Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-03
THE BOY WAS ASLEEP
However, Thirty-Two Men Working
on City Post Office.
A SCENE OF ACTIVE BUSTLE
Not One, but Several Painters
Worked All Day.
MIR. SAYRES' EXPIANA NATTON
MIR. SAYRES' EXPLANATION

| boards when The Star reporter visited the
| site this morning, and SO the daily census
| cannot be said to be wholly accurate The
| boy was not at work. He was rather a
potentiality than a factor. But he was on
| tap. so to speak, and so, with it's customary
generosity. The Star will count him in to-
day as contributing to the happiness and
veal OF Washington by adding his mite to
the work of finishing the structure. With
| this preliminary explanation, the fact may
| be stated that there were at 10 o'clock this
| morning thirty-three men laboring on the
building. This is an apparent increase of
| TWO over yesterday, but the gain is not GER
tain. In the Afternoon of yesterday The
Star became aware of the fact that there
were three painters making the atmos-
| phere and the landscape hideous, instead
of two. as was stated. The third artist had
| hidden himself behind one of the beams
that ne was making gorgeous. and so
| tiles. there were likely the same thirty-
three men at work yesterday as today. for
| 1t Is not a stretch of the ina agina ton to be-
| heVe tnat the other man. too. was some
where on the premises. 1t is not difficult
thing Tor the workingmen to get lost to the
| eye on this building. There is such a vast
amount OF space and so few men that they
could all easily play hide and seek with the
census taker If they should so prefer.
Maybe that was what the water boy was
doing this morning. but, il SO, the effort
was too much for his endurance. for when
pletely over to the historic Morpheus and
was fast asleep In his arms
1t would not be a bad idea for the Treas
ury department to establish census bu-
reau In connection with the construction Of
the building. 1t might save considerable
worry on the part of the citizens. A good
plan would be to erect at the northeast
gate. where the local unemployed gather
scores a hrrl1 hao o,.I
nouncing there officially the exact state Of
things inside.
The men today were thus divided up on
the work: Nine were fitting the beams into
place on the southeast corner, having aban-
doned the northeast corner though that
was far from being completed; nine others
were handling the material on the ground
floor; three were getting 1t loaded on the
tram car at the south front; three were
Singing red paint broadcast; three were
stationed at the koisting engines, though
, pu, Two or these were In use; three were
still digging In the trench at the northeast
corner; two were measuring boards on the
east side and wondering how they might
repair the great walk that surrounds the
puliding, and one, as has been said, was
dreaming OF possums and sweet potato
pies.
The iron material Is now coming fast
faster indeed, than 1t can be erected and
the perforated ground floor Is being covered
with the beams and girders and ties that
are scattered over 1t In sections, according
| to the numbers painted on their Sides The
frame at the northeast corner. where the
masonry work Is to be next begun has vet
many touches to be put upon 1t; but as the
| number of men is small-and, Of course
there are no more men to be had-the work
has been shifted down to the other corner,
leaving an unfinished trail all along the east
| side. There Is possibly some technical rea-
| son to be obtained for this, but it was not
| forthcoming this morning. There Is ma
| terial enough on the floor to occupy all four
| hOtSttnR engines
are today several tons Of iron at the north
east corner waiting to be hoisted and set
| in place.
Carnegie Iron.
There is a curious feature about this IRON
work that is interesting. The beams that
| go into the building are all stamped with
| the name Carnegie in bold letters. The
| Carnegie firm bid for the first contract for
| supplying the iron structure for the base
ment and the first story, but they were too
high, and Pearce got the job. Carnegie iron
went into the building, Just the same, and
doubtless both Carnegie and Pearce made
| profits on the work. Then came the second
contract for the next four stories. which is
| Eow under execution. Carnegie was once
| again a bidder, but again too high and the
| Indianapolis firm got the work. But the de-
| livery of Carnegie iron has not ceased.
The materials that are going into these
stories still bear the magic letters. and 1t is
| to be presumed that the Carnegie people
are not in the habit of losing money on
| their operations. The single beams and
| glrders are shipped direct from the Home
| stead works to this city, but the composite
pillars or posts. that are made Of several
pieces Of steel bolted together are put to-
| gether in Indianapolis. Thus this material
has to be shipped to indianapolis from
Pittsburg, there put together. and then
freighted here. 1t is no wonder that there
has been a delay. Any local firm could
| have done as much. and doubtless have
done it cheaper, owing to the reduced
frQfQhfS llnOneStiOna
The cast-iron pillars that form the edge of
the interior walls are being furnished by
Schneider of this city.
Delay in Stones.
Meanwhile, there is delay in the de-
livery Of certain parts Of the stonework
that does not in any way depend upon the
construction Of the iron frames. There are
two great gaps in the main entrance that
are to be filled later, when the stones come.
The ''spandrils' or heads Of the arches of
the great door on the north side have not
yet left the quarry. There is no reason
why the tower cannot be built ahead Of the
rest of the structure, as it is wholly inde-
pendent as to foundation and weights. but
this view has not impressed itself yet
upon the contractors. The quarry work has
not yet been quite up to date. For long
time the contractors there undertook to
carry on other work in addition to this job,
but this was not practicable, and of late
the plan has been tried of doing nothing
but this job. 1t is announced here that
there are go men at work in the Fox Island
quarries on the city post office stone. The
materials all shipped to this city by
vessels, which take about three weeks each
on the trip here. There seems to have been
little system in the matter of shipping, for
several times has 1t happened that two or
three vessels have arrived here at the same
time, making the work of unloading and
hauling very difficult. During June there
were three schooners at the wharves at one
time. Today there are five on their way,
liable to arrive within a few days of each
other. The trouble with this plan is that
the delivery of such a great quantity of
stone at once chokes up the yards at the
wharf and the narrow space around the
building, that quick work is made almost
inpracticable for weeks after the arrival
of the vessels.
MIR. SRyres' Explanation.
Chairman Sayres of the House commit
tee on appropriations, speaking Of the slow
manner in which work was progressing
upon the new post Office building in Wash
ington, before he went away from Wash
fngton, said that the House would willingly
appropriate all the money that was neces-
sary to carry on the work. The committee
en- appropriations was anxious to have the