The Mena weekly star., 1909-06-24
YORK ON CAPITOL
 TO BEGIN JULY 1
;. c,muission Vii Have fharge of #s .,,,b;ro Two Years to Fin
 ;sh Building Much Old Wo,kto Come Out.

6,,t day Jlly Iu'i ioi0e VI
 ,thrs. Iickmasons and ar-
 of all kinds wlli be wotk-
 or inc new State Capitol
 ild,np stated c. A. DsLam-
 inc ergineer HOW m cha'ge
 inc Sta Capitol bui dung, :,
 ,d Cald ~ell & Drake 0ill not
 ,ve ,hiug 10 do with the ~olk'
 The contract will be let within
 h,rt lime ald the contractor,
 o.v,r # will be, will have bis ,,sn nm the ground by July l. you may think this IS v1y boft ,imc, but II is plenty lo do be reIimlnary work and assem- hle the forces. It just now shows how the new Capitol Commission ,oiny 10 make things move.
 For sometime contractors have hen oiog over the building and ,hey know just what IS goiug 10 Q done and what to figure on. ====,rhere have been about five TT six lit concerns taking the measure meut, and SD, cifica ioas and go- inc over the building, and these will be ready io bind on tfe work ,uSl as s on as the commission is ready 10 let the contract, which think will be in few days.
 "rhe commission is iu charge \ of everything, even to the moulds fer the large bronze figures whl, h # will ornament the building, as well as the mou!ds for the build lpy of other orna mental work. "It will take the contractors a coup of years to finish the build ius, as SO much of the old work has to be torn out and replaced. The metal lath must all come out, the floors aud steel r,iniorced, and an entire uew frame for the dome go ;n. There is only ore DOT n of the building where the work has been well done, that is in the brick work. The top few feet of the brick work IS cracked though, and wIll have to be re- placed
 The people should not charge Governor Douag hey with bring- iog the Capitol into politics. If they would come out and inspect the building they would see for themselves where the faulty work is. Why, some of the columns are of cinder concrete with large chunks of cinders slowing and ready to fall out. Instead of taking the building into politics, Governor Donag hey has saved the state hundreds of thousands of dollass. Ii the building was completed as it had been con structed, It would have been source of endless trouble and ex- ponse 10 the state.
 All over the building the met al lath, which is of inferior qual ity, has rusted out and is ready to fall. This will all have to be removed and replaced with geod material. It cannot be said the exposure to the elements had any thug to do with the decay of the lath, for 1t would have occurred just the same had 1t been covered. The quality of the laih was so poor the chemicals in the lime have eaten it up. There is plenty of good metal lath made, an1 1t will bo used when the bull, lg IS completed. The new comm ,ssion will give the state building which will be credit 10 Arkan- saS."
 "This building would not have been safe if completed as II was s'arled," continued Engineer Ee- Lambert after ne had made trip over the building, "and 1t is d great thing tor the state that Governor Donaghey took hold of It when he did. want the peo- pie to come out here and see for themselves. It is pleasure 10 show them .hro lgh and point out the many defec S. It does not take person vsrsed in building 10 see them, as they are so patent child could not pass them by.
 "lu number of places there IS finish on the rooms, and 1t IS al- most certain this conceals defects, too, and it will have to come off. The most of the finish was put on to hide defects, and other waS placed on the building for po'it- icai purposes-io show the legis- laiors how pretty the building Was goiug to be when completed.
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