Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-05
"MIGHTY BAD~ PACKING.
Witnesses To-Day Before the Military
Court Of Inquiry.


Court Of Inquiry.
THEY TELL How THE ARCH WAS KEYED IN
SOME PLACES WITHOUT cRxRNr-How pRY
STONE WAS THROWN ON TOP or TIE ARCH roa
PACKING, AND HOW IN SOME CASES THERE WAS
NOT EVEN DRY PACKING, ONLY A HOLE ovxR
THE BRICK TUNNEL LINING.
The corridor outside of the new Offices of the
Secretary of War held q number Of yawning
men this morning, waiting for the opening Of
the tunnel court Of inquiry, before which they
had been summoned as witnesses.
STORY OF HENRY LAYcocK, A BRrcKLAYER.
Proceedings were opened at 1880 o'clock by
the calling of Henry Laycock, who stated that
he was about thirty-nine years old, and had
worked as q bricklayer for twenty-three years,
having learned his trade in England. He be-
gan work in the tunnel in May, 1887, and con-
tinued until the work closed down, in Septem-
Der Of that year. He first worked in the Rock
Creek heading, east, for all the time except
during two weeks, when he was shifted over to
Howard University. He did no work in 1888.
His work was on the side walls and the arch.
The bricks used were good. but the mortar va
ried.
BRICKS AND STONES THROWN IN WITHOUT MORTAR.
The workmanship in the brick work, he said,
also varied; some of it in the keying, under
Dorsey, was bad, the bricks being thrown in
dry in the upper rings. Witness was some
times taken of the work because he did not
push fast enough. The packing on the side
walls was thrown in dry, without regard to
regularity and without any effort at laying. He
had never seen any mortar used. Over the
arch there was some dry packing, and some
times there was no packing at all. Witness
no oovv v,,nV fop ~ oil In <ho oh
ing. The stones, Of all sizes, were thrown in
and stopped wherever they could. ''Tbe pack
ing over the key, If any was put in at all, was
all put in dry" remarked the witness. Some
times they would pack over one bay and some
times two. During the daytime the packing
was generally. done over one bay at time.
Witness worked about half Of the time at
night.
SPACES OVER THE ARCH WITHOUT PACKING AT ALL.
At night the packing was usually done over
more than one bay. The spaces left without
any packing varied from to feet high, and
often IA feet long. On the sides, at night, q
greater part Of each center was left without
packing. One center was finished in the day
and one in the night. Sometimes but one GEN.
ter was completed altogether. The day in
spector was named Boyce, but witness forgot
| the name of the night inspector. The inspec-
tors did but little save standing around. Boyce
has several times seen the spaces left. but al
were always left when the inspector was away.
Witness never heard anyone giving orders to
leave the spaces, but he heard Dorsey tell the
men to let 1t 60. meaning to go ahead with the
brick work without waiting for the packing.
Subcontractor Emory often saw the spaces
tunnel about once day, and usually
stood looking at the workman. but
witness never heard him give any
orders. During the two weeks witness spent at
arch both in the day and night time, about
equally divided. The packing was done similar
to that done at Rock Creek. He did not know
who the inspector was. Sub-Contractor Emory
was around the work frequently, and at night
used to tell the men not to bother about put
ting cement in the packing. In the day time
the stones were packed more solidly.
KEYINa AN ARCH WITHOUT MORTAR.
Upon questioning by Col. Hodges witness
said that he had seen the keying in the arch in
the two upper courses laid without mortar
along the entire length Of center.
Inreplying to Col. Craighill Laycock said that
he applied for work himself to Sub-Contractor
Emory. He received s5 per day, the ordinary
wages. The witness was asked by Dorsey to
lay the keying without mortar, but would not
do it. He did not consider the dry packing, as
used Witness had never seen ''grout''
used (grout is very thin mortar, poured
in). The packers were common labor
ing men: Upon cross examination by
Lieutenant Townsend witness said that
the side walls were built up so high before the
packing was put in (about 81 feet) that the
ing.
MICHAEL DORSEY ON THE STAND.
After long series of questions by Lieut..
Townsend, developing nothing Of importance
the witness was discharged and Michael Dor
sey, a brick-layer, was called. He said he
started work in the middle Of June and
worked until August, 1885; then he worked
about two months during the fall and win.
ter Of 1887, he thought. In 1885 he was in
the Champlain avenue west heading, doing
brick-wOrk on the invert, side walls, and the
arch. Sub-Contractor Emory was foreman
of the gang and laid brick. The bricks
were good and the mortar varied in quality,
but when 1T was poor complaints were
made and the mortar would be
improved. The workmanship was good. The
Sometimes witness observed the packing. At
the time referred to the side packing was dry
| stones, thrown in loosely, and over the arch
the same way. In the Rock Creek east shaft
| the brick work was good. Some Of
THE PACKING WAS 'sMaHTY BAD"
with holes 10 feet square left. The inspectors
name was Woodward, who left about three days
after witness came to work. Some Of the stones
were laid in cement and others were not. In
some places about 2 feet Of stones would be
laid and then a couple Of buckets Of mortar
would be dashed around. The packers were
laborers. Whenever there was chance the
| packing over the keying was left to the end OF
| the center, and then the end would be blocked
up to the roof, giving it q solid appearance.
The cOntractOrs-Brennan and Emory-would
hurry up the work as though they had not
| time to do it properly. Their orders were
given by man called Barney, who is now in
Boston.
Capt Chester found out that the witness did
| not know exactly when he left the work, that
| he left because he did not like the work and
| wanted to get better work outside for the same
pay, and that he never saw any keying done
without mortar.
| ANOTHER PACKER TELLS HOW HE PACKED WITH
OUT CEMENT.
Dennis Wren was the next witness sworn. He
said that he is laborer, and has been en-
ployed on the aquduct tunnel, beginning work
on the Howard University heading about three
years ago, and worked there all the times when
| there was work there up to this year. After
ward he worked ON both of the Champlain ave-
nue. headings, and on Rock Creek west. He
was packer. The packing was dry, without
cement. More was laid than was thrown in.
The work on the side walls was pretty solid.
Over the arch the packing was with dry stones.
Col. Craighill here tried to find out II the
packers ever got in behind the side walls to set