Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-26
THE NEW BUILDING
For the City Post Office Not Being
Pushed.
ONLY SIX BRJCKLAYERS At WORK.
The Iron Framework, However,
is Being Erected.
ONE SECTION NEARLY DONE.

The wonderful weather of the fall and
winter so far has served at least one good
purpose by permitting the work on the new
city post office to be pushed. Up to q GER
tain point the pushing has not been Of a
very active variety, but Of late, with the
eyes of Congress liable to be turned at any
moment on the site. more enterprise has
been shown. Already the red top of the
frame at the northeast corner has reared
itself above the drab board fence, and there
are signs of real activity to be discerned.
Now and then a hammers blows are to be
heard. and the puffs and snort Of the little
donkey hoisting engine are waited over the
fence to mingle with the hum of the cable
in the middle of the street.
The absence Of snow and rain has caused
the ground inside the enclosure to be COM
paratively dry. and though the narrow wa
gon ways on the sides Of the great pit are
furrowed with enormous ruts into which the
wheels Of the heavy carts sink to the hubs,
there have as yet been no accidents or seri-
GUS break downs. Were the pace a bit
faster 1t is possible that there might be
more trouble.
Six Bricklayers at Work.
Today there are six bricklayers at work
on the north wall of the foundation, just
west of the central tower. They are piling
up the bricks at as rapid a rate the
progress of the rest of the structure de-
mands, and perhaps more than six men
would be in the way. OF course, there is
enough warrant as far as the weather is
concerned for the employment of half a
hundred men with trowels and mortar
boards. and 1t might be that great progress
could be made with the brickwork before
h0 into cats IN, unit a
SHOWS.
1t is said. however, by the contractors
and others connected with the building that
1t would not be profitable to place any more
bricks now, as the work must all be covered
by boards to keep out the frost. The exact
logic of this explanation is not visible es-
pecially in view of the several thousand
bricks that have already been laid. far in
advance of the iron structure.
Enough iron has been delivered to run
the skeleton frame up to the second story
on at least two sides. So far one section
has been erected, the northeast corner.
1t Is the plan to put these frames in DO
sition two stories high all around the lot
and then to fill in the spaces with the
brick and stone work before any more iron
is hoisted. This will insure greater solid
ity and more ease in working on the later
sections Of iron.
The Iron Frame n Novelty.
This iron frame is novelty in Washing
tOu, tuOuSH II mas Deen adopted IN Otner
large cities on all the great buildings erect
ed in recent years. In New York and Chi
cago the buildings of any size are verb
table iron cages. that stand alone, with
the spaces between the frames filled in
with brick or stone. to keep out the
weather. They are on the principle OF the
old-fashioned frame houses. which were
raised in timbers. and then sheathed with
claDbOardS In this the Oufer hoa rd-
ing is of harder stuff.
The main uprights of the frame stand
about fifteen feet apart, and rest on the
foundation piers on square pliniths, or
rather truncated pyramids. Heavy ribs
serve to make these bases solid and firm,
and afford the most ample standing for the
posts, that are about thirty-five feet high
and foot square. They are made of plates,
securely riveted together, giving great
strength and less weight than solid beams.
ties, cross stringers and Joists. and all
have their places and their relations. Each
piece is numbered and labeled, that II
can be taken out of the general mass that
lies strewn over the lot. There is a shrewd
little man at work, who knows just where
every piece of iron goes. and he directs
the force of dozen iron handlers who
trudge here and there over the excavation
with beams and ties In their arms.
The hosting engine was kept at work for
an hour this morning aiding these men,
who were manipulating sort or Datterlng
ram that had been improvised out of
stick Of timber. for the purpose of butting
into place an upright iron that had been
set just an inch or two out of line. Then
when this frame had been banged into posi-
ton the ram was turned upon another
column, which was tied to the first one and
which had, of course. suffered from the
pounding that had just been given. BY
noon the mistake had been rectifed and
four of the small tie beams had been hoist
ed into place.
May BE Finished This Week.
It looked today as though the starting
frame at the corner might be finished this
week and that the commencement Of the
new year might see the beginning Of
rev section. 1t Is the plan to put up the
18th street side first. The hosting engine
works the blocks that hang from the arms
of a great travelling derrick that runs on a
rather broad guage track. 1t has already
been shifted twice since 1T has been erected
In addition to this derrick there will be
eight or ten gins, or three-legged cranes
put up when the stone work begins. These
have been made and are lying in the middle
OF the lot. their blue coats making a pleas
ing contrast with the muddy red Of the
iron.
Amateurs Perform.