Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-10

The Scale House.
the north, west and south Sides. with the
gun shop for the west side. This building
is one of the Oldest in the yard. A
smoke stack rising from Its center bears
the date 1866, and has a newer appearance
than the rest of the structure, SO that 1t is
possible that the quadrangle itself was
built more than fifty years ago.
Frequent Repairs Necessary.
AS was the case with all the other old
buildings in the yard, the roof was of
wood, covered with slate, the trusses being
OF heavy timbers, that of late years have
been rotting and allowing the roof to set
tie, ard thus threatening life and property.
Repairs have beens made from time to
time by patching the trusses, but the roof
has been source Of annoyance and danger
ever since the installation of the gun plant
particularly as it has been found necessary
OF late years to equip the western wing
with a travelling crafte
The walls, of course, were stanch enough
TO support such a weight but the roof con-
struction was such that this Improvement
could not conveniently be made Conse-
quently, an item was inserted in the ap-
preparation bill allotting $59,411.77 for a
new roof for the entire quadrangle build
ing. In addition there was an item of
Slo, A for other alterations to the north
end of the west side of the quadrangle
building. The contract for the new 1oof
was let to the Pennsylvania Bridge Com
pany of Beaver Falls, Pa, for $1S 400 and
the work is now under way of preparing
the building for that improvement. None
OF the steel for this roof or that of the
foundry has yet been received, bu. it is
promised in ample season for the econom
ical prosecution of the work
lhere are other wooden roofs in the ward
that should really be replaced by steel con-
struction, but they are not SO essential as
the roof for which provision was made in
the bill. There iS a litf1a Of
the construction of a paint shop that shall
also be storage building for other in
hammable material, and the work of the
construction of this building has already
been begun. 1t Is located in the western
section of the yard, just beyond the grave
yard of old guns, and south of the west
end of the breech mechanism shop being
thus isolated from the other buildings. and
therefore reducing the danger of commu-
nlcatlng fire that might originate in the
oils that will be stored there. The old paint
shop was small wooden structure that
was constant menace to the yard.
Plans for the Future.
On the occasion of a Star reporters visit
to the yard the other dag, Lieut.. Moore to
whom he was referred for information by
Commodore Norton, the commandant, was
found in this section OF the yard with a
surveying instrument, endeavoring to as
certain how high the floor of the paint
shop would have to be- raised to keep it
above the high water mark of the yard.
This mark was found on one of the win
dow sills of the breech mechanism shop,
and accordingly the paint shop will be
higher than the average work room in the
yard.
Lieut.. Moore also ran line from the
roadway leading to the western gate, which
is the highest point in the yard, for the
purpose of ascertaining the amount Of fill
ing that will be necessary to build up the
yard above the point of common inunda-