Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-21
MORE MONEY NEEDED
Nearly $500,000 Asked For to COM
plete the New Post Office.
BErRERMENTS MADE IN TIE BUILDING
Many Wise Changes Of the
Original Plans.
NR. CARIISLE'S LETT f. r

Speaker Reed today received Il conlniuni-
cation from Secretary Carlisle asking an
additional appropriation Of s41u.o1' for the
completion of the Washington city post
office This Increase. he says, is nacessitat-
ell by char ees in plar to better the hrill-
Ing and to furnish acc Commodations for
merous government ofii es now occupying
rented quarters. Secretary Carl.sles l,t-
ter states that the limit of the cost of the
hu-lding as fixed by the act of Congress of
March 3. 1891 is s2,Oopoo0. The cost of the
contracts and contingent expenses; TO date
is about s1.i21 ,-1o.6ii leaving a balance for
the completion of the building of $;Is. 1..,.34
The work necessary 10 complete the
building, he continues, consists of the
brick and tsrra Gotta floor, arches aad
Partitions. plasterirS g, plumbing. iron airs,
joining and marble work, vault doors
heatins apparatus. elevators aud approach
es and frodl estimates made in the .tIice of
me supei visinS architect of this depart
ment it appears that s:,..ssi will be neces-
sary TO complete the building as now de-
signed
Room for Many Offices Provided.
Besides this amount ,he sum of s65WiO
will be required to provide The building with
an fn1eyendehr hight and power plant and
$4,000 for carrying out contempla sed
change In the plan III the six upper stories
by which additional room Will i.c made
available for the railway mail service the
bureau OF statistics. the Department of
Labor. the offices Of education, Indian af-
fairs and the geological survey, the United
states civil service on.nlSsion, the bureau
of e,lin"logy and the various other sUverl-
ment offices now occupying rented quarters
In the city it beirS the desire of the Treas
ury Department to afford Office accommo-
dations in the new building Tor ell these
hrrt sFN..l
two last mentioned items. aggresa. ing SII--
G0. were not Included in the original esti-
mate.
The Secretary SAYS that from this II ap-
pears that an additional appropriation of
siiJ,0T Will te necessary 10 comple.c the
bdildilg. AMI recommends that the amount
be appropriated for That purpose.
Eettermcnts "f the Building.
THE above appropria ,ioI of s1oo.U00," he
contil -Ies, lis made necessary by the fact
that certain bettermehts We're made in the
building which were not contemplated in the
original official estimate, but which were
deeilej Necessary by the different super
vfsing architects of this slepa rtrlai5t for the
proper Adaptation of the etl:,ice for the pur-
poses intended The bcttermrnts besides
thp'e for tire light and power plant, ard IN
erased rOor area, are briefly enumerated
follows:
In ths month of March. 1852. the design
or the building was changed to pro-
vide a basement and eight stories in leu
OF basement. six stories and attic, ard stone
dormers in lieu Of iron: this also incident
ally necessitated the heightening of the
tower some SIX feet above the main roof
thereby increasing the cost of the building
SC-,Up
Other improvements.
In the month of October, 1893, areas
which We're not originally intended were
designed along each front of the building
to permit increasing the size of basement
openings and thereby making available for
post office purposes portion of said base
ment. which betterment cost the sum of
@r|o The entire stone facing above Tie
second story was changed July H. 1894
from quarry-faced work to fire dress work
at cost of SZ50.GO,. The supervising archi-
tect then IN Office strongly recommended
thlS betterment, and stated that in his
opinion, it could be done and the building
completed within the limit of the original
appropriation, but further construction has
developed the incorreetness of this jude-
melt."
Secretary Carlisle's communication was
referred TO the committee on appropria-
tons, as the money for this building Is pro-
Vidad in the sundry civil appropriation bill