Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-15
FAULTY CONCRETE
Previous Statements Concerning New
Post Office Floors Are Verified,
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF EXPENSE
Imperfect Material Causes Loss to
the Government. ..s.
" ORk OF REPLACING

IL was stated positively in The Star some
time ago that the concrete which had hscr
placed On the nine floors of the new DOS,
Office building was so defective that in on
PfopaDilty 1t would have to be removed
ana good material substituted.
An examination of the concrete u,,s ,,,o,,o
ana tue statement was verified in fact AL
though the post office officials ridiculed the
idea that anything was wrong. Tbe, .1-
United reluctantly that the concrete on
one or the floors might have to he remoye5
as 1t had badly crumbled.
They attributed this cru,nblirp tbe,, CO
declared, to the moving of heavy obia.t.
over the floor. They said nothing ,ho,,t
any OF the floors but one but it was foupd
that all were the same and that II u,,
caused by the materials which formed tho
concrete
Inc "orkmen about the place who wera
hohSst in their intentions and knew GOOD
.oi-c.cte "heE they saw it. did not hesitate
" uecllre II 10 be nothing better than Goa
ashes The formula from which the COW
crete was made was published at the time
il ne Star. e ''iiie
Inc declaration that the floors of the
putting would have 10 he reconcre1ad 90
mace by The Star, costing the gnvernIoaI,
MANY thousands OF dollars of extra ey
pchse has been verified. While those con-
ntCted win the architects office originally
r!dcUled the idea, it has come IN nass
nevertheless Bids for placing the conrretn
ON the floors were submitted about the
middle of December. Three of the floors
the basement, the first floor and the meg
FAMINE, have already had the fresh CON
crete placed On them. What covered then,
as placed there under the original contract
WIS torn up, as being entirely worthless
The Work Begun.
Mr. a. CoWsil Washington contractor.
fas done some CT the work of replacing
the concrete. 1t is thought probable that
the work of recovering the remaining seven
Hoors Will be given to him, as the work
dtne SO far has been satisfactorily finished,
ard in marked contrast to what covered
the hoors before. The present concrete
will withstand the pressure of a boot heel
ana Will not show the impression of a foot
PRINT, as did the other stuff, which looked
"a; II II had been simply dumped out of a
cart.
Superintendent Steward would moi saw
tEls morning how much the new concreta
contract called for. He declared that he
ulo not KNOW, and felt easier for not know
!Es, as II did not come under his jursdic-
tCn, and he did not wish to NEEDLE with
anything which did not concern him.
The original contract made by the gov
eminent with Chicago firm for the til
ing ana concreting OF the nine floors was
between $4,000 and $4,000. This amount
1t was stated to a Star reporter this morn
ing. was about $4,000 below the bid sub
mitted by any other firm.
1t might have been known that the
work could not be done properly for the
amount named in the bid accepted" said
The Star informant. THE stuff put on
the floors was nothing in the world but
coal ashes"
How many more thousands of dollars
were required from the government to
finish the work of concreting those who
knew were too close-mouthed to divulge
but 1t was stated that it was I'D in the
thousands. If the contract had been prom
erly awarded in the first place, of course
this would not have happened The con-
tract was not only given. but passed upon
as good work, when finished.
hut Little Work Being Done.
There is little work being done on the
post office now, though Superintendent
Stewart declared things were going on
finely. Inside the building there is heard
the sound of an occasional hammer and a
cloud Of dust arises when a pile of debris
is dumped by a workman from a wheel
barrow, but otherwise 1t 10 extremely quiet