capt. McHarg that the men have
in many cases, been i'll treated. The con
tractors say that advertisements for men
have been running in several of the neigh
boring papers for some time, and that
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