Evening star., 1896-12-08
construction Of the building according to
the plan therein specified.

| construction Of the building according to
the plan therein specified.
| Gen. Casey In Charge.
| "This act placed the work under the sole
control and management Of the chief OF
| engineers of the army, Brigadier General
Thos Lincoln Casey, requiring him to re-
| port direct to Congress annually and to
prepare general plans for the entire con-
struction of the building subject to the ap-
| Erovai OF the Secretary of War and the
Secretary of the Interior, and within a to-
tai cost Of "a. CO., 600, exclusive of appropria-
tions heretofore made. Subsequent settle
Tent OF the accounts revealed an available
balance OF the previous appropriation
amounting to $245. .567.94
ihe preparation of the new design was
at once entered upon, Using the previous
one as basis by reducing its dimensions
ana otherwise considerably modifying 1t to
bring the cost within the required limit
Ine new plans were completed and SUBJ
mltted for approval to the secretaries on
november -. 1883. but no action was taken
Dy them AT the same time this design, to-
gether with another modification IF the
original, retaining the full dimensions Of
the building. but modifying it's ground plan
and other architectural features within
ana without, In many important particu-
lars. was placed before Congress In the
first annual report. dated December 1. 1883,
| being the Mis-. Doc. No. II, Fiftieth Con-
gress, second session, above alluded to-
The cost of the building by the latter de-
sign was estimated at $6O03, 14O, and the
time for its construction at eight years.
reward the close of the session Congress
again took up the subject of plans in con-
nection with the sundry civil appropria tion
bill and adopted the larger modified design
by the act approved March 2, 1882 dir act-
| Ing that the building be erected in accorl-
ance herewith and at total cost not to
exceed $5,5CO.O00 exclusive of appropria-
ttons Heretofore made. The amount of the
| previous appropriations was $1.o00OOO, of
which balance of $7i5,5G7.N remained. af-
ter the expenses OF operations on the old
plan had all been betrayed. Thus the total
limit of cost Of the new plan was fixed by
| law at $6,245. 561.94
IN the meantime many detail plans Of
stoneWork for the exterior walls, founda-
tions, etc, had been prepared, and the
working up of the details of design and
construction in general had been actively
going on in the draughting room, SO that
all was in readiness for the prompt and
vigorous commencement of operations.
which took place on the ground as as
Congress had passed the said act of March
2, 1889.
February /. 1894. Snead & Co. iron works.
book shelves. s67.214: completed. June 10.
| Jas. III. McGill, plaster and hair (estmat-
| eO. $1.SIS; completed. July ,. Frank NJ.
| Lee. lime per barrel 4S cents: compile ted.
November g. Mather Electric Co.. dynamos,
81. 400; completed. November %. Patterson.
See & E.sele, marble work. s23Oe0; COM
pleted.
January 8, 1895. Mcneil Bros. woodwork.
SO. go; completed. January pc. Miles Pneu-
matte Tube Co.. pneumatic apparatus
M.92l: In force January %. Geo. Mann.
red sandstone tiles, $S1S1j completed
February ., Crook Horner & Co.. engines,
s4dss7: completed. February III, Jackson &
Conradson. dynamoters. s. 100; completed
February q. Stokes & Parrish Elevator
Co.. elevators. 81. 800: in force March G.
Wm S. White, red granite tiles. $3.50:
completed. April g. Brandywine Granite
Co.. cut granite. $4,000: completed. May
3, Snead & Co. Iron Works. iron shelving
etc, $253US: completed. April Is Atlas
Cement Co.. Portland cement, per bbl.
s2-Wls; completed. June u. D. S. Hess &
Co.. wood, marble and metal work. ST. 500
completed June 1S. Yale & Towne Mfg
Co, bronze hardware. 81 1O635: completed
June IL, Pickel Marble and Granite Co.
marble tiiing, s14.290: completed. July l.
vulcanite Tile and Mosaic Co.. grant. o
floors, per square foot 26@c.; completed
July 3. Chamb,in, Delaney & Scott. iron
| work. 3, 2,a394.25: completed. July s. J. L.
Mott Iron Works. plumbing materials
s4,lh3: completed July IL. j. A. Machado
electric switches. etc. s2.932.91: completed
July II. General Electric Co.. dynamo and
engine 81. .S47: completed. September II H
l.. Crawford, asphalt driveways, $500:
completed. September 26. North American
Iron Works. ironwork S3S25: completed.
September 26. Harlan & Holingsworth Co..
woodwork. S11.6p; completed. September
70, Davidson & Sons. marble work, $13,G4O
completed. September 26, Patterson &
Eisele, marble tfiing. $4,000: completed
September 26, Patterson & EiSeIe marble
and granite floors, 81 400; completed Oc-
tober I. Vulcanite Tile and Mosaic Co.,
mosaic floors. S',210.iO; completed. October
Z. +. Z. Gatchell. excavation. etc. per cubic
yard, 2'ac.; completed. October 0, H. L.
Crawford. granolithic work, s24.394: COM
pleted- December =, Chas. Werner, coal
$40 "a: completed.
April 10, 1896. J. L. Manning & Co..
marble tilins. s5.4OD: completed. April 10.
Vulcanite Tile and Mosaic Co.. marble and
granite floors, s4.O06.94: completed. April
10, Thos. W. Smith, miscellaneous wood
work. 81 1876 ~ completed. April 10. Hurt
er Bros. mosaic floors, $17.905: in force.
April 10. Tawny !. & NJ. Co.. lamp posts
and lamps. sS5S5.G2: in force April o..
Siemens & Halske Electric Co.. dynamos,
T.611.59: completed. April q. Heinigke &
Bourn, stained glass work. $14.647S,: COM
pleted. April q. n. Am. Iron Works. grills
and wire work, s.. $50: completed May 20
George Mills, book-carrer apparatus s14.-
500: in force June II. Melville Lindsay.
rubber stand pads. s1.S24; completed. June
18, de Kosinko & Hilkmyhn NJ. Co, cleo
trio light fixtures. 5000: in force June
| Is. Ven. Mar, Mosaic Art Co.. mosaic
vaulting. siO.535.75; completed. August %.
| Miles Pneumatic Tube Co.. book carriers.
| $1,000: in force. September .. Vulcanite
Tile & Mosaic Co., marble and mosaic
floors, s2,329; completed. October 10, Miles
Pneumatic Tube Co: pneumatic tubes.
Johnson, coal, per ton. s4.55; in force. No
vember 10, Bryan-Marsh Co., electric
lamps, 81 ,617; in force.
New Plans Used.
''None of the plans, drawings or designs
made prior to Gen. Casey's charge of the
work have been used. all being new and
different. During the year 1889 the re-
| n.ainder of the concrete foundations and
| the whole of the cellar story and area walls
were constructed. In the next year the
masonry of the entire basement, con-
siderable part of the first story, and the
| coal vaults and boiler house was built. In
| the third year. 1891, the masonry of the
| first story was nearly completed and also
much of that of the second story, especially
| the octagon and book stacks.
During the same year large part Of the
heating apparatus, cast iron door and win
| dow frames and ironwork of the book
stacks was constructed. In 1892 the walls
of the second story were well advanced,
those of the courts nearly completed. and
those of the octagon quite SO. the granite
chimney, the interior ironwork continued
| and work on the heating apparatus essen
| TALLY finished. The roofs of the three book
| stacks were also put on in that year. The
| dc me was built In 1893. the masonry of the
| second story front walls nearly finished,
and the roofs Of the west and north cur
| tains partially constructed. Tie masonry
| of the building proper and the remainder Of
| the roofs were completed in 1894. Ever
| since then the interior finish of the build