Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-10-04
GRAND JUROR COMES sAck.
Architect For County Hospital Given
Something to Think About.

GOt SO0UIy hospital Given
Something to Think About.
Editor Times Republican:-I notice
in your issue of last Saturday an art
icle under the caption of Architect
Says Hospital is o. K.''
Now / am constitutionally opposed
to newspaper controversies in general,
but / feel that. under the circum-
stances i am drawn into this matter,
not only in my own defense, but that
of nay associates.
1t is well known that the grand jury
mas certain duties to perform, one of
which is the inspection of the county
poor farm, stock, buildings, inmates,
etc. This we did to the best os our
ability, without fear or favor. The re-
port OF the grand jury was very mild,
indeed, considering the number Of de-
fects that we found, of which we made
TO mention whatever. We simply
stated the facts as we found them,
calling the attention of the board of
supervisors to those defects only which
materially affected the construction
and durability of the building. We said
nothing of the manner in which some
of the brick We're laid in at some Of the
door jambs, making vertical Joint
with the hollow tile for a distance of
two feet or more, without any bond
whatever; the brick being laid in edge
wise, up and down, without sufficient
mortar to keep them in place, as we
could pick them out of the wall with
our fingers. We did not say anything
about the walls being thicker in places
at the door jambs than the width of
the Jambs, from one-half to three
quarters of an inch before any plaster
fy,ry
the irregularity of the walls, where
some Of the tile projected as much as
an inch over the tile below it, Nothing
said about the Lack of metal wall plugs,
wood brick, or Turing strips, set in the
walls for the fastening Of the trim.
Nothing said Of the manner in which
the concrete floors were mutilated for
the concealing Of iron pipes both above
and in places on the bottom until the
reinforcing rods were exposed, thereby
reducing their efficiency and MATERIAL
ly affecting the strength of these floors
Yet, In the face OF all these defects
coupled with those made in the report,
this architect has the effrontery to
tell this grand jury and the board Of
supervisors that this work is done to
the satisfaction of the architect and
according to the plans and specifica-
tions called for by the contract.
Then the architect enters into a very
elaborate defense by detailing the con-
struction Of the Orders, and further
stating that they will carry the
enormous load of twenty tons. The
grand jury did not find any criticism
whatever in the construction Of these
girders. but it was with the construc-
ton and position Of the lintels that
supported these Orders OF such enorm-
Gus weight and strength. He goes on
to tell us OF the iron rods used as re-
inforcing these Orders, but he was very
careful not to mention the fact of these
lintels having any reinforcing rods in
their construction whatever. 1t makes
no difference how strong the Orders
are built If the lintels on which they
are supported are defective. And in
order to show that they are defective.
one OF the grand Jury and myself took
a straight-ed and applied 1t to the
head jambs over which these hntels
were placed and found them to be sag
ged in the center from one-haR to
three-Quarters OF an inch, showing that
the detection was entirely too great,
even before any of the extra weight
was placA upon them, and the natural
conclusion would be that they would
not carry the extra weight when ap-
piled.
We would like to have the architect
explain In regard to the bonding of one
of the cross walls to the front wall,
when his attention was called to the
large crack between these walls, his
reply was" Oh. that will have to be
fixed" So he called the attention OF