Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-16
A FLOORING ORDERED
Men Working on the Post Office Building
to Be Protected.
A Safe ScaROlding Required Under
Their C0ntract-What Superin-
tendent kinsey Says.

The workmen on the new city post Office
building will be provided with necessary
scaffolding to il nsure them, as far as possi-
bic, from loss Of life in case of any Of them
falling while at work.
This morning the foreman of the iron
workers, representing Thorp & Bond, the
contractors, received letter of instruc-
tions, directing him to purchase necessary
scaffolding to be placed under the iron
workers while engaged on the building.
An order for the scaHolding will be given
today. it is fully expected, by Superin-
tendent John w. kinsey, superintendent of
the building, in which case all controversy
on this subject will be at an end.
Mr.. Kinsey wrote to the contractors. de-
manding that this flooring should be laid,
but it is thought that the contractors mis-
understood the demand and supposed that
Mr.. Kinsey desired the entire sixth floor
of the building to be covered. Such a
flooring would require the use of 10000
square feet of plank, whereas to merely
place plankiEg under portions of the work
now being constructed would not take over
1900 feet.
No Further Trouble Expected.
Mr. Kinsay does not believe there will be
any further trouble in causing the con-
tractors to provide safe scaffolding for
their men, and if this is not done within
a day or two he Will take further action
to enforce his demands. The clause in the
contract under which he proposes to have
the flooring provided Is as follows: 1.-The
ing, machinery, tools, &c, necessary to
execute the work required by this speciti-
cation. and the same must be safe and
suitable for the purpose"
A letter received by Mr.. Kinsey from the
contractors last evening was rather curt,
though as indicated, 1t was probably writ
ten under a misrepresentation of the demand
that was intended to be made. The con-
tractors said that there were much higher
and larger buildings erected in New York
and elsewhere, and it had not been custom
ary to provide temporary flooring in such
structures. On the other hand. as fast as
the iIon work was put in place the general
contractor, according to custom, follows
the workers from floor to floor with the
eventually to be laid, ard Thorp and Bond
took occasion to remark in their letter that
if this had been done on the Washington
city post office building Charles Beach
would not have lost hts life.
The Men Relieved.
The men at work on the building were
greatly relieved today when they found
that flooring would be laid under them and
1t is expected that an increased amount of
work will be secured from the force as soon
as this Is done. When the construction of
the roof of the building is commenced ad-
ditional means of safety for the men must
be provided, as the work of placing the
girderS is regarded as by far the most
dangerous part of the construction. 1t may
be that more scaffolding than it is now pro-
posed to place on the floors will be re-
quired, and if SO a demand will be made
on the contractors for iron work, and this
demand. 1t is contended on the part of the
treasury officials, must be complied with
Not only would the workers of the roof of
the building be In danger of falling down
$50 feet through the iron girders to the
basement of the building, were flooring not
provided them, but it would be necessary
for them to venture out in building the
roof over the great court yard, 100 by 200
feet in dimensions, and If they should miss
their footing when in that position they
would have clear fall of $50 feet to the
ground. Some safeguard must be provided
for the men who are to work in this peril
Gus position, and it Is quite likely that a
demand will be made that net sufficiently
strong to catch falling man, shall be
stretched across the great pit of the court
1t might not be necessary to make this
net even half as large as the dimensions of
the court, but 1t should be of sufficient di-
mensions to allow it to be stretched under
men actually at work. Such a net would
cost a considerable amount of money, and
it may become necessary for officials rep
resenting the government to enforce their
demand on the contractors.
What Supt. Kinsey Says.
Speaking of the need for safety scaf-
folding to a Star reporter today, Supt
Kinsey said: TT is clearly provided in our
specifications that the scaffolding shall be
safe and suitable for the purpose, and it is
my intention to see that it Is so. The rep
Iesentatives of the government are the
judges as to what is safe and suitable
The foreman of the ironworlsers, having re-
ceived instructions to purchase necessary
scaffolding, 1 will wait to see what is DONE
/ think that the necessary safeguard will
not be provided without further cores
pondence, but ii they are not sufficient in
my Judgment 1 will certainly see that they
are made So"