The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-24
SEABURY JUSTIFIES
COST OF THE new
CAPITOL
Vice President of Capitol
Commission Gives Out a
Statement Setting Forth
the Services aud Expenses
Devolving Upon Architect
Cass Gilbert, to Whom He
Pays a High Tribute.

Claiming Seabury, of the capitol
commission, has given out the follow
ing statement relative to the capitol
building and the commission in charge
of it's construction:
I'm common with several other mem
bers of the capitol commission, | have
been recently asked by many different
people multitude of questions about
the powers, duties, expenses and prop
er compensation of the architect of the
new capitol, plainly implying a wide
spread and very general want Of
knowledge of what is involved in the
designing and construction of such an
important building as ours. I feel i'm
PEELED, therefore, to place before the
public such information that / trust
will enable it to form a more correct
opinion than many people now have
most of whom have never had any
personal connection with building OPP
eratiOnS. / know that the masses of
men are fair minded, and only need to
know the truth in order to come to cor
rect conclusions. The limited few Of
other temperament, who start out on
some theory of their own and refuse
TO change under any circumstances,
are not amenable to reason Of any ma
o..
In the first place, the entire build
ing, inside and out, is the creation
OF the architects brain and no ones
else. Our board did not design this
pudding nor any part of it. We mere
~ selected the design out Of forty or
nifty others, assisted by expert advice
which we badly needed then, since we
knew no more about such matters at
that time than the masses Of the pub
lie now know. Before a man is cap
able of designing and constructing
such an extraordinary building as this
he must have spent years in obtaining
an education in all that pertains to ar
chitecture, and then other years in
the practice of it in a smaller wav
growing. if possessed of talent. until
finally he dares attempt the large un-
dertaking.
How many among the practicing ar
ch1tects in Minnesota We're willing to
make the attempt when we asked for
competitive designs? Examine our rec
ords ana you Will see that but a small
proportion Of them We're. Why do
patients come to the Twin City hospit-
ais from all over the Northwest to
place themselves under the care of the
eminent physicians and surgeons to be
found in these large centers of popu-
lation? Is it not because they desire
to avail themselves of the more adj
is
be found by so doing? and do they
raise questions about compensation
when they go home relieved or cured :?
On the contrary, they congratulate
themselves on having fallen into good
hands. So should we.
The new capitol, wholly designed by
our architect, Mr. CaSs Gilbert. and
constructed under his constant supervi-
sion up to the present moment, is one
OF the most notable of the monumental
buildings erected in this country, and
is a splendid evidence Of the practical
and artistic skill of it's designer If we
can finish it's interior as he and we now
desire, 1t will be visited and admired
from all over our land.
who Was the Architect"
mo question will be asked when it
has been completed concerning the
personnel of the board of state Can't
tol commissioners who will have
Wrestled with all the knotty problems
involved In the business portion of it's
construction during a long period Of
twelve years or more (they having been
meantime under suspicion by some in
the community of having enriched
themselves in the undertaking., but
they will be forgotten and sink into OBJ
hVlon. The only inquiry will be, Who
was the architect of this buildingY
Having made his preliminary drawings
latter much study, change and revis-
ION to suit his client-in this case our
board), he must have prepared in his
office accurate working drawings" to
accompany every contract that is let
every one Of these under his personal
supervision, although executed nv
highly skilled draughtsmen. Commence
ing at the foundation he must proper
ly determine the size of the walls. TO
carry their loads, their various shapes
and turns in order to support what will
afterwards be placed upon them, etc.
etc. He must furnish these drawings
on an exact scale, SO that the contrac-
tor can work by them without asking
questions, and SO that when finished
the entire structure will come out a
perfect and harmonious whole. Few
realize what this means in the way of
thought, study and actual labor.
Take the structural steel beams, for
example. Every one of these from the
SubbaSement to and including the roof
must be accurately figured as to its
every dimension, so that when erected
they will not only come together, but
accomplish the work intended for them.
Each separate floor is assigned to a
competent draughtsman, and on these
drawings alone four or five high-pric-
ed men would be constantly empIoved
with the exterior stone drawings-an-
other set of draughtsmen constantly
employed and furnishing drawings in
advance of the progress of the work.
So also with the brick walls, and in
fact every single contract and every
part of the work must be similarly
treated. Not an hours work of con-
struction can go on except pursuant to
drawings and specifications that
must all be prepared in the architects
Office.
Immense Pile of Drawings.
MIR. Gilbert had an office force Of
fourteen or fifteen skilled men Che can
use no others) constantly employed for
several years after this work commence
ed, and still maintains large force in
this city, for this building alone. hav-
ing no other work here. We have stor-
ed in a room adjoining our office in the
Endicott building a pile Of drawings
pertaining to the new capitol that if
unrolled and placed edge to edge.
would paper the walls, ceiling and I
believe the floor also of the present
house of representatives His mechani-
cal engineer was about two years in
preparing the drawings for the heat
ing, ventilating, lighting, plumbing and
electric plant for this great building.
Stop for moment and think what it
means to plan out a system Of pipes
to be buried under the floors that must
heat, light and ventilate it perfectly, to
say nothing of the plumbing-each one
large enough, and none too large Sup
pose they fail after the building is done
-anathemas on the architect. If per-
fectly designed and successful, does not
the skill involved merit reward?
Mr.. Gilbert during the first five
years frequently told the board (and
We believe him, knowing the facts)
that he was hardly receiving a fair
draughtsman's salary for his own la
hors. 1t is we'll understood by those