Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-04-21
WANTS TO BUILD
CHIMNEY AROUND
25-|NCH HOLE
School Board Decides To Pass
Chinese Puzzle Up To
An Attorney

One ,hing is settled and certain:
The Salem school board wants TO build
hole" for chimney at least %
inches in the clear, inside measurement.
But how to specify for the construc.
ton Of chimney around that "holc" "
and not get into worse "hole" than
they now find themselves is the ser.
Ous problem with which the board is
confronted. Before getting in any more
seriCus legal ENLARGEMENT than they
are already involved they have decided
to "pass the buck" to an attorney.
Another chapter of the high school
chimney comedy-drama was rehearsed
by the Salem school board in adjourned
session last evening and came very near
being made matter OF record. As it
was, after about an hours discussion
pro and con, it ended as it usually docs
with no progress made, and the building
and grounds committee is still author
lied 10 make a proposition to Contrac.
tor Hughes as basis of settlement. If
Mr.. Hughes accepts the committee y
proposition it will be drawn NJ in writ.
ing and in legal form for presentation
to the board for ratification. Mr..
Hughes will also make a proposition
and, II they cannot agree, then whatl
Walter 9, Winslow, counsel fcc Con.
tractor Hughes, at the solicitation of
one of the members appeared before
the board, and an effort was made to
arrive at an understanding and basis
of settlement. AFR. Winslow. on behalf
Of Mr., Hughes, Offered TO construct the
second chimney and allow for the on.
largad inside dimensions demanded by
the board for the same price as the one
built and the cause of all of the trouble
IL the board will accept the constructed
chimney at contract price. This was
not satisfactory to the board, so an
effort was made to frame n proposition
IN the form Of report of the commit.
tee in order TO bring the matter for.
maIly before the board for consdera.
tion and action, but they became so in.
Volved in ;echnlcalities and phraseoldly
until they were literally lost in n labv.
rinth of intricate details, and finally
gave the matter mp as a bad lob and
concluded to have it drawn up right by
an attorney so that they would know
where they were at - and not become
involved in another long.winded con.
troversy
The proposition which the building
committee proposes to put up to Mr..
Hughes is that the board accent the
chimney butt at q reduction of $l25 on
the toatract price (Which is practically
a 20 per cent penalty, the board to
pay 20 cents per cubic foot for the
concrete bases added to the foundation
Of the chimncys over the specifications
and the stipulated price for the extra
three feet added to the height of the
chimney above that called fcr bv the
plans and specifications. Then il came
to The specifications for the second
chimney, and there is where the board
stuck" They were certain that they
wanted the inside dimensions 25 inches
in the clear but they did not know what
outside dimensions that would require
or how to specify how the chimney
should be built around the 25.inch
|" hole" without referring to the orig.
inal contract and specifications. which
they desired above all things to avoid,
and they finally decided TO wipe out
all records Of the transaction and to
'let George do IT,.
The question Of the header courses,
which were LETT out Of the constructed
chimney, also came up for further dis.
eussion, and the deeper the board got
into IL the more serious the cmpli.
cations seemed, IL was pointed out
that the failure Of the contractor TO
"keystonen or bind the arch of the
inner lining Of brick around the intake
flue might cause the entire inside of
the clue Ia collapse through deteriora.
tion, and the more the matter was dis.
cussed the more alarmed some Of the
members became over what might hap.
pen, that IL is not altogether improb.
able that the whole chimney might be
condemned and rejected and the con.
tractor ordered 10 tear Il down and
build IL over again. II is believed.
however, that this alleged defect can
be remedied by the contractor without
great difficulty or loss.