Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-15
FORTY-FOUR AT WORK.
vicissitudes OF the Force at the City
Post Office.

This is the beginning of the 140th week
since the work on the city post Office build
ing was begun. One hundred and forty
weeks ago a small but devoted band of men
went to work on the foundation, and now a
smaller, but probably quite as devoted, band
Is labOring to lift the struggling head of the
structure over the top of the fence. There
are forty-four of these brave chaps today,
and II they could be kept all together and
paid regularly, and encouraged now and
then by few kind words, and had no bad
luck on account of the weather, they might
be able to finish the post office building on
the I'd of December, 1888. But that should
not be taken as an Official promise that the
building will be done in that period, because
there are many elements in the field that
might delay all the work seriously. For in
stance, take that matter of pay. 1t came in
this morning in most abrupt way, and
hindered the work on the trench at the
northwest corner, which has not yet been
completed. 1t rained most all day Satur-
day, 1t Will be remembered, yet there were
more than dozen men at work on this
everlasting job. They labored hard and
long, and were completely exhausted when
the hour of o'clock came. The men asked
for their money and We're told that they
must wait. They grumbled a bit at this
but grumbiing did not produce the funds,
and they went away.
still Waiting.
rms morning they reported for duty, but
there was again lapse in the money mar
ket and they refused, almost without ex-
ceptlon, to so into the trench. So the con-
tractor hustled out and found three or four
white men to take their places, and these
men were set to work shoveling the dirt
into the trench this forenoon. This is the
third week that this small ditch has taken
and now 1t is in the way of the stone that
Is being gradually transferred from the
wharf to the site.
The awning that was stretched over the
three gallant carpenters who We're at work
on saturday fixing up gin" to lift the
neaVy stones to the tops of the portico nil
lars was removed this morning and the
GIN appeared in all it's beauty. 1t was
hoisted to the top OF the walls during the
morning and now adorns the battlements.
The large blue derrick that is to give tba
second story lift, however is sill ONT of
pace ana no hand seems to have touched
II 10 put II OH its new bed at the ton of
the thlrd story frame on the corner There
can be no masonry done until this ap-
paratus is set. Meantime the work on the
iron structure is progressing fast enourh
Tor ali the purposes OF the building and
the delay now comes on the conlractor
Tor the superstructure, who is not really
ready 10 begin his task once more notwlth-
standing the great margin given MIN by the
delay ON the iron WORK. This Is a rnost
interesting feature of this construction:
NO" you ind the cause Of the delay and
~" SON u''i l. II IS sort OF drcuI(ecturaI
siel game. That adds interest to the zen
eIal problem.
The Water boy.
Several citizens with phianthropic ten
dencies have, 1t is rumored, determined
to make an effort to secure the re-emplov
ment OF the water boy, who seems to have
been sacrificed to the spirit of economy that
prevails at the SIZE. This promising young
man has iabored so long at the post office
.he lline mas now come TO cease aiiuding
TO 1t as the new" post oftice-that ne ba
passed through several Of the ages IN which
Days are supposed TO be GvailaDle and iust
what ne Is, speaking commercially is a
~ SeiuhuruM lhis hanuicaps MIN sumewhat
in his efforts TO obtain emplovmenI anS
half. " so" "S