Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-28
Secretary Carlisle Writes a Letter on
the Subject.
He SHIFTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT
Declares the Construction Conforms
tc Congressional Requirements.
COST OF CHAM ING 1T

Secretary Carlisle of the Treasury Depart
lnent has written d letter to the chairman
CT the Senate committee on appropriations,
in which he says:
In the matter of the contemplated
change in the construction of the roof of
the United States post office building being
elected in this city to a system of construC-
ton in which combustible material would
be entirely dispensed with, / have the hon
or 10 inclose for your information report
of the engineer of steel and iron construc-
ton of the office of the supervising archi-
tect OF this department, dated the 2lst
instant and accompanied with a sketch
Illustrative of the construction and fire
rroofing method of the roof as now de-
signed.
Bequcst of the Last Administration.
Your attention is respectfully called to
the fact that the design for the building
was prepared by Mr.. w. ]. Edbrooke, su-
pervising architect and approved by o. l..
Spaulding, acting secretary of the treasury
John Wanamaker, Postmaster General, and
John w. Noble, Secretary of the Interior
and that the roof is now being constructed
according to such design, and that, full
u set forth in the said report, the roof OF
the building as now designed conforms to
the building ordinances of the cities of Chi
Cago and New York as being a iire-proof
structure and In this respect also conforms
with the requirements of the acts of Con-
gress of August 80, 1880, and March ), 1891.
Cost of Changing the Construction.
IF, notwithstanding the fact that the
1oof as at present designed is for all prac
teal purposes a fre-proof roof, Congress
should deem it proper to require that a
roof Of a different construction, in which
Combustible material would be entirely
avoided, be provided for the building, il is
estimated that the net total cost of the adj
ditional labor and material which would be
required to effect this change would amount
to $4,000, to which amount should be added
the sum of $1,000 for the superintendent
during the six months of construction,
which time it is estimated would be the
delay occasioned in the completion Of the
building by the contemplated change, thus
making it necessary for an additional APP
preparation of $4,000 over and above the
present limit of cost of the building, be
made by Congress If the change of the
roof construction is decided upon.
The Expense Increases.
The officials whom 1t is intended to ac-
commodate in the post office building are
now paying a total rental of s1G,:l50 per an
mum for their present quarters, and as
stated before. the delay of six months,
which YOU'D necessarily follow the change
in construction. would cause a loss to the
United States for additional rental OF }.i:,,-
2l5, besides which amount the United States
would lose in material and workmanship
already contracted for, and in place IN
connection with the present roof, and order
ed or delivered under existing contracts,
the sum of $4,000.
I'm conclusion, to make the change in the
roof construction, embodied in PROPOSE
ton No. of the report of the engineer of
steel and iron construction, above referred
TO. would cost the United States the sum
total of S101,2
Further Details Given.
Should Congress deem 1t desirable to
change the construction of the fiat or deck
portion only of the roof, as described in the
second paragraph of proposition No. OF
the report of the engineer of steel and iron
construction, the total cost of this change
TO the United States will be $4,000, includ-
ing the actual cost of the new work the
loss in rentals for the delay occa stoned by
the change, and the loss on labor and ma
teriaiS already contracted for
should it be decided to make the change
in the deck portion only of the roof as set
forth in the preceding paragraph, an addi-
uonal appropriation Of $I.,ouD will be neces-
sary, this amount representing the addi-
tionai value OF the labor and material alone
required for this purpose.
VIII Cost Nearly S:OO.OGO.
I'm this connection, however, it must be
noted that the estimates made of the addi-
tional appropriations required for changing
the construction of the roof, as set forth in
the engineers report, are based on provid-
ing no reinforcement whatever in the pres
ent steel and iron construction of said roof
which it is deemed would be sufficiently
safe to carry the additional weight of the
construction proposed. Should Congress-
however, decide that this steel and iron
construction should be increased in strength
in proportion to the additional weight of the
contemplated roof, remodeing of the steel
and iron work now in place will be neces-
sary, causing a delay of not less than a
year, at a cost to the United States ap-
proX imatinG ScI1, 600"