The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-09

neral will be held from the residence
OF his son-in-law, G. B. Burge, at 92S
Topeka avenue, at p. m. It will be
conducted by the A. o. U. w. and
G. A. r.
George H. Evans was born in 1s49.
in. Fulton county, Indiana. He was
one of ten children, five of whom
were boys. His parents lived on a
farm, and George was raised as a
farmer.
The Civil war broke out when
George was II years old. Several of
his brothers enlisted. One of them
officer came back to Fulton county to
recruit new members for the company
of which his brother had been a mem
ber, George enlisted. He was only. 4
years old at the time. He served with
credit through the remainder of the
war as a member of Company B.
Eighty-seventh Indiana volunteers.
At the close of the war the entire
Evans family, except four of the older
children who had married, moved to
Kansas, and settled on a farm near
Topeka.
Evans did his first work in Topeka
on the west wing of the state house,
then in process of construction There
he learned the trade of StonemasOn,
and found out some things about the
management of biz contracts.
It was not long before young Evans
began to take contracts for buildings
in Topeka and neighboring towns, and
when the contracts for building the
state house were on tap. Evans formed
a partnership with Joe Cox of Law
renee. The firm Of Evans & Cox cut a
wide swath in those days. Their infiu-
ence counted for much. Many were
the deep political intrtgues with which
their names We're associated It paid
well to stand in with the legislature,
and Evans & Cox played the game to
the limit. They landed the contract
for building the central portion Of the
which went into the subterranean
foundations up to the highest pinnacle
of stone and mortar on the dome, the
work was done by Evans & Cox. Their
huge stone saws, run by machinery,
sliced out great limestone blocks, while
the clink of the Stonecutters chisels
resounded constantlyin in the great stone
yard about the state house square. A
million dollars represented the value
of the contracts secured on the state
house job.
Evans & Cox seemed to have strings
on pretty nearly everybody in those
days. They are said to have had a
hand in the preparation of specif1ca-
tions, in the letting of the contracts
and the passage of the appropriation
bills They secured control of certain
brands of building material, and had
| those brands mentioned in the speci-
fications. Hence it was necessary for
anyone who bid on the contracts to get
prices for some of their material from
Evans & Cox. This gave them the in
side track, and they used it to good ad-
vantage. When unable to obtain some
such advantage, they sometimes bid
| the work clear down to cost, and then
arranged matters SO that certain
| changes in the plans were ordered by
the building commission. For such
'textras'' Evans & Cox were paid big
prices; enough to insure them a fat
profit on the whole job.
The original plans for the state
house called for a circular dome.
Evans & Cox secured the contract for
building such dome, at a very low
figure. Subsequently, the plans were
changed, and an octagonal dome asked
for. For this change, Evans & Cox are
said to have received $40, 900 extra, in
spite of the fact that it cost them less
to build an octagonal dome than q cir
cular one
In conversation with reporter for
the State Journal some time ago, Mr..
/ Evans said:
/ 1--WE made big money on the state
house work. Our profits were not less
1 (Coufin1Ied nm Pare Sfxl