The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1940-12-31

10 handle Il ar''-ell1llII
building committee. They
named three leading citizens
whose names are remembered
today-Dr. J. B. Weber. f. A.
Light and 6. 6. McCaw The
county commissioners had
agreed to buy the brick from
Stephen Judson. the eounty's
leading politician. He owned
clay bank and arranged with his
father. Peter Judson. and his
own son. John. to make the
brick II was a slow job. Peter
nodded and supervised the burn
ing Of the brick. John piled
them in the kin and carried
them off when the process was
completed AS fast as a load
Of brick was ready Steve JUDD
son made the delivery to the job
with yoke of oxen and a wood
en- "ex" wagon in which the
Judson family had come across
the plains to Puget Sound.
George Manville, the eontrac-
tor. sent to Portland for a brick
layer to help him and a man
named Phillips came up. Phil
lips was fast bricklayer, doing
almost twice as much work as
Manville. His only fault was that
he continually preached. He had
been educated for the Presby-
terrain ministry. He believed in
the doctrine of predestination--
that part Of the people were
born TO 60 to heaven and the
others were to be damned no
matter what they did about it.
He preached and talked this doc
trine so continuously and fer
vently that he became crazy.
The next bricklayer also was
preacher but he was more
moderate and stayed with Man
vile until the job was finished.
Manyille's troubles began
soon after he started the job.
Judson's brick, for which he
was being paid SEQ a thousand,
were of poor quality and were
not being furnished fast
enough TO keep the job going.
IL the two bricklayers worked
one full day they would have
TO lay off two waiting for
material. Manville told the
commissioners he could buy
better brick in San Francisco
for half the price but the COM
mittee insisted on staying by
Judson.
The committee did agree,
however, to let Manville buy
some brick from a man by the
name of Guess who had a small
kiln, to supplement the Judson
supply. Even with the addi-
tional supply the job was drag
ging and a small boatload Of
brick was bought in Olympia.
That gave the two Steilacoom
brickmakers chance to catch
up, but the supply soon gave out
again.
Manville finally hit on a
plan to stretch the brick sup
ply. He ran mp the inside and
outside courses of the four
brick wall and filled in the
space with cordwood.
When the job was finished the
building committee refused to
accept il. They said the ma
terial was poor and the build
ing had not been completed in
the time specified in the con-
tract. Frank Clark, pioneer at
torney with an office in Stella
COON and opposed to the judi
sons and members of the build
ing committee politically, told
Manville he would fight the case
for him and wouldn't charge a
cent.
The two county commission
ers. Thomas Chambers and Will
liam Downey, also sided with
Manville. They thought the
members of the building COM
mittee were assuming too much
authority and took the matter
out of their hands. The commits
sioners admitted that the ma
terisl was not up 10 specifica-
tons but said that was not
Manville's fault.
The commissioner ordered
warrant drawn on Philip
Reach. Pierce county treas
urer. for the full amount of
the contract. There was not
enough cash IN the treasury to