Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-04
Thirty-Eight Men Working on the
Post Office Building.
DELAY IN DELIVERING THE IRON
Dilatory Methods Pursued in the
Architects Office.
A DEPARTMENT EXPERT


ercisng their muscles and advancing very
materially the possible date OH which the
building will be finished. At this rate the
post office would be ready for occupancy
about the 18th of January, 1900. This is the
most promising view of the case that is to
be had for a long time. and there are rumors
that certain prominent citizens are making
tentative preparations for a grand jubilee
to celebrate the victory over Father Time.
But this has not been acct mplished with
out serious result. The burst of energy
struck the post office site during the after
noon Of yesterday. All of the men felt its
influence, and rushed ahead in their eager
ness to finish the building before dark.
John Quill, a painter, fell from the top of one
of the columns that he was adjoining with his
beautiful red paint and struck On the OPEN
work floor of the first story below. He
then rebounded into The cellar, where he
was picked up a little later by his comrades.
His nose and his leg were broken, and he
was removed to the Emergency Hospital.
The India Rubber Boy.
Quill was not so fortunate as the water
boy, who woke up yesterday afternoon to
find himself famous. The enterprising
youth, whose family crest bears a bucket
couchant crossed by rubber hose ram
pant has earned the soubriquet of the
India rubber boy from a performance of
his last spring. He was doing tght-wire
act on one of the Orders, when he became
giddy and fell into the cellar, rebounding
completely over an iron beam, by the side
of which he struck. He refused persistent
ly to be sent TO the hospital. and in an
hour was bcseechng the foreman to allow
him to go back to work. For this example
of diligence and fidelity he has been retain
ed on the structure. although he is several
seasons past the water-boy age and has
growth a &c nj nkr r,,ns acha
1t is not always that the government finds
such trusty servants as this young man
who recovered SO quickly from his accident,
and his zeal for the completion of the build
ing is SO great that he shrank from the
pleasure of treatment at the hands of a
corps of young physicians.
But this is beside the mark There are
really increased signs of life the site
today. The trench at the northeast corner
has been sufficiently enlarged to allow the
employment there of several additional
men. This ditch is being dug for the pur-
pose of laying drain along the north side
of the building to carry off the water that
seeps down through the soil from the +
street hill. This water has had a tendency
to go into the cellar. and the drain is being
dug now as a precautionary measure. 1t
isn't really necessary just yet, but leisure
is drug on the market just at present, and
1t was thought we'll to take advantage of
the laxity of things.
The Cause of the Delay.
The great cause of delay is in the de-
livery of the iron from indianapolis. 1t was
this that caused the shifting of the work
from one corner to the other noted in yes
terday's Star. The structure on the north
east corner had to Toe discontinued when
about three-fourths completed. owing to the
absence of two of the composite columns
These columns have now arrived, ii is
ur derstood and the work will be begun
again on this section in a day or two.
Loo nyvh thn haS ADJ down
the east side, and today the columns were
being erected on the northwest corner. This
illustrates what The Star has heretofore
contended, that the great fault which is
at the bottom of the delay on this and
other government buildings Is due to lack
Of systematic contracts and inspections.
The contract for the iron work that is now
being executed was let on the 9th of June
last and was to run for three months.
There was a stipulation in the contract
that the :ron was to be erected in sections.
beginning at the northeast corner, where
the structure was to be completed first.
1t was also provided that the delivery Of
the iron should b consecutive and that
the work should proceed from the northeast
corner down the east side. then west along
the T. street 'front.' and then finally north
on the 18th street side, ending with the
section at the northwest corner. Today there
are columns for each one of these sides on
the ground. and the structure on the north
west corner has been begun, while that on
the northeast corner is yet unfinished. The
shipments of iron from Indianapolis and
Pittsburg have been haphazard and I'M
systematic. There is plenty of iron here
for any one section of the building, but not
enough to complete one single frame.
The Explanation offered
The explanation is offered at the site that
the plant of the Brown Ketcham Company
in Indianapolis is so arranged that it is
Impossible to do more than one kind of work
at wi hat b,
insists upon putting together certain
class of the composite beams and finishing
that class before taking up another class.
The Star reporter to whom Superintendent
kinsey communicated these facts asked
him this question: rs there no way for
the department to compel this company to
deliver its goods Systematically as you de-
sire?" .-..
None that know of. except the enforce
ment of the penalty of SD day in case
of non-completion within the time speci-
fed"
rs there any inspection now in progress
at the works to Insure systematic de-
livery?'
None that know of at this time"
Thus it will be seen that the government
has depended entirely upon the efforts of
the company to keep within its contract
ana has made no effort on its own part to
establish system. Letters and telagraphic
protests have been sent, to be sure from
Washington to Indianapolis, but as the re-
SUITS SHOW, without avail. They have not
prevented the delivery of part of the first
section in almost the last car load of ma
terial The reporter suggested to Mr. Kim
sey that perhaps the Brown ketcnam plant
was not competent tocarry out the contract
of the company. g Of.
The superintendent replied that before the
contract was awarded the supervising
architect, then Mp. URourke, sent TO In
dlanapolis an agent VINO reported that the
plant was in excegenS shape, fully capable
OF executing the contract for which the
company had offered bids On the strength
of this report the cont ract was awarded.
The results do NOT verify the accuracy Of
tue agents Judgment In this instance for
when the contract expired on the 9th of
September not pUuntro of the many tons of
iron promised hadlbeot delivered
A Dcpa rfmisht Expert.
While the reporttir AMI the superintendent
were in conversational SO happened that
the very man who went to Indianapolis for
the department abpr0ached, and was in
troduced. He sall' that the plant Of the
Brown Ketcham Cbmpany was one of the
finest in the country. ard capable, he added
of doing an immense amount of work un-
de- pressure The reporter suggested that
they had not proven themselves SO CONNIE
tent, and the treasury man smiled pity
ingly, and suggested that it was a pretty
big contract. Turning to the suDernten-