The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-11-10
ADDITIONAL CONTRACTS ON NEW
COUNTY BUILDINGS.
LOCAL Man LOWEST BIDDER
Commissioners Accept eeemsn Bid
Four Others submitted-some-
thing New in Foundations.

Although local builders apparently
could not compete with those of else
where in the matter of erecting the
structures themselves, when it came
to entertaining bids for plumbing and
heating the new court house and heat
ing the new Jail it was different. Last
Saturday a contract was awarded by
the county commissioners for this
work and Billings man will do it.
Under the contract entered into last
spring with the. Pauly Jail company
for the cells and iron work for the
Jail, the plumbing was included, leav-
ing only the heating to be provided
for. as also the heating and plumbing
of the court house. Proposals for
the latter were invited and the day
for examining the different bids was
| fixed for last Saturday, when the coun-
| ty commissioners met Tor that pur-
pose. Five bids were submitted.
| Shackleton & Whiteway, the Butte
contractors, who have the contract
for building the Jail and court house,
submitted an offer to do the work for
| $7,924. F. H. Beeman OF this city
rendered two proposals. one for plumb
ing and heating the court house, $5,-
| 689.25, and the other for heating the
Jail, $1,22750, making total of $6,-
916.75 for both jobs. The Allen Black
company of Minneapolis made a ten
der for only the court house, heating
and plumbing. $o,200; Archambo & Co.
wanted $6.5O0 for the same job, while
| w. J. Pulte submitted two bids, one
of $3.50. for heating and plumbing
the court house, and the other OF
$1,2SS for heating the Jail, making
S7.138 in all.
1 The Beeman bids were the lowest
| and the contract was awarded to
| him. conditioned upon his filing a
bond in the sum of $4,000 for the
| faithful performance of the work.
Concrete Foundation.
| An agreement was entered into with
| Shackleton & Whiteway by which
they are to use Columbus stone for
trimming the court house, while a
| second contract was made with them
for the foundation. By the terms OF
this they will make the foundation
/ proper of concrete, with a concrete
floor, leaving the wall above the sur
4 face of the earth to be built of stone,
/ instead of building all of stone.
~ BY the adoption of concrete for the
foundation marked saving in time is
| effected, while it is also regarded
that better and more satisfactory
! underpinning will be obtained. BY
| means of mixing machine the con
4 tractors employ they will be enabled
to place the concrete foundation in
two weeks, whereas il would require
two months to build it of stone The
/ specifications call for the best grade
of Portland cement and everything
else must be of the same standard
thus insuring foundation that will
be practically indestructlble, being i'm
i pervious to the wearing effects of the
elements and time, something that
may not be said about stone obtain
/ able hereabouts.
When completed the basement OF
the court house will be 10 feet in
the clear, a wise provision for the fu'
ture, as the time wal undoubtedly
come when demand will be made fol
more room than the superstructure
affords. Embrasures will be left in
4 the foundation for windows. These
will be enclosed with boards, to be
opened and fitted with castings and
sash when need for more light is
found.
A Simple Operation.