Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-06
New Printing Office Will Be Under
Roof
WORK REPORTED BY GENERAL WILSON
Recommends Larger Building Than
Originally Planned.
MORE MONEY IS NEEDED

A report of the progress of work on the
new government printing Office building
was made to Congress today by Gen. Will
son. chief of engineers, who forwarded to
Congress the report of Lieut.. John Stephen
Sewell. corps of engineers. L. S. A., who is
in charge of the work. Lieut.. Sewell's re-
port concludes with the following language:
BY the close of the fiscal year 1901, If
no unforeseen difficulties arise it is expect
ed that the building will be practically COM
plete in all its structural details and the
finish and mechanical equipment will be
well under way
By this is meant that the foundations,
steel frame and brick walls will be finished.
together with the structural parts of all
floors, roofs and ceilings
EnIarEinE the Structure.
In his report, Gen. Wilson, after saying
that the main building is to have seven
stories, a basement and an attic, with
vault for storage purposes under the G and
North Capitol streets sidewalks. the base
ment to extend under the interior court
and driveway, states that the original pro-
ject provided for only two stories in the
south extension Of the present power house.
He says:
After careful study of the subject, the
public printer decided that the necessities
of his great department demanded that the
south extension of the power house should
be carried to the same height as the main
building, and the plans now submitted pro-
vide for changing a portion of the struc-
ture from two-story building As feet by
40 feet to a Seven-story building covering
the same area; this will add about 10 per
cent to the cost of the original project"
The report says that on November 80 last
29.46S cubic yards of general excavation
and 400 cubic yards Of trench excavation
had been completed and necessary test
hnr aada lao yfocr N,alr- 1 40
yards of general excavation and $500 cubic
yards of trench excavation to be finished.
1.-The work of laying the concrete founda-
tion,'' he says, was commenced so soon as
the excavation was sufficiently advanced,
and by November 80 2,120 cubic yards were
In position. Should the season continue
open, as is customary in this latitude, until
the close of the calendar year. 1t Is be-
lieved that the bulk of the concrete founda-
ton. amounting to about 5000 cubic yards,
can be completed by January 1, 1900.
Revised Estimate of Cost.
Attention Is specially invited to his
Nieut. Sewelrs) revised estimate of cost,
due to the extension of the projec. and to
the extraordinary rise in the price of build
ing materials.
When the original estimate was made 2la
cents to 2a cents per pound was a fair
price for steel work; today the price is
nearer AZ cents; cast-iron has increased
In price nearly 100 per cent; steel pipe
ABOUT ~ per cent; plumbing appliances
about 30 per cent; bricks about 20 per cent;
cement about 10 per cent: window glass
about 30 per cent; copper about 40 per
cent; lumber and millwork from 10 to 80
per cent, while wages generally have been
raised at the manufacturing establish
ments where building materials are OBJ
tanned. All this proves that the nation is
passing through an era of great and al
most unprecedented prosperity.
Increased Cost of Material.
''The result is that the cost of the build
ing in process Of erection for the govern
ment printing Office will be at least twenty
five per cent greater than 1t would have
been had the conditions continued that
existed at the opening Of the present cal
endar year. It therefore becomes necessary
to place these facts before Congress and
to recommend that the original limit of
the cost be increased from 81, 900 900 to 81
$4,000 to meet the corresponding increase
in the price of materials and the additional
work desired by the department of public
printing.
AN estimate of the funds for the next
fiscal year, amounting to 81, 1SS. 800, has been
submitted. At least $1,000 of this sum
should be made Immediately available in
order that the work shall not be delayed,
as 1t is more than probable that the funds
now available will be exhausted before July
1, 1900
Gen. Wilson commends the work of Lieut.,
Sewell in high terms