The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-09-14

AT a special meeting OF the Board of
Aldermen yesterday evening to make
an appropriation of $500 for the Gal
weston sufferers. Alderman John II.
Handy. chairman of the committee on
public buildings. incidentally informed
the board that yesterday he and Al
derman w. E.. Springer. a member OF
the committee, opened the bids for the
repair and painting of the opera
house. the city hall and Front street
market house. The contract was
awarded TO Mr.. F. A. Applegate, build
er and contractor. his bids being the
lowest. The bids for the work aggre-
gate about SO, OO0.
For the repair Of the opera house the
bid is $40. The repairs will consist of
making the overhead staging four feet
narrower on each side of the stage, So
that the scenery of any company trav-
elin a be put upon the stage. This
will widen the scenery space eight feet,
n 1t will be a long needed improve
ment, judging from the fact that a
company once played here that a 80
pieces Of scenery and could only use
eight. The whole Of the apartments
under the stage, including four dress
ing rooms, lavatories, etc, are to. be
Quilted out. New floors are to be laid
n provisions will be made for venti-
lation by circulating air underneath
the floors by means of iron pipes run
under from the outside. The dilapi-
dated plaster petitions between the
four dressing rooms are to be knocked
down and replaced with solid board
petitions. The area walls are to be
raised IL inches higher and the trap
holes are to be o~verhauied. New beams
are to be placed underneath the floor of
the stage. The outer walls of ALL the
-anpoo
Wainscoated with wood. and all mois-
ture is to be shut out from the beams
and floor by a course of STATE laid in
cement on the walls that come in con-
tact with the wood. All this interior
work is also to be painted. The lava
tories are also to be put in thorough
repair. and all doors are to be fitted
with new locks and keys.
The bid for repairing n repainting
the city hall outside was for $940. The
large columns of the front portico are
to be gone over and painted, and all
the entire front of the building, the
north side of the building, and the
south side. including the opera house
front. The seams of the floors of the
piazzaS and steps are to be grouted.
Three coats of paint are to be put on
the brick exterior, the last coat to be
sand work. The color will be gray in
stead nf brown as heretofore. h will
considerably change the appearance of
the city hall as the gray color will give
it the color of the public buildings in
Washington, D. G..
The bid for the repair and painting
of Front street market was 81, 299. All
the rotten woodwork insfGe is to be re-
placed with new, and the cutters and
drains are to Oe run to the river SO as
to carry the dumpings directly to the
river. The exterior of the entire front,
on Front street, is to have three coats
of paint. the last Goa to be sand work
and gray. The water street end of the
building, which is Of WOOD, is to be
covered with. g%alvinized corrugated
iron. The entire interior of the market
house is to be white washed. and the
roof of the fish market is to be lowered
II inches. so water can run off more
easily.
These are the main features of the
improvements, n we hope they will
S0oD ha made