Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-07-29
THE NEW DEPARTMENT BUILDINGS.
Report Of the Engineer in Charge.
PROGRESS OF WORK on THE NORTH WING,

partment building. has submitted to the Secre-
sary of War his report of operations pertaining
to the construction of the building for the fiscal
year ending June Both. 1881. The report saws:
The east wing OF the building having been
entirely completed during the last fiscal wear.
operations were confined exclusively to the
north wing. At the close of the year en- ding
June 30th. 1881, as shown by the last annual
report. the work which had been proceeding
slowly for some weeks. for want of funds. was
nearly suspended. and the supply of materials
practically exhausted. An appropriation of
s45oo GOO for the north wing was made by act
of Congress, approved June 49, 1881, but
owing TO the facts that much of
the material required. consisting of manufactured
iron and cut granite. could not be contracted for
until funds were available; that considerable
time was necessarily consumed in the prepare
ton of those materials. and that the iron work
was the first needed before the work could 90
on. operations on the building could not be re-
sumed with any vigOr until Sept. %. 1880. Even
then but few parts of the work could be carried
on simultaneously. as it was necessary to COM
plete some Hoors and interior walls to make the
deTricks to be raised into.adyanced positions for
the handling of the stone After two or three
weeks, however the work moved along with
system. and good progress was made up to
November %. with both the stone and brick
masonry. including the combined iron work. At
this time freezing weather set in. which sus-
pended the masonry for some days. and with the
exception of one or two weeks of mild weather
suitable for laying masonry, was succeeded 10y
ONE OF THE sEyEREST WINTERS OF THIS IaTI-
tube.
effectually closing. on the Goth of December all
operations upon the building. The object of
pushing the masonry work SO late in the season
was to fit the building for the ircn work of the
roof, for which the contractors had prepared
much OF the material, expecting according to
the terms of their contract to erect it during
the winter. The weather. however. rendered all
such outdoor work impracticable and it
was necessarily deferred until spring
On February g. 1851. the last of the stone for
the court yard walls Of this wing arrived at the
building. On March %. 1891 the weather hay
ing become well settled. operations were re-
sumed but some loss of time was still suffered in
the early part of April from unfavorable
weather.
On May 4th the erection of the iron work of
the roof was commenced. and has progressed
rapidly ever since. Being necessarily comr-
Gated structure due to the architectural form of
this wing of the building. considerable time
some three mOnthS-will be consumed i'm its
construction. On June IL. 1881. the last cut
stones for this wing-being the last stones
wanted for the wing. exclusive of the APP
proaches-were delivered at the building. and
the work of setting the granite masonry was
completed on the 25th of that month.
AT THE CLOSE OF THE FISCAL YEAR
the condition of the work is as follows: The ap-
proaches have not been commenced. but eXclu-
sive of this work all the stone masonry is
finished, and the same is practically true of the
brickwork, only piece of wall and floor in the
attic and the backing of the manSardS now re-
naming to be done. The iron work of all the
roofs. excepting the part covering the center
pavilion, which is in process of erection is
finished and ready to receive its covering of con-
crete. cement and copper and the stating of the
no lott nnl
the 9th OF June last. and is now in progress
Throughout the interior of the building all the
walls and openings brick-arched floors and
stairway wells are complete and ready for the
cast iron finish for doors and windows
and also for the granite stairways and
heating apparatus to be put in place.
contracts for the prepared material for all of the
three classes of work have been made and the
materials are to be delivered after July l. 1881,
when the new appropriation becomes available.
THE CONTRACTS
1.-THE contracts entered into and in force during
the year. as shown by tabuated statement i'm
the report, were: For cement. j. g. & j. NJ
Waters, 50 cents per barrel; sand. John B. Lord,
20 cents per cubic yard; cut granite for third
story front, Albert Ordway. S13O, eco: do. to
complete court yard wall Bodwell Granite Co.,
$4,000 bricks, Washington Brick Machine Co..
81. 43 per NJ; cut granite. to complete fourth and
attic stories; Albert Ordway, SO. COO; cast-iron
W.
7.34; plate iron girders, same contractors,
S3.95-10O cts. per h.: small iron castings. Geo
White d Co.. S712; cement, Second contract. }
J. G. u j. NJ. Waters IS cents per barrel; sand,
| rolled iron beams. J. F. Bailey & Co.. 2.65-1OO
cents per h.; ironwork of root, &c, J. B..
Il J. NJ. Cornell. S71.3SO; cut granite
for starways, Concord Granite Company,
$15 1884, boilers, tanks. &c. for heating appara-
tus (S7. 1881; cast iron fiange pipe &c. (s12 49,
va Ee 70 off
Hayward Il Co.: cast iron door and window
finish and washboards Joseph q Co. S47. I'll for
doors and windows. &c. S0c 81 and 81 80 per
foot of WashbOards; iron Turing, lathing and
partitions, Dwight Il HOyt, 81 ,56745 (estimat-
ed); wrought iron pipe National Tube works.
S2,OS3; sheet copper and iron, c. G. Hussey d
Co., 80, S. 71-1C0 49, and 81 cents for cop
per rivets and burrs, and cents per pound for
iron; lumber for floors, e. E. jackson Co..
s45 and S35 per M.
PROBABLE OPERATIONS THIS YEAR.
During the months of July August and Sep
tember 1881, it is expected to introduce and
complete the heating and steam apparatus, and
to entirely finish the roof of the building. The
placing of the cast-irOn frames castings and fin
ish for the windows and doors and the cast-iron
WashbOardS will be commenced in July and COM
| pleted in January, 1852. The two granite stair
ways will be built during the autumn of 1881,
and at the same time all the fre-prOof lathing
HSIt HUI anu SdS-ppiHS VIII Uc put
| in place. 1t is expected that the plastering
| and stucco work, requiring several months
time in execution, will be commenced on
December 1, 1881, and that the plumb
ing work will be done during the
early part of the winter. During the spring
and summer of 1882 it is expectedtfnt the floors
and thing and much of the painting will be fin
ished, so that by the fall of 1882 but compare
| lively small amount ofwork pertaining partially
to the painting, decoration gas fixtures elevator,
| mantels. doors, cleaning out and cleaning down
the exterior walls of the building entirely ready
| for occupancy. At that time, however. it is
| believed that the approaches if commenced at
all, cannot be more than partially finished.
owing to want of funds at the present time with
which to make the necessary preparations and
the imprObability that another appropriation
will be made before the middle of the summer
of 1882.
STATEMENT OF FUNDS.
Total amount expended to date on north
wing. 81 1868, 7S6 40
Balance on hand, including newap-
preparation of $4,000, available
this date July 1st). .......-.... SD, 1874 IL
New appropriation desired to COM
pete the north wing and ap-
breaches. Northumberland. 100000 90
WEST AND CENTER WINGS.