Evening star., 1898-11-12
What Tour Of Observation Through
the New City Post Office Reveals.
A TlNDER BOX AT The TOP
Leaky Roofs, Loose Windows and
Other InexcusabIe Features.
S z w E r A g E f A CT S

Several days ago The Evening Star pub
lished a statement regarding the policy
that has guided those responsible for the
erection of the new city post office which
was given out by Mr. Thomas c. Steward
the ex-superintendent, recently removed.
Ii the course of his declarations, Mr.. Stew
ard made some vigorous charges. When
the attention of those in charge of the su-
rervising architects office at the Treasury
Department was called to these, they were
dismissed with the remark that they were
similar to a last years bird nest" This
allegorical disposal of some very vital ques-
tions probably satisfied the authorities, but
not the general public, which has become
weary of the persistence with which the
supervising architect and several of his
predecessors in Office have ignored the in
stances of neglect, delay and inefficiency
which have characterized the history of the
building since its construction was begun.
In order to ascertain just what the condi-
ton of the building is and to form dis
interested opinion concerning the charges
brought against the building, a reporter
of The Star was assigned to the duty of
making journey of observation through
it. He had never been below the first or
above the second story of the building
Realizing that he required the assistance
as a guide of some one familiar with the
vast edifice he secured the services of ex-
Superintendent Steward. and Thursday af
ternoon proceeded to fill his assignment and
endeavor to ascertain just what a last
years birds nest in the shape of an un-
finished public building costing two and a
half millions of dollars in the capital city
of the nation was really like.
CareIessness at the start.
After entering, the rough planking stair
way surrounding the east elevator shaft
was mounted and the second floor reached.
Here a stop was made, and the reporter
looked out into the cortile upon the inner
glass roof which covers the prospective
Washington city post office. All around
the upper walls in the cortile workmen
Were engaged in finishing the interior, plac-
ing in position the heavy white plaster
holdings which will decorate the interior.
The sloping sides of the glass roof were
protected by a thick board covering which
workmen were removing in small sections
in order to ascertain if any damage had
been done beneath, temporarily leaving ex-
ce!lent glass targets to be shivered by any
debris that may fall at any moment from
the heights above The immense fat glass
deck of the roof, however, was devoid of
protection save for the flimsy wire netting
over the glass, and the observer noted
many of these broken and a force of work
men engaged in replacing them, though
why this was being done when left unpro-
tected, they Were liable to be smashed
again was natural query. Inquiry from
oped that 16S of the glass lights in the
main deck had been broken, at a cost of
s3::{3 apiece, a total expense to date of
1863 A.
The specifications for the interior work
on the cortile," he volunteered didn't call
Tor any covering on the main deck, but only
on the slopes, but the department is max
ing the contractors for the interior work
put in all the lights that were DESTROYED,
and they are doing it under protest.
Leaky Ceilings.
The reporter made his way to the avcnue
front on the second floor and went into
two rooms under the balcony on the east
and west sides of the tower In the east
room water was weakly dripping from one
or two places in the ceiling, upon which the
plaster was not yet placed. In the room to
the west two substantial puddles were
formed on the floor from the same cause
The roof, which is the floor of the balcony
above, made of the now notorious rotten
conctete, is covered with cement which has
cracked in every direction, and this permit
ted such leakage even in such a light rain
as that of Thursday.
Condemned Windows.
An employe in the eastern room raised
window, and the reporter noticed how it
ratified when it went up.
They are all that way all over the bulG-
Ing, said the man. The windows haven't
any parting strips the outside Thareu
De Ine lot of pneumonia cases here when
the clerks get III and the cold winds come
in thrOAch the cracks"
on the remainder of his exploration tho
reporter tested windows on all sides of the
building. and they were all the same IT
is not III t1e least an exaggeration to say
that no person having the cheapest kind of
house built would permit such windows
to be placed in it, or allow them to stay in
II a contractor put them there. Not only
are they loose and draughty, but the wood
ha aYt tori iS
and in many places as uneven as if hacked
with dull jack knife.
Friday when the wind was blowing
strongly it was possible to see the win
dows on the north front of the building
from the north side of Pennsylvania ave-
nue. violently shaking. 1t was only neces-
sary to watch the reflection in the panes of
the buildings on the north side of the ave-
nue to see what fimSy holdings keep the
windows in place
All these windows were condemned by
| ex-Superinterdent Steward when he was in
| office, as the official records show, but de-
! spite their plain shortcomings the super
vising architect, Mr.. Taylor, decided to re-
! tain them. That they will all be replaced
with something appropriate when the build
ing is occupied is certainty, because no
one otherwise could safely occupy the
| rooms in cold weather.
Proceeding upward it was plainly notice.
| able even to the Impractical eye that the
| tile work which covers the walls and which
| is in turn to be coated with white plaster
| was in many places hurriedly put together
| while the mortar other walls, also to
| be covered with similar plaster, was evil
| IDENTIFY put on carelessly, as it frequent
| ly cracked, and in many places was almost
| as thin as a buckwheat cake.
| Ffre-PrOOf Construction.
| The ninth story of the building is
| travesty on "fire-proof construction" The
| attic above is another. One everywhere
| sees wood-lined walls and pine-covered
| recesses. The unfinished rooms" as many
of the apartments in the ninth story are
| termed, but which are completed so far as
| the supervising architect and his plans are
concerned, have this wooden lining, and
every dormer window in the attic is lined
| with tongued-a d-and-grooved pine. The two
| elevator shafts the east and west sides
| open into tnder boxes of this unfinished
| room character All these rooms and
| recesses are connected at the outside walls
| by small apertures through which drafts
| have complete play.
| On the ninth floor the entrances to the
| unfinished rooms are completely barred
| at every door opening by immense ventilat-
| ing ducts of galvanized iron about 81 feet
| high and equally wide. If doors are placed
| in these doorways, as the specifications
| provide they will open upon these barrf-