Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-19

THE FRERET INVESTIGATION.
h Civil Service Failure In the Super.
vising Architect's once?
rEsrmoxY or CIVIL sEavrcR coxnussroxxn IT.
NAx-Hm OPINION AND TnAr or ru ASSISTANT
sEcRErARY OF TIE rRxAsunx-1xx DO xor
AGREE N THEn ooScLusloxs.
Civil Service Commissioner Lyman nat ON
one side of the desk and Senators Morrill, and
Stanford on the other side in the Senate COM
mittee-room on public buildings and grounds
this morning when the Freret investigation
was resumed. The committee il investigating
the conduct Of the business Of the supervising
architect Of the Treasury. Mr.. Lyman does
not claim to know anything about architecture
or about the business Of the architects Office
There was squad Of young architects out in
the ante-room who could supply the committee
with that. During the investigation remarks
have been made to the effect that civil service
was failure 80 far a. it had been applied to
the skilled employees Of the architects Office.
This was the sentiment 10 which Mr.. Lyman
appeared to speak.
PLANTATION OF DRAuoHrsxxN.
Mr.. Lyman gave an account of the expert
ence Of the commissioners last fall In arrang-
ing for and conducting examinations TO fll
places as draughtsmen in the architects Offices
ats compensation Of e6 per day. The super
vising architects representatives, Mr.. Lyman
said, stated that il would be impossible TO test
the qualifications Of draughtsmen by any writ
ten examination, though they could determine
in the architects Office in q couple Of hours q
mans fitness by simply having him make q
few fourishes with crayon on blackboard
When the commission was ready il called upon
competent to assist the commission in prepar-
ing the tests. Mr.. Miller, the chief draughts-
man, and Mr.. Roberts, an iron constructor,
were detailed for the service. They drew up
set OF questions which seemed to the COM
mission excessively severe. Mr.. Lyman read
THE EXAMINATION PAPERS
prepared by these experts. It begun with Q
question requiring q man to plan Q public
building to cost s10O, 600, for the accommo-
dalton Of post-ofice, an internal revenue
Office and Q land Office. The other questions
to calculate strains and weights of inches or
trusses, plan the heating arrangements of large
buildings in order to maintain a given tenn
perature, &c.
Senator Morrill, remarked that to answer
these questions would require a great deal Of
time.
Mr.. Lyman said it would require from four
to six weeks. He said the experts were asked
to reduce the requirements, but were unwill-
ing to do so. It became manifest to the COM
mission, he said, that these gentlemen could
not be made available as assistants. Conse-
quently the commission was compelled to post
pone the examination for a time. Finally,
with the aid Of other draughtsmen, a new set
of questions of a simpler character were
framed These were submitted to the experts
of the architects Office, who suggested some
notifications, which were adopted. As the re-
salt of these examinations four names had
been certified for appointment. From the first
three submitted, the applicant standing lowest
on the list was selected for appointments
OPINION OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY Oh THE
TREASURY.
Mr. LYMAN remarked that the Assistant Sec
Rotary of the Treasury was reported to have
said that civil service examinations. as applied
to draughtsmen Of the architects Office, we're a
failure. At the time he said this, the candi-
dates selected and appointed had only been at
work two or three days. He did not think the
assistant secretary was justified in making that
statement. On the contrary, the witness as
serted that the examinations we're not a fall
ure. These were not the first examinations for
draughtsmen held by the commission, or the
first test of the applicability Of examinations
to service of that character. Mr.. Lyman added
-
ment and the experience OF two or three days.
that the examinations were failure, was a very
broad statement on very narrow foundation.
TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS FOR THE USE OF HIS
NAME.
w. J. Palmer testified that he had contracted
with Col. Freret, supervising architect, to fur
nish plans and specifications for a public
building at vicksburg. Witness did not know
the cost of the building, but had agreed to do
the work for $780, OF this sum witness says he
is to receive S25 for the use OF his name. the
work being done by employees Of the architects
Office, who, he understood, could not contract
for the work themselves. He was told by a
friend in the Office that there was $500 to pay
for these plans, and the contract was made in
his name. His friends name was Etzrodt Be-
fore making the contract he talked with
Won inertia, chief draughtsman of the Office.
Witness was in the government employ two
years AGO. The contract was made two weeks
ago. Witness has not received his S25.
ONE THOUSAND AND FIFTY DOLLARS TO BE
DIVIDED.
G. E. Barry testified that he was to make
plans and specifications for the Bridgeport.
Conn, building, estimated to cost s125, 200, for
the sum of s1,050. No sketch plan was shown
him before making the contract. but his friend
in the architects Office, Otto Simonson, sug-
gested that he could do the work for about
three-fourths Of per cent on the cost of the
building, and the contract sum was about equal
to that. Witness made the contract with Col.
Freret by letter, Simonson doing the verbal
part Of the negotiations. Simonson, witness,
and one other draughtsman in the architects
Office were 10 do the work and divide the
S1,O50 equally. Their sketch plan has been
approved, but no money has been paid.
ANOTHER DIVIDE.
Geo. B. Phelps testified that he was at work
under contract with Col. Freret, on plans for
the Lowell custom house, estimated to cost
$500 900, which he is to furnish for 81 500. No
sketch plan was furnished him in advance, but
he stated. that being familiar with the require
ments of that class Of buildings, he believed
he could afford to do the work for that sum-
Mr.. Won inertia, chief draughtsman Of the archi-
tects Office, had suggested his making
bid for the work, and after his
bid had been accepted he arranged with
Won inertia to divide with him the residue of the
81, 500 after paying the expenses of getting up
the plans Won inertia and Mosier, employed in
the supervising architects Office, were working
out Of hours on the plans, and witness, with
employees Of his own Office, were also engaged
on them. He thought he and Won inertia would
have $500 or $500 to divide for their share of
the compensation. The work is practically
done and has been approved, but witness said
nothing had been paid on it.
MAKING eos EASY
u. Bogue was the last witness Of the day.
NJ hat Ne w nf he