Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-02
NEW INVESTIGATION.
The Treasury Department to Send a
Man to the New POstOfice.
MIR. MALONE DENIES THE CHARGES.
An Allegation That He Paid Common
LabOrers 81 Per Day.
he is STILL WAITING FOR THE EXPERT

A telegram was received from Washing
ton last night to the effect that charges had
been preferred against Mr.. NJ. L. Malone,
the new Superintendent of Construction at
the new Government building in this city.
The gentleman was seen at his residence
late last evening, and denied the charges in
toto. They are embodied in the telegram,
as follows:
There is considerable discussion at the Su-
pervising Architects office, in the Treasury
Department, in regard to the manner in which
Superintendent Malone is starting out in his
new lease of life, as overseer of the Govern
ment building at Pittsburg Not only have the
reports which have been published in the
Pittsburg newspapers reached the Department
and caused comment but number of letters
from citizens, as well. 1t is probable that an
attaehe of the architects Office will be sent on
in few days to examine theswork which Mr..
Malone declares is defective. though an expert
investigated this matter previous to the
removal of Superintendent Patterson and
pronounced the workmanship excellent. The
coming examination will also include the stop
page of work on the building and the employ
ment of skilled workmen who get 81 day to
perform ordinary labor at unloading and de-
livering stone from the cars at the building,
which could be done by common laborers at
wages running from 81 to 81 SO day. The dis
charge of workmen, for the purpose of en-
ploying some of the superintendent's own
friends, is another thing which will be investi-
gated. 1t was stated at the supervising archi-
tect's Office to-day that upon inform alton being
received, of the dismissal of Ginity, the boss
rigger the department addressed a letter of
inquiry to Mr.. Malone, asking the reasons for
that step.
A LETTER EXPLAINING.
IA letter has been received from Malone,
stating that Ginity has been negligent; that he
permitted machinery and tools to lie about in
all sorts of weather to their great injury, and
SO forth. 1t is admitted that it is rather queer
that no complaint of the kind was ever heard
before, and that Gfnity should all at once be-
come negligent under a new superin-
tendent. Information has also been received
of the dismissal of the engineer, a very cOmpe-
tent man employed for a long time on the
building. Notwithstanding Mr.. MaIone's as
sertion that he has not stopped work on the
building it is learned at the department that
not stroke of work has been done since Mr..
Malone assumed the management
''Coming from the department to-day THE
DISPATCH correspondents met Contractor Nc
Gowan going in that direction, but upon what
inquiry was made in regard to the discharged
workmen Mr. MCGOWAN said:
"I do not desire to get into any newspaper
discussion, but in justice to Ginity. the rigger,
and to the engineer, I must say they were first
class workmen. Ginity has been with me for
seven years, and was employed by me on the
Government buildings at Baltimore, Buffalo,
and one or two other places. Flaherty, who
was appointed in his place, was workman
under lin. I don't know who has been ap-
pointed engineer. Possibly Mr.. Malone's Sc
Iections.
MAY BE COMPETENT MEN,
but L know that the discharged men were the
very best mechanics in their line, and thor
oughly acquainted with every detail of the
work on the Pittsburg building. When will it
be ready for the roof? That cannot predict
now. If there had been no interruption of the
work 1 am certain it would have been ready
very early in July. No, 1 do not think it was
necessary for Mr.. Malone to take the men from
the building to unload and deliver stone. If
he did that it was very extraordinary pro-
ceeding That could have been done by labor
ers while the men could have gone on setting
stone"
In regard to the telegram, Mr. Malone said:
"The reason discharged Ginity was that
found him a very careless and, apparently in
competent man. By his fooling with one of
the derricks he might have caused an accident
LlaL WOulQ nave resulted IN the loss OF life. A
few days after went there thought one of
the large derricks was not altogether safe. l
ordered Mr.. Ginity, who was the rigger to
make special examination and report to me
in writing. This he did. He found that the
derrick was cracked across the center, about Is
feet from the base.
''For not knowing that this would cause the
derrick to fall at any time and for jeoparClizinp
the lives of not only the workmen upon the
building as well as the people passing by on the
streets, thought he was an incompetent and
careless man and discharged him. To obviate
the necessity of raising the derrick up another
story to set sope granite, he simply raised
the boom. When heavy stone was being
lifted the whole weight was thrown upon the
base of the boom. The latter being Is feet
from the bottom of the mast, the center of the
latter had to bear all the weight and the mast
began to bend. This caused it to crack and be-
come very weak. 1t was bad piece of work
and for not reporting it to me thought it best
TO let him go. 1 am under bonds for the safety
of everything and am not going to trust things
to men who are so careless.
HE COULDN'T HELP THAT.
1.-THE reason the work of setting granite was
stopped was mainly on account of the corner
being IL inches out of level. In order to exon
crate me from any blame that might after
ward arise asked the department to send a
man to investigate the work While we were
waiting for the man and TO reduce the delay to
the work to a minimum concentrated all my
loaded and stored in the yard. The statement
that men at 81 per day were employed unload
ing this stone is false. The only man who got
S4 per day who was working while
the stone was being unloaded was the
derrick rigger While we were waiting
on the expert the men whom 1 could
use on the derrieks were employed cleaning up
the yard and taking an inventory OF what was
on hand. While the derricks were gathering up
the iron, ETC., we could not have done any work
if we wanted to. 1t so happened that l could
work at unloading the stone and taking stock
while we were waiting on the expert from the |
department Another man, who continued
working after the time the work of setting
stone was stopped; was Mr. Johnston. in |
structed him to give return of the number
and quantity of stone that was in the yard in |
order that the accounts of the Government |
could be put in proper shape. The men who |
unloaded the stone were paid 81 80 to 81 75 per |
day. All other help but those mentioned were |
with.
Il have not put my friends into the building,
1 really have only discharged two laboring men |
since have been appointed, notwithstanding |
the fact that appreciate the necessity of hav- |
ing men under me who are in sympathy with |
me and will work in accordance with my views. |
l want everybody on the building to be equally |
in the discharge of their duty"