Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-08
RICHMOND FIRM TO ERECT
JAMESTOWN CANTONMENT
Contract Is Awarded to the Wise
Granite and Construction
Company;
REJECTED BE JOHN II. WILSON
Rfnehart s. Dennis Issue Statement
as to Conditions Under Which
Cantonment Is Being Erected at
Petersburg.

The contract for the construction OF
one-halt of tho naval cantonment on
the Jamestown naval base, facing
Hampton Roads, has baen awarded to
tho Wise =. Granite and SConstfuction
Company of Richmond. the Navy De-
partment. officially announced yester-
day. The work will cost approxi-
mately 100000. It was stated by. de-
partment officials. and will be started
at once. This Is the contract which
John T. Wilson & Co.. of this city, de-
clined because of certain stipulations
made by the department which the
contractors were unwilling to accept.
Announcement that the contract had
been awarded to the local firm was
made shortly after 1t was stated that
the first contractor had declined to ac-
cept the original contract. The award
for the construction of the second half
OF the cantonment was to the Caro-
lima Wood Construction Company, with
headquarters in Asheville, N. c., and
the expenditure will be substantially
the same. Both contractors, the de-
partment announced. would commence
activities at once.
GRESHAM IN WASHINGTON
TO CONSULT NAVAL OFFICERS
1t was learned last night that Thomas
Gresham. president Of the Wise Granite
and Construction Company, was in
Washington yesterday comforting with
Navy Department officials. The an
nouncement of the contract came a
few hours later. Mr.. Gresham, while
expected, did not return to Richmond
last night, but Will probably reach
Richmond to-day, The vice-president
of the company. Lee Paschall. left
Richmond last night for Norfolk pre-
sumably to inspect the jamestown site,
and will so to Washington tomorrow.
The statement was made, however,
that the company was already COM
pleting plans for the work. and that
actual construction would begin at
once. The contract was awarded to
the local firm on 10 per cent basis.
the profits being that percentage of
the cost of construction. The Navy
Department is DESTROYS OF having the
cantonment completed as quickly as
possible, and for that reason work will
be rushed with all possible dispatch
consistent with frst-class workman
ship.
CONTRAST DIVIDED
INTO -FOUR PARTS
Original requirements Of the de-
partment provided that the contractor
should provide sufficient facilities ade-
quately to care for 5000 men by Au-
gust Is, and to this end numerous
buildings on the site. erected ten years
ago for the exposition, are now being
repaired and put in condition to house
recruits. The contract for this work
was awarded Thursday to tho Rich
ardson Company, OF Norfolk. and OPP
erations are to begin at once. The hos
pitaI on the grounds will be erected
by the Newport News Engineering and
Contracting Company, OF Newport
News
It was generally understood whom
the Wilson Co. was first awarded the
contract. official notification of which
came over the long distance telephone
from the Navy Department, that the
company was to receive the contract
for the entire work at the new train
ing station. which will represent an
expenditure Of approximately $4,000, 600.
Various stipulatiops. such as to where
tho lumber and materials were to be
purchased. coupled with the division
of the original contract into four parts.