Forty Thousand Bricks Rejected at the New Courthouse
Superintendent Rogers refused to let nearly 40,000 soft bricks from a Westside yard go into Olympia's new courthouse, warning contractors that the specifications would be enforced.
The story, cleaned up
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Nearly 40,000 bricks which the contractors have been trying to work into the new court house have been rejected, and Superintendent Rogers has another wrangle on hand. The bricks are said to be soft and unfit for use, and the using of them in the construction of the building will not only evade the stipulations of specifications, but will result injuriously to the building. Mr. Rogers has notified the contractors that they may continue to haul to the court house all the brick they desire, but not one of them of inferior quality shall be used in the erection of the building. The bricks were furnished at Schneider's brick yard, on the Westside.
“not one of them of inferior quality shall be used in the erection of the building.”
Public construction contracts still turn on enforcement of specifications, from brick and concrete to steel and inspection reports. The 1891 fight at the courthouse is a reminder that the boring details of materials testing are where public money and public safety meet.
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