Evening star., 1898-10-21
CHlEF ENG IN EER BAIRD
His Annual Report on the State, War and
Navy Department Buildings.
Benefit Gained by Using Electric
Motors-Rec0mmen ma nd ations
Made.

There are some interesting details in the
annual report Of Chief Engineer Baird. su-
perintcndent of the State War and NAVY
Departments building. 1t states that the
| mean load on he dyramos was 81 per cent
of the output of one plant while for th.,
same period of 1897 the load was 234 per
cent Notwithstanding the great increase
IN the consumption of electric current less
coal was used. This, the superintendent
SAYS, was largely due to the substitution Of
electric motors for steam engines in the
TWO printing presses. There is no means
| of ascertaining the &C assumption of steam
by the different engines in the building
but the engine which runs the dynamos is
OF very superior quality, while those which
ran the printing presses We're not only of
inferior design and make but had very
long steam pipes. They were formerly run
eight hours a day whether a press ran or
not Now each press has its individ lal
motor, which stops when the press stops.
Before electricity was introduced into the
puildlng the average number of sixteen
candle power gas lamps was IA now the
average number of sixteen candle power
electric lamps is i2S. The great increase
in the quantity of light used by the clerks
is an Indication of their better facilities for
work The Executive Mansion is lighted
from the dynamos in the State, War and
Navy building. The lamps in the two
bulldlngs aggregate 34Uo, and the motors
All the telegraph and telephone wires
nave been removed from the roof of :he
great building and placed Under ground.
Two improved 'phcne systems have been
examined; one requires no hello girl but
Is not on the general exchange: the other
is on the general exchange, but requires
the girl and switchboard. There are now
more than 1000 clerks etc. in the build
Ing and it is badly crowded.
To Pave the Roadyay
The
peal for funds to pave the roadway on the
east and south sides of the building. THE
dust from this road is blown upon the east
and south fronts; the easterly rains of win
ter and the southerly rains of summer
have made mud all over those fronts. be-
SIDES this. dust is blown into the windows
ana is efacinS records of great value" In
the Department of State there are the
treaties between this republic and all civ
ilfZed l.ations of the world and there are
the signatures Of all the crowned heads of
Europe since our existence as a nation.
An appropriation to pave the road" says
the superintendent, has been asked for
each year OF my incumbency. 1t passed
the Senate ct one session, but has received
no favor in the House."
L have to again recommend" says the
superintendent, the purchase of the prop
erty on nth street. opposite this building
for file and storage rooms. The property
can now be had at a reasonable price, and
pose. 1 believe that had this property been
purchased before the war and utilized
there would have been room enough left in
the War Department for all its officers and
clerks. l carried letter from the commits
sion to Senator Allison and Represent ative
Cannon. chairmen of the appropria tions
committees, last January, urging this pur-
chase. The ceilings in these buildings are
low, but Will admit of file cases as high as
can be managed by a man standing on the
floor.
"A high ceiling is a great loss of space
The price of the property as it stands is
S1lT,0oO. The War Department is paying
$1,000 year for the Lemon building, and
500 for the Grant building, which, al
per cent tha interest the government pays
for money! would represent a principal of
S250oOO. The repairs and changes made in
the rented houses will be all loss, which
would not be the case if the government
owned them. paper could be had from
the 18th street buildings in a few seconds
and without sending a man; but it takes a
man about twenty minutes TO go to the
Lemon building and raturn. The economy
OF owning the storage rooms seems appar-
ent In the block referred to the govern
nent owns the Winder and Spieden build
ings, and the stables in the rear. Acquir-
Ing the houses referred to there would be
space enough for Immediate demands, and,
eventually, afford proper space for hall
of records for the State, War and Navy De-
partmentS."
The superintendent says that the total
amount of water used in the house" day
was 395, 1I5 gallons; in the steam boilers,
2o94 gallons, making an aggregate of 39I,-
$50 gallons per day used in the entire build
ing. Dividing this by the number Of en-
pioyes In the building total consumption
of 19S gallons per capita is shown.
This statement is of interest, as it is the
first record that has been procured from
any of the public buildings.