Evening star., 1898-10-31

and inefficeEcy OF Hhcse at the head CT, af-
fairs there. 1t Will be noted that On build
ings for and in efargs of good business
men the floor arches are put In place while
walls and structural iron work are going
up, and the piping fer various purposes is
being installed, SO that interior finish may
be commenced as 9ooTT Tas the superstrue-
Had comm sense. business principles
prevailed on our building, instead OF con-
tract for floor arGhesTand bad concrete
going into effect February 2G, 1S96 con-
tract would have Teen closed that Iatc
for heating plumbing. electric plant ard
all of the interior finish. and in sixteen
months. or by June 80, 1881 the entire
occupied.
On the s1st of October, same year, con-
tract was awarded for interior finish Of
basement: first and mezzanine stories. to
be completed in eight months. Febru-
ary A. 1897. contract for plumbing. gas
/ ruary a. 1887. contract for plumbing. gas
piping etc, for whole building: to be com
was closed for, heating and renti'ating
plant for entire building. and time for com
pletion fixed at 80 working days
fhe contract for balance Of interior fn-
lsh on and above the second story wGs
dated February .. 1898 with time limit OF
eight months.
Blundcrs.
Look at these facts and dates. Three
months work on the interior finish in base
ment and first stories before any plnm! !,ing
or gas-piping was under contract. ard five
| months of this eight months contract had
expired before the contract for heating and
ventilating plant had been awarded. En-
braced in the contract last named are
| thousands of dollars worth of galvanized
iron duets and register boxes, to he ir
stalled at the time the terra Gotta narti-
| ions are built; and hundreds of radiators
| to be located and pipe connections made 20
q .
| finish is completed. Yet the time limit of
| heating contract had expired before the 9TH
| er was awarded, that included terra Gotta
| work wood trim. floors, etc. The most
elaborate and expensive finish in the build
| ing is in the first story. yet this was con-
| tracted for and practically completed be
| fore any of the rough and dirty work was
commenced in the eight stories above.
Even the first-story ceiling to be
| white-coatad and all of the plaster cornic"s
! and holdings run before concrete was laiG
| on the second floor, had not the superin
! tendeat called the attention of the super
| vising architect to this unnatural ar1 un-
| busiress-like way of doing things.
In his letter of June 30 1898. to TIE Sec
retaTy of the Treasury recommending my
| removal the supervising architect pre-
ferred charges against me for incompe-
| tency. inefficiency. collusion to defraud the
| government and discrimination in favor of
| certain contractors to the detriment OF
| others. None Of these charges have been
proven. although the supervising architect
| and several Of his allies In the department
| and on the outside. assisted by the solicitor
| of the treasury, Iabored zealously for three
| months to make out a case against me. OF
| those who were summoned to the depart
| ment to testify only Mr.. Holmes gave tCsti-
| mony in my favor. In his position gen.
| eral foreman on the building he had
| cess TO all of the official files. was thof
| oughly cCgnizant of all my acts, and. there
| fore. was qualified to sneak. But his state
nents made no impression upon those who
| were against me. The mass of rot and
| falsehood that was trumped up during the
so-ca He'd investigation would not receive
land. But the stuff answered the purpose
| in this instance, my removal was pre-
| determined. the first notice Of whicE came
| to me during last April from one % the
subcontractors. who has many thousands
| of dollars worth Of bad work in the build
| ing that I condemned This party was ore
of my accusers and fled charges against
me-