The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-05-18
STATE HOUSE CONTRACT
Lawton Will Do the Work
for S72,803- Addition to
Be Erected at Once.

Especial to 'The Jersey City News.'O
TRENTON, May Is, 1900.-Lewis Lawton,
the reservoir contractor, was awarded the
contract for building the addition to the
State House under the appropriation of
the last Legislature, by the State House
Commission yesterday. His bid was the
lowest received, the amount being $.1,S05.
which is to cover all the work, excepting
the heating and ventilating
The work will be commenced within ten
DAYS or two weeks. the exact date de-
pending upon the approval of the contract
and Lawton's bond by the Attorney Cen
eral. Mr.. Lawton will sublet the plumbing
work to F. S. Katzenbach & Co.. and the
cut stone worn to Thomas H. Prior, both
of this city. He will also sublet the car
penter work, but to whom had not been
decided upon yesterday. The work Will
be under the supervision of Architect
George Poole of Morristown, who drew
the plans.
The bids for the work were opened at
noon yesterday in the Comptroller's Of
fee. Mr.. Hancock. the Comptroller, and
State Treasurer Swain. were the only
members of the State House Commission
present, the Governor having sailed for
Europe the previous day. 1t had been
agreed upon, however, that the Comptrol
Ter and Treasurer would award the con-
tract.
The bids ranged all the way from that
of Mr.. Lawton to $115,O00 the latter being
the bid of William Johnston, of this city
The other bidders, together with their
figures for the work, were:-Samuel W..
Nfather, $74, $50; William ]. Morris, Tren-
ton, $50, ass; George C. Dietrich, Philadel-
phia, $50, 4s0; James w. Lanning. Trenton,
sS4, ,4S9; Margerum Bros, Trenton, $9O,s5o;
Henry W. Doremus. Newark; ss4. $50; r..
H. Carty, Trenton, $95,41.
The Legislature appropriated $960o0 for
the work OF this amount $4,000 is avail
able at once ana the remainder next faA.
The entire sum will no doubt be eaten up
before the work is finished.
The addition to the present Capitol IS
made necessary by the rapidly increasing
business of the State. At the present
time many of the departments are very
badly crowded so that nearly all of the
big vaults, attached to the various de-
partments, are used as offices by clerks.
Many of the State Departments are en-
IlTG1g NItuOul pSItlt1AGAL QOstk LSAS anu
have to utilize the legislative committee
rooms with the consequent ineonvent-
ences when the Legislature is in session.
The addition will be three stories in
height and will extend east to the present
easterly line of the Assembly chamber. 1t
will be of the same material as the rest of
the building, and will extend out to the
water power bank thus cutting off consd-
erable of the lawn and flower bed space at
the rear of the present building.
1t is proposed to save the present rear
wall to be used as the rear wall of the
finished building. This is done because of
its historic association. as it was erected
in the last decade of the eighteenth CEN
tury.
Just which of the departments will have
quarters in the new part, it is not yet
known but there is likely to be quite q
changing about of the officials.
The bridge that now crosses the water
power at the rear of the Capitol will be
removed further up the stream.