The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-01-14
WINTER WEATHER DEREp
Contractors Rush Work on
Hospital and Union Hall
Despite Cold.

! Old King Winter has not seriousl.
interfered with building operations 1,
Missoula. according to local contrac.
tors who are pushing work on severa
buildings along to rapid completion
Just the same as in the good old sum.
mer time. Olson & Johnson. whe
have the two largest construction
projects in the city at the presen,
time-the Northern Pacific hospital
and the Union hall building on East
Main street-have had men busy on
these buildings all winter. except fol-
three days when the weather was toe
severe to allow the work to continue
and also when the necessary material
was held up at different times. All
| winter the contractors have put UP
their buildings in record time, the cold
not interfering with the speed and IA :
cility of construction. and they say
| that not only arc the builders wages
going up fast, but the buildings are,
| too.
| The sides Of the large four STORY
hospital being erected on the site of
the old Northern Pacific hospital, are
about completed and the workmen are
rapidly finishing up the roof. The
I steel Orders and other parts of the
roof are already in place, and next
week the men will start to laying the
tiles on the roof.
Cement Work Hardest
The hardest part of the work dur
ing the cold days has been the laying
of the cement floor. 1t is exceeding
" difficult to lay cement so it will
stay in good shape during cold wealth.
err, but it has been finished up in first
class shape at the hospital, and is as
good as il 1t had been done during the
hot summer days. The foreman in
charge has used a special process for
the cement work which he has found
very effective, and has not had any
trouble.
Half dozen carpenters are work.
ing in the interior of the building pre-
pairing the walls for plastering, and
this work will be started in short
time. Plasterng under unfavora bic
weather conditions is very diff
cult process and the company has
just installed a temporary heating
plant which will be put into operation
the first of the week. With radiators
distributed throughout the building 1t
is expected that the plastering work
will progress fast. ....@
The plumbers and steam filters are
also working on the hospital building
and as they are used to working un-
der adverse weather conditions the
cold does not affect them much.
Salamander Stoves.
Up to the present time. the only
source of warmth in the building has
been from coke fires in "salamander"
stoves, which have helped consider
ably though the heating plant will be
great Improvement.
The new hospital building when
finished will be one of which the city
may well be proud. 1t is large four
story building with basement, and is
fireproof. Dark red brick has been
used in the construction work and the
whole makes n fine looking building.
| 1t is estimated that the cost of con-
structing the hospital will exceed
| $125, 600.
While the exterior work is nearly COM
| pletcd it will take several months to
finish up the inside and it will be some
time this summer before the building
will be ready for occupancy. At pres
cnt one wing Of the old hospital is be-
ing used for patients, but when the
new building is completed this will be
| torn down.
At Union Hall.
| The Union hall building on East
Main street has gone up faster than
any building they ever have con-
structcd say the contractors. and the
first story is ready. While in size
this building does not compare with
the hospital, it also will be a handsome
addition to Missoula's buildings
While the foundations and basemen,
were finished before the holidays, all
the work on the first story has been
done since the end of the last cold
snap, and has been done in remark
ably fast time. too. This week work
will be started on the second story OF
the building and it is expected that II
will be completed in n few weeks. The
winter has not interfered at all with
the work on the Union hall, though