The Washington times., 1895-03-03
MR.. MONROE HEARD FROM.

His Reply to Charges of Faulty Construc-
- tion OF New School Building
Work was temporarily suspended on the
new school building now in course of con-
struction on e street between Thirteenth
and Fourteenth streets southeast yesterday
owing to the nclemency of the weather.
This is the building which has been made
the subject of allegations OF faulty CON
struction and violation of contract by the
Federation of Labor, through their com
| mittee, composed of Messrs George o.
Cook, Thomas f. Webster. and Columbus
M. Barnes, and filed with the District
Commissioners. The alleged violations
as specified by the committee, were printed
i'll full in The Times of Friday
The contract for the construction of the
! building was awarded to Mr. Charles K
Monroe on the 9TH of October last Mr..
Monroe stated yesterday that he sublet
! the contract for the brick work to Mr..
Henry Anderson, who carried the walls
! up TO the second story, and abandoned his
| work on the 26th of January. Mr. Monroe
directed his foreman to advertise for
thirty brickldyers at $3.50 per day. Over
! 100 applicants came in answer to the adj
I vertisement, and Mr.. Monroe claims that
3
in the wages of the men.
He says that up to eight or ten months
ago 81 per day was paid to brickiayers,
but since then various cuts have been made
! by contractors. The men engaged in the
work We're not all non-union men, being about
equally divided. Mr.. Monroe says that he
did not Telet the work abandoned by Mr.
Anderson to Mr.. Kirby, as has been stated.
Mr.. Kirby has been in his employ as a fore
man for four or five years
R%erring to the charges that salmon brick
had been used in the construction, Mr.
Monroe said: The brick alleged to have
been found on the grounds by Mr Inspector
Brady and ordered removed by him were
not exactly salmon brick, but arch ends.
IL is impossible to prevent few such
brick from getting in with the other brick
when they are being loaded at the kiln.
Supt. Cox bad ordered such of these brick
as were among the others to be culled out,
and they Were placed in small pile by
themselves and remained about the build
ing for several days before they were re-
moved. None OF them were used in the
construction of tue building
in regard To the allegations of the com
mittee that the basement walls were hollow,
/ VIII show that such construction would
entail great deal of additional trouble
and expense. In the plans for work OF
that kind il is shown Just now many bricks
must be used 10 make up the thickness ofthe
walls, ana III order to make hollow in a
nine-inch wall sufficient to admit mans
hand it would be necessary to cut the end off
Of every brick, which would take up great
deal of time and certainly save nothing.
Such charges are simply absurd
Il am not in tie slightest degree appre-
hensive of the result of the most rigid inves-
tigation. Mr.. Cox had considerable diff
ficulty to get the appointment of superin-
tendent OF construction on the building,
and has been extraordinarily careful that
the work should be first class. He has been
on the walls with the men all the time, and
all of the work has been under his direct
supervision. There is, of course, a great
deal about the matter with which the public
is not acquainted, bat as soon as Inspector
Brady makes a report of his investiga-
lions | VIII be glad to make a more com
prehensiye statement.