Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-07
THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
Col. Wilson's Report of the Operations of
His Office.
Repairs and Improvements Made at the
White Observation-Disclosures the
Safety Of Buildings.

White Observation-Disclosures the
Safety Of Buildings.
The report Of Col. John M. Wilson. COM
missioner of public buildings and grounds.
Of the operations of his office during the
month of July has been received by the
chief of engineers. The report gives some
interesting details of the work of renova-
ton at the Executive Mansion and also of
examinations made of various public .,uild-
ings.
The Executive Mansion.
In regard to the Executive Mansion. the
report says: Operations have been in
progress during the month, painting. re-
pairing and renovating the building The
tin roof was repaired and repainted where
necessary. and the board walks and steps
leading to the Flagstaff repaired and paint
ed: the iron tanks on the roof and just I'M
der the roof were thoroughly cleaned out
the former was painted inside and a wire
screen placed over the latter. The elevator
was overhauied put in complete order and
basement was cleaned out and repainted
inside and out The wood work in the va
r , ONCE rooms, corridors. reception
rooms, pariors, dining room and buffers
pantry mas been reprinted and revar-
nlshed where necessary; a new sink, lined
with copper. has been built in the butler s
pantry Inc heating apparatus through
out the, mansion has been overhauled re-
paired and put in good order. The renova-
tlon OF the red parlor Is in progress: the
stained pine wood has been torn out and
VIII De replaced with mahogany, and the
celilng and walls redecoratei and furni-
ture upholstered. The filter has been over
hauied and improved. The north and south
portcoes and the north front from the
water table down to the area have been
repainted. The conservatory and the yari-
GUS greenhouses have been overhauled and
"a 1y,,St-
tenslVe repairs were made to the conserva-
tory and the work of repainting 1t inside
ana outside was commenced ct the close of
the month. The boilers, pipes and fucs
were overhauled, cleaned and put in order
ana the chimneyS pointed. The valuable
correction OF plants received the usual at
tentlon and the propagation of tropical
plants was continued. Extensive repairs
We're found to be necessary to the stable
belonging to the mansion; the roof cutters
and downspouts haze been repaired and
repainted; the stalls repaired and new
floors are now being laid"
The Washington Monument.
The report notes that during the month
some acts of vandalism have occurred at
the Washington monument In the lodge
house some one deliberately broke off the
hinges from seat. During the month
1898 visitors assembled to the top of the
monument, Of which S1S4 went up in the
elevator and 1,s14 climbed the stairway
Since 1t was opened to visitors. October
3. 1883, 500, 500 persons have visited the top
of the monument.
The safety of Public Buildings.
Under date of June 80. 1893. the office was
charged with the preservation. care and
safety of the following buildings: Army
medical museum and library; fifth and
sixth stories Union building. G street be-
tween 9Th and eth; Ford's Theater build
ing; annex to Ford's Theater building,
No. 6l0 18th street northwest; Spieden build
ing. 1725 F street; medical department dis
pensary. 1914 G street; Office of Rebellion
Records. No. f44 G street; annex to Win
ders building, and the War Department
stables. The officer in charge. the report
says has made general inspections of all
these buildings during the month. and.
under his supervision the first floor Of the
rear portion of the Spieden building, which
was believed to be in a dangerous condi-
ton. has been strengthened. Under the su:
pervision of the officer in charge critical
examinations will be made of every build
ing. and drawings prepared showing every
floor and the, strength Of the different
This work has been commenced at the
Army Medical Museum and Library, plans
and specifications of which were on file in
this Office.
The building has been critically inspected
and wherever the construction was open to
ings have been verified; the strength OF
the different floors has been computed and
that of the main girders and columns I'M
der safe loads verified the pressures on the
foundations for maximum safe loads have
been approximately computed and the de-
sign of the whole structure checked with
the exception of the roof trusSes. At the
annex to the medical museum the strength
of the floors has been computed and the
strength of the roof trusses and pressures
on foundations approximately tested.
critical inspection has been made OF
the Spieden building 1725 F street. and
necessary data obtained for computing the
Sketch plans of the floors OF nearly all
the buildings have been made with approx
innate estimates of the weights they are
now called upon to sustain.
Public Grounds.
The grounds attached to the Executive
Mansion have been maintained in good
order. flower beds have been watered and
weeded, lawns mown. trees and shrubs
trimmed, gravel roads and walks repaired
and rolled and asphalt roads. cutters and
sewer traps maintained in good order
During a heavy wind storm a large tree
growing upon one of the mounds was blown
down, necessitating it's removal.
In the grounds outside the fences of the
EXECUTIVE Mansion the lawns were mown
deay wood removed from trees. cutters and
drain traps maintained in order and trees
shrubs and flower beds regularly watered
The road surfaces between the Executive
Mansion grounds and State. War and Navy
building and those around the main ellipse
We're repaired and rolled. About $50 cubic
feet of gravel, hauled from the storage
grounds at reservation No. Il, was used for
this purpose.
A new cobble stone gutter III feet long
by feet WIDE was constructed at the turn
or the main roadway leading to 15th~street
ana repairs We're made to the cobbh stone
cutters IN various parts Of the reserya ton
A trench was opened for the purpose
OF laying water pipe from the southwest
section or the reservation to the composi
grounds at the foot of 18th street
The report notes minor repairs made at
the monument grounds and also gives an
account Of the work In the public green
houses.
Smithsonian, Henry and Seaton Park,
In the Smithsonian park the asphalt roads
were extended by laying 277 SO souare
| yards of asphalt pavement on bituminous
base and 1O9 20 square yards of asphal,
walks.
About fifty cubic yards of gravel removes,
in order to lay asphalt pavement was used
in repairing gravel roads elsewhere in the
park.
The lawns were mown and watered. gut.
terS ana drain traps cleaned, roads and
paths repaired and swept. flower beds weed.
| ed and watered and the reservation gen.
orally maintained in good condition.
In Henry park the main roadway leading
from 9TH street to the bridge over railroad
was repaired, about 100 cubic Yards of
work of rough grading the mound west OF
the railroad depot was commenced and com.
pleted for distance of about 200 feet.
In Seaton park the roads were repaired
between Sd and 9Th streets. In Garfield
the roads f,,-,, g,