Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-07
ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING
Member W. F. johnson Of sOhcsl Board
Writes a Pertinent Letter.
CONTRACTORS DISREGARD SPECIFICATIONS
Review of some of the Peculiar FeR-
lures Arising out of the Com
structiOn of the New
HiEh school.

OMAHA, Nov. 6.-To the Editor Of The
Bee: 1 wish to call attention to the fol-
lowing items: The plaster specifications
for the new High school building provide
that all side walls shall be plastered with
two coats and finished with Keen cement,
except back Of blackboards, where the
finishing coat shall be omitted. Three
hundred and seventy square yards back Of
lockers were omitted and no credit given.
The contractor began to plaster where the
lockers afterward we're placed and was
allowed by the architect to discontinue.
two reasons we're afterward given to tho
committee. BY emitting the plaster ad-
ditional depth would be given to the lockers,
and, second, it would be necessary to find
the joints in the brick so as to wedge the
wall to attach the lockers. Both these
reasons we're specious and false. The
architect later drew plans for lockers and
they were set out from the wall more
than the depth Of the plaster and were
attached to grounds that had already been
placed in the wall. The school district
paid out something more than 800 for
plaster It never got and used unnecessarily
$500 square feet OF lumber backing for
lockers, with the work of placing, an
additional cost of, say one-tenth the cost Of
the completed locker contract, or $500.
specifications D~isreEarded.
Also, the plaster specifications provided
that the toilet rooms, of which there are
twenty-eight, shall be laid of in imitation
Of tile. This the contractor failed to do.
This was not noticed until after the archi-
tect had reported the contract completed
and recommended payment in full and pay
ment had been made. When asked why
this work in the toilet rooms was not
done. the architects answer was that he
did not know 1t was in the specihcations;
this, in face of the fact that he had ad-
vised some of the contractors before their
bids were placed OF exactly how much he
would require in this specification, ex-
planning that the imitation OF tile was to
conform to the tile in the entrance corri-
dor, one of the bidders being still able
TO show his original memoranda and his
allowance for this feature of the work.
A second answer of the architect was that
II amounted to nothing. The work would
have cost the contractor $3.50 or $500, SO
that he made this much IL he saved 1t all.
The sum is not large, but il belongs to the
school district. Mr.. Latenser promised the
committee that he would have the work
done yet. This promise was made almost
a year ago. For three years he has been
promising, with some regularity, that the
plumbing contractor would put in a new
perforated pipe in the boys toilet room
In the new Saunders school. The water
has always run out over the floor, SO
that the boys must cross and recross as
often as they enter the room. The com
mittee does not now expect promises OF
this kind to be kept.
As to the Carving.
Again, a majority Of the committee. when
shown two small casts of groups for the
main pediment over the east entrance, de-
cided upon one group, the architect and one
member of the committee ~favoring the
other group. After the sculptor had the
working model almost made at a labor value
Of $500 or SO it was discovered that it was
not the committees group, but the other.
The committee did not care to ask the
sculptor to lose $500, he being an innocent
party, and on the other hand did not care
TO have the school district lose 5000 by
having the work done over, so the model
was accepted and the carving ordered done.
Four months after the carving was An
ished the carver wrote to members OF the
committee to ask why he could not get his
pay. The architects reply to the COM
mittee was that the work was not salts
factory and that he had not accepted 1t.
Upon this answer being sent to the carver,
who was then at Dubuque, Ia, he returned
by mall a letter press copy of the archl-
tect's written acceptance Of the work, given
when the work was finished, the acceptance
having been turned over to the stone con-
tractor, under whom the carver worked.
Until what time was this carver to be kept
out OF the money due him?
Electrical Sparks.
Passing over the heating contract and
A. - l.
attention OF the committee by the board
that the electrical contract must be looked
into, respecting which at least this much
may be said: The contract calls for three
motors and three rheostats, all of which are
described specifically; one to be used for
the manual training, three-horse power;
one for the large fan in the basement of
the new building. thirty-horse power, and
one for the small fan ventilating the
closets, three-horse power.
Instead of a new motor for the manual
training, the old motor, formerly used In
connection with the street railway power,
was used by the contractor, he first re-
ducIng the voltage to correspond with the
new generator. The old rheostat was also
used. without the voltage being changed.
This led to trouble and expense. which led
to inquiry.
Instead OF a thirty horse power motor for
the lareg fan a motor stamped by the
manufacturers '22 H. p" was installed,
This also has given trouble and promises
future expense. Presumably, IL is a
horse power motor, as stamped;
anyway. the proper speed Of the fan cannot
be maintained or even reached. Upon
recommendation OF the architect and as
surance that the work was all completed
according to specifications final payment
was also made on this contract.
Queer Bills approved.
The architect was authorized by the board
to have placed in the heated air chambers
eight DETECTING galvanized iron hampers
at a cost not to exceed $50, which the
architect assured the board would be
ample. Several months later a bill cam
AE8 Mrs