The San Francisco call., 1896-02-10
NEW POSTOFF|CE PLANS,
Supervising Architect Aiken's
Statements to Colonel
Irish.
Colonel Irish Returned From Washing
ton Yesterday-Mr. Aiken and
CALIFORNIA; Representatives
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL
T..

OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL,l
90S BROADWAY, Feb. 8.
Colonel John P. Irish arrived home from
Washington tonight. He says that the
delay in the San Francisco Postoffice has
been created solely by the people of San
Francisco, and that there is an intense
desire in the Office of the supervising ar
chitect of the treasury at Washington to
proceed at once with the building.
'The supervising architect, Mr.. Aiken"
said Colonel Irish, ''has not forgotten the
treatment he received from the press of
San Francisco when he was sent out here
about two years ago to inspect the Mis-
sion-street site. He was treated like a
runaway thief and was lied about and
that the site that 1 proposed was a
bog. will say, IN justice to THE CALL,
that this was before it passed under the
present management.
There was scheme to sell the Market
street site to the Government, as everybody
knows. AS result men who clamor for
public confidence published stories about
the Mission-street bog, and kilograms
were sent to the Secretary of the Treasury
telling him that the lot would not support
big building and that a pile stuck on
end at night would sink out of sight before
morning. OF course all this retarded the
postoffice matter, because all these things
had to be considered at Washington.
The ParrOtt site was not accepted be-
cause it was far too small. We wanted a
site OF about three acres and the Mission
street site most nearly filled the bill.
Il saw Mr.. Aiken and he told me that he
has seen all the California Congre ssmen
Nd ntDN Lo. L
tight for as big appropriation of immediate
availability as possible. He wants to be-
gin the work and go right ahead. At the
present time there is $245000 available.
This will not do much more than start the
work.
Let me compare San Francisco with
Chicago. The latter city started out to
get its postoffice much later than San
Francisco, but its people all pulled to-
gether. As result they have S., 600, 600 of
an appropriation and the building is well
under way. Ali the delay in the San Fran
cisco Postoffice has been caused by her own
people. If reasonable and honest course
had been pursued the building might now
have been well on toward completion.
''It is the intention to have the building
contain the postoffice, Federal courts,
United States Marshals office, pension
agency, United States land Office, the Of
fees of the Surveyor-General, railroad
postal service, postotflce inspectors, and
coast and geodetic survey, the hydro
bly, the army headquarters that are now
in the Phelan building. All these are pro-
vided for in the plans, and the supervising
architect is anxious to begin work. When
all these Offices are under one roof instead
of being scattered all over the City, as they
are now, it will be a great public convent
ence, and had it not been for the contract
n which 7 rofprraH fha huilIi,,or ;Sh+
now be a reality.
''I was told by Architect Aiken that
Congressman Hilborn had been making
an earnest effort to further public build
ing for Oakland, and Mr.. Aiken said he
had been greatly impressed with Mr..
Hllborn's argument. I think Oakland's
prospect is very bright just now. But this
city had better profit by San Francisco,
and not enter into any despicable fight
over the site"