Evening star., 1896-07-17
G. P. o. IMPROVEMENTS
Report Of Progress Made by Col. John N.
Wilson.
HI Street Building No Longer in Dam
ger Of COllapse-PrOgress With
the New Structure.


fiscal year. He tells the story of the work
In the following words:
by the act of Congress approved August
49, 1894. an appropriation Of $75,0OO was
made: TO enable the chief of engineers of
the army, under the direction of the joint
committee on printing, to repair the gov
ernment printing office, provide fire escapes
and put said building In a safe and secure
condition, and to enable the public printer,
under the direction of the joint committee
on printing, to rent, If necessary, any
buildings for the use of the printing Office
August 81, 1894, plans and estimates were
submitted by me, and under date of Octo-
her 26. 1884, the chief of engineers Informed
me that all the plans were approved and di-
rected ME to proceed with work upon the
building as rapidly as good workmanship
would admit, in the following order: First.
Erection of fire escapes upon the exterior of
building. Second and third The addition of
ar other story upon the southwest section,
and the construction of connecting build
ing between southwest and south center
sections.
weight have been removed into these parts,
the overhauling of the girders and columns
of the H street building, and. in abundant
caution, the strengthening of these parts
where necessary.
PrOgrcss of the Work.
"Of the amount appropriated by the act
Of August 1s, 1894, So. 900 was set aside for
remainder having been required by the
public printer for the rent of necessary
buildings.
AT the close of the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1895. the fire escapes had been
placed In position an additional story con-
structed upon the southwest section of the
printing office and the erection of a con-
Meeting building between the southwest and
south center sections was we'll advanced.
During the month of July, 1885, the
structure between southwest and south CEN
ter buildings was completed, the outside
walls OF all new work painted large new
rolling door placed at the west basement
entrance to the south center building
new iron gate erected at the Jackson alley
entrance between southwest and south CEN
ter buildings, and the whole turned over to
the public printer.
Some minor repairs have been made to
the II street building. and the structure
strengthened wherever deemed absolutely
necessary; as the surplus weight
and material have been removed TO the new
building, and We are advised by the public
printer that the enormous and important
work committed to his charge will admit of
the delay and annoyance incident to fur
ther extensive repairs, the overhau uiing of
the stairways, the girders and columns and
the further strengthening of the building
Will be undertaken as directed by the chief
of engineers.
Much of the surplus weight has already
been removed. and owing to the erection of
new buildings and the minor repairs al
ready made, the building is longer in
danger Of collapse
In Case of Fire.
There is still danger Of great loss of life
from fire in case of a panic, and it would
be well to put in new stairways and to in
close them in brick the old wooden beams
and columns could be replaced with steel,
but the interruption and annoyance to the
work of the printing office while this as in
progress will be very considerable. De-
tailed plans have been prepared Of every
tic or in the printing office building.
by the act of March 2. 1SEJ, an appro-
priation of $121.121.@ was made for the
construction by the chief of engineers of
a hre-proof building upon the lot belonging
to the United States, now occupied by the
stables of the government printing office
according to the plan and specifications of
Col. John NJ. Wilson of the Engineer Corps.
submitted to Gen. Thomas L. Casey, chief
of engineers. December II, 1894, and ap-
proved by him.
Under date of March IS, 1 presented a
detailed project and estimate for fire.
proof building, with steel frame, the struc-
ture to be six stories high with a roomy
basement, the north, south and west fronts
TO be faced with extra select brick, sills and
lintels to be of stone, and the proportion of
fancy bricks. terra Gotta holdings and
stone In outer faces to be comparatively
small. The plan suggested that the inter-
ior should be finished with buff brick,
avoiding plaster so far as is possible on ac-
count of vibrations to which the building
will be subjected.
THE floors were to be as free as possible
from obstruction by columns, as many
large windows placed in position as good
construction would admit, and all neces-
sary elevators. outside fire escapes. faciii-
ties for heating and lighting. drainage ETC.,
were to be provided. This project was ap-
proved on March 10, 1885, and the work of
preparing detailed plans was at once un-
dertaken and pushed forward as rapidly
as possible.
The New Building.
''The stables of the government printing
office were vacated on April 90, 1895, and
on that day the work Of tearing them down
was commenced, and the excavation for
foundation was begun under contract on
May ii. 1895.
''The opening Of the fiscal year found work
IN progress excavating for and constructing
the foundation walls and piers of the new
building: the foundation wall of the west
side of the old II street section proved to
be OF very poor materials, neceSSitating its
undermining and reconstruction, and re-
quiring the greatest care to prevent acct
dents: needles of twelve-inch timber were
run through the walls just above the foun-
dation at various points between III street
and Jackson alley. the walls shored by out
side timbers. the interior girders well braced
and strong and stable foundation wall
constructed under the entire west side of
the printing office building: the work was
dlNely expensive, out was absolute
ly necessary, and was accomplished without
serious accident or the material cracking
of the old brick walls
1.-The gravel below the surface was found
to consist of a recent filling, seemln;ly COM
pact, for depth of about six feet: below
this about three feet of blue CLAW and
vegetable matter. and a thick stratum of
sand and gravel: the last was firm and com
pact at depth of eleven feet at the III
street end, but the gravel disappeared
toward Jackson alley, where mixture of
yellow clay and sand appeared. 1t was
deemed best not to rely upon this and the
excavation was continued through TO a
maximum depth of eighteen feet below the
surface of the ground, where good gravel
foundation was reached.
THE depth below the surface at which
the concrete foundation started varied from
eleven feet at H street to eighteen feet II
Jackson alley. There was more or less de-
lay on the part of the contractors for the
steel frame. which contained about one mill
lion pounds of steel. but the work of placing
1t In position was commenced on August %
and completed in November 1895.
Ready for Use.
"The erection Of the brick walls was COM
menced early in October, 1895, as soon as
the work upon the steel frame would ad-
1