Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-09
NOBLE LITTLE WILLIE
He Aids the Arrival Of City Post Office
Stone,
Preparing an April Fool for the Gov.
ernment at the Eternity Job
Booked for 1SOS,

Little Willie Water Boy-for the lack of n
better name-may be dusky, and he may be
sleepy. He may not travel In the highest
social circles. and he may not have creases
In MS trousers. Irdeed, he may not have
any trousers at all. But he hassa habit of
gettinS there He sat on the wharf when
all hope had gone from other breasts, and
ne Drought that missing schooner to port
with her cargo of stone for the new CITY
post office. in a highly artistic mar ner
There is talent sometimes where 1t is leas,
to be expected.
The long awaited schooner Three Sisters
reached her wharf last night but she vas
beaten In by another vessel! that left Fox
Island after she did. So there are now two
snipioads OF stone in town, and Il will be-
gin to reach the site in day or two.
But the citizens must not expect from
TINS announcement that the work of hiding
the ugly iron frame of the building win he
begun at once. 1t may be a week before
the masons appear on the battiements with
their trowels and their habits Of procras-
tination. The derrick on the northea st
corner. which is first to be tackled must
De i1fted to the top of the framework so as
to be In position to hoist the stones clear of
the walls. and that will take fully three
days. Then there will have 20 be a great
hunt for men, who are of course veyv
scarce In this town. and SO the labor of
setting the walls may be delayed for so,he
days.
This morning there were forty seven men
and gentleman on the site. The forty
seven men were clad in their usual gar
ments OF toll. while the gentleman stood
upon the top of the walls and ooke5 fore
ible English at the men, and scowled. He
represented the brains Of the enterprise.
and he thrust his hands In his pockets SO
far that he cannot be counted in the census.
Inese Iorty-seven men working daily dur
Ing each working day of the year-without
counting out the rainy days and the holt
days-would finish the structure on the 1st
Of April. 1898, making a good Joke on the
government, which would unQuestion ably
be surprised to find it's work done SO quick
ly. This total Is in danger, however of a
speedy fall. for the fiat has gone out that
the yard must be cleared for the stone that
came last night, which Is to be piled around
the walls. and the men in the tren IN, which
has now stretched across The central face
OF tne pullding, are soon to be called of.
rms item has been a boon to the computa-
ton, for the sixteen or sew en- teen who have
delved there daily have swelled the totals
splendidly. Then. too. this magnificent
weather cannot always last, and a spell of
ram Ut or1zz1e may come at any time
Another Example.
Yesterday mention was made of the fact
that the power house Of the WASHINGTON
and Georgetown railroad. which is almost
as large as the new post Office and built
upon the same kind of foundation, took
Just two years to complete. That fact can
undoubtedly be supplemented by other in
stances OF quick and effective construction
In this city, but especially in others, where
large buildings are I OF exceptional There
Is an instance of prompt work here how
ever, that shows that stone and iron con-
struction may not necessarily be slow This
is the Loan and Trust Company building
at the corner of 9th and F streets, ten
stories In height. The ground space Is, of
course, much less than in the case of the
post office, and there are not nearly so
many cubic feet in the pile. Yet there is
some measure OF comparison there. That
building was finished to the last detail
within fourteen months from the day on
which the contract was let, The contractor
Mr.. William c. Morrison. the well-known
builder OF this city. undertook to have the
structure finished in that period, and he
did better than he promised. The secret of
success there was the application of bus-
ness principles to the work, and the enter
prise shown by the chairman of the build
ing committee. Mr.. John JOY Ddson, who
went to the stone Quarries at Blue Hill
Me-, ard to the iron foundries to urge the
delivery OF materials long before they We're
really needed. ~,
Il would undertake to finish the post Of
fce.' said Mr. Morrison to a Star reporter
theother day, within three years from the
completion of the foundation. Give me that
foundation that is there now and / would
turn over the building complete to the
government In less than thirty-six months,
interior finish and all. That would mean
about four years of work in all everything
counted. The trouble at the work is not
with the builders or the contractors, but
with the architects office. The plans are
slow In being prepared, and the contracts
are not let until just before they are to be
executed. There is no need for letting out
that job in such little bits. 1t could all be
done together, and do not see the reason
why the iron work has been cut up into
three pieces. There is where the delay
comes'
Not Finished Until October 10, 1918.
To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
Am greatly relieved to hear Of the safety
of the water boy Of the post office. The de-
lay would have been most disastrous had
he failed to furnish liquid refreshment to
the noble 4S toiers on the structure.
The arithmetician of The Star is seriously
at fault: At the present rate of progress,
as I am advised by my lightning calcula-
tor" the post office will not be finished un-
til October -, 1918, at A o'clock pm.
Your artistic and accurate engraving of
the post office hangs in a prominent place
in my house: the pensive water boy in the
foreground is the special admiration of all
Wis