The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-22
NEW POSTOFF|CE SITE,
Government Engineers Ex-
aiming the Lot on Seventh
Street.
Behring'S Made Under the Directions
of Colonies Mendell and
Benyaurd.

The work of examining the site of the
proposed new Postoffice building at Sew
enth and Mission streets has been in prog
r ess for eight days under the direction of
United States Engineers Colonel Mendell
and Lieutenant Colonel Benyaurd. This
duty is being performed in accordance
with law which directs the examination to
be completed by July l, 1895.
If one may judg efrom the activity dis
played by the workmen within the inclos-
ure the army engineers will be ready to
make their report to the Treasury Depart
ment within the time contemplated.
S. NJ. ID. Haley, the contractor who was
engaged by the engineers to do the boring,
has been very much amused during the
past few days in reading editorial com
ment concerning the delay of the Govern
ment in beginning the examination.
While he has been reading these vigorous
editorial expressions his augers have been
boring into the yellow clay fifty feet below
the surface of the ground.
w. D. Woodbury. a civil engineer, rep
resenting Colonel Mendell and Lieutenant
Colonel Benyaurd is on the ground dur
ing the working hours The places for
boring and the depth of the bore are desig-
mated by the army engineers An ordi-
are used.
The contractor has not yet been ordered
to bore deeper than fifty feet. Sand is en-
countered for depth of thirty-eight feet,
but it is free of water until depth of thir-
teen feet is reached. Passing through
water and sand with the sand pump for
thlrty-eight feet strata of peat is struck,
and then the yellow clay is pierced by the
auger.
When the foundation was examined
three years ago the boring was conducted
to depth of 149 feet, where soft material
was encountered.
Colonel Mendell last week, when the
work was begun, directed the contractor
to bore first at the southwest corner of the
block, and hole was there pierced to the
depth of fifty feet. The spot selected was
about eight feet from the place where the
deep boring was made in 1892. Then in
line with his instructions the contractor
bored another hole fifty feet deep in the
same locality. Since then four other bor-
ings each to the depth of fifty feet, haye
been completed and place has been
staked out for another test.
The army engineers visited the ground
day before yesterday and gave Engineer
Woodbury. necessary directions for con-
tinuing the examination.
Colonel Mendell, chief engineer, was seen
at his office yesterday afternoon. Reply
p
was begun eight days ago and the work
had been In progress ever since.
"Has the examination so far shown de-
fective foundation?"
THE borings,' said Colonel Mendell,
"show that the site is all right. Colonel
Benyaurd has Immediate charge of the
work, and l think the investigation will be
finished in due time. The examination
will be thorough. We have employed a
contractor, with boring outfit, and he
bores as the engineers direct
The Postoffice site, at Seventh and Mis-
sion streets, is inelosed by board fence
nearly twenty feet high, and the operations
within the lnclosure cannot be observed
from the street. The workmen have had
a quiet time since beginning the Job Mr..
Woodbury., the civil engineer, said:
1--WE have not been disturbed by visitors
since we began work eight days ago, but
since the CALL intends to tell the public
what we are doing, our quiet time will
soon end. | expect tomorrow we will be
overrun with visitors and others led by
curiosity to inspect the work. I rather
regret that we cannot proceed undis-
turbed."
There is a large show tent on the lot
owned by the Government, and perform
ances are given every night. The permits
sion to exhibit on Uncle Sans premises is
obtained from Deputy Collector Jerome.
There are some houses on the south side of
Stevenson street on the Government S
land. The occupants pay rent to the
Government and Mr.. Jerome collects from
the tenants.