The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-07-08
New Cap toI Building Will Not Be Com
pIeted Until After Ian. l.
Much Is to Be Done Yet, and Skilled
Labor Is Employed.
Work Must Be Prosecuted With Care
and Not Too Hastily.
Commission Holds Meeting in st. Paul
to Discuss Matters.
From Wednesdays Daily.

From Wednesdays Daily.
The legislature of 1905 may meet in
the new state capitol, but it may be COM
PEELED to use again the halls of the old
capitol. 1t will depend on whether the
Italian marble columns of the grand
stairway arrive so that they may be put
in place before January.
"The work is progressing satisfactor-
ily," said Chairman Claiming Seabury,
after the meeting of the capitol commits
sion yesterday. "We hope to have the
building completed so that it may be &C.
cupied when the next legislature meets.
There is still great deal of work to be
done, and I am not sure that it can be
completed by that time. Some of the
contractors feel certain that, without
accident, the building will be ready for
occupancy in January.
Sunless the building is practically
completed 1 shall oppose turning it over
for occupancy. 1t would be folly to oc-'
cupy it prematurely. 1t would be no
killing matter if the old building were
used for six months. The work being
done now is of character that requires
skilled labor and takes time. 1t would
be folly to rush the work too much.
The building is so large that there is
great deal of work to be done yet"
The meeting of the commission yester-
day was primarily for opening bids for
the electric light fixtures and register
faces. The board spent the forenoon 60
ing over the bids, and the afternoon at
the new capitol examining samples of
the standard fixtures bid on, and the fix
lures to be made after special designs
for the new capitol.
The contractors will require from four
to seven months to turn out the large
number of fixtures necessary for the
building. The occupancy of the build
ing will not be delayed by this, however,
as temporary fixtures can be used un-
til the permanent fixtures are put in
place. :.
The bids are slightly higher than the
commission had anticipated, and they
were referred to Architect Cass Gilbert for
tabulation and for his recommendation.
at would not do to put ordinary fix
lures in so beautiful building as that"
said Mr.. Seabury. eve had nothing to
go by as to the cost of the special fix
lures, and cannot say that the bids are
high, although they amount to more
than we had intended to devote to that
purpose"
Mr.. Seabury said that it is likely that
the designs will be modified along lines
of greater simplicity, so as to lessen
the cost without impairing the beauty
of the fixtures.
''The designs give only our tentative
IDEAS" said Mr.. Seabury. practical
men can perhaps tell us where changes
can be made that will lessen the cost
without impairing in any way the USE
fulness or beauty of the fixtures"
The commission will meet this morn
ing to resume its consideration of the
bids, and hopes to take definite action.
The bidders yesterday offered to furnish
temporary fixtures for use if the build
ing is occupied before the permanent
fixtures can be secured, and to make de-
sirable notifications in their plans,
which will reduce the aggregate cost of
the fixtures.
The fixtures are of type that can
not be appreciated by those that have
not seen the recent developments in
lighting fixtures in the newest and most
expensive buildings of the east, for like
the building itself they have no counter
part in this section of the country.
The commissioners, while at the state
capitol to view the models and samples
of fixtures, also inspected the progress
of representatives are completed in all
parts where staging will be required.
Work has also begun in the dome. The
decorations on the side walls which can
be done from the floor have not yet
been undertaken. The work on the SUI
preme court room will begin in few
days. Mr. Garnsey visits St. Paul every
month, spending several days, and he has
an expert artist in charge of the work
in st. Paul at all times, 80 that he is
in close touch with what is being done.
He has devoted considerable time in his
Eastern studio to preparing designs for
the decorations.
The interior stone lining of the CORR
doris will be- completed in less than thir-
ty DAYS. Some of the Italian marble
columns of the grand stairway to the
legislative corridor are in place, some
are on the ground ready to be erected
and others are on the way to st. Paul.
1t takes considerable time to turn out
the columns, and though everything pos.
sible is being done to hasten the work
the possibility that they may not be in
place by the first of the year is the CHIEF
thing that stands in the way of the
building being ready for occupancy by
the next legislature, The columns are in
three drums, and require heavy derricks
to put them in place. The building could
hardly be occupied if these derricks were
still in the corridors. There is also some