Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-22
CLEARING THE SITE.
Preparing for New Government Print
ling Office Building.
TEARINGDOM MANY OLD STRUCTURES
Andrews Gfeeson the Highest
Bidder for the Material.
PROGRAM FOR THIS SUMNER

The work of demolishing the score OF
more of old buildings on the site for the
new building for the government printing
office was begun today, when a large force
was engaged IN tearing down the structures
and carting the refuse away.
Last week Lieut.. ]. s. Sewell, United
States engineers, in charge of the work
advertised for bids for the old houses as
they stood on the ground, the advertise
ment providing that every particle of this
material be removed within thirty days
There were five bidders, the highest being
Mr.. Andrew Gleeson, the contractor, who
offered $1,000 for the privilege of taking the
old material away. There is probably suffi-
cent material for the erection of row OF
fifteen or twenty houses, with the use OF
a quantity CT new material.
There were five bidders, four of whom bid
for clearing the site, one of them being Tor
single house. The four bids were for
$3.50, SOL, $3.50 and $1,000. For a single
house $40 was offered. The work or tear
ing down will include the government PRINT
ing office Storehouse, now connected with
the main building by bridges over jackson
alley, and which was built five OF SIX years
ago. The power house, on the western
portion of the new site, will be allowed TO
stand. and will be extended toward the
south to street, with its present helght OF
one story. The balance of the new struc-
ture will be seven stories high above the
basement, the annex facing H street and
finished in the summer of 1896, being six
stories above the basement.
Three Years Under Construction.
1t is expected that the construction OF the
new building will be competed IN three
years. 1t will cost s2,000,000, and 1t is ex-
pected that the actual work of construction,
including material, will cost at least $3oo,ooJ
more than it would have cost had the build
ing been begun three years ago on account
of the increase in the price of material and
labor. When the H street annex was built
there so much competition and the
hard times caused bidders to make offers
so low a number of them, 1t is believed,
actually lost money on their contract 1t
was stated at the time that the contractors
supplying over a million pounds of steel
for the annex lost about $1,000 in carrying
out their agreement. Now the steel manu-
facturers are SO busy that it Is a question
whether steel can be obtained promptly for
the new building
Digging the Excavation.
AS soon as the old buildings have been
removed from the site contract will be
let for digging the excavation for the build
ing, which will have a basement under its
entire area The foundation will be de-
cided upon as soon as the excavation has
been rade and it can be seen just what is
necessary. 1t is expected that the excava-
ton and Foundation will be all that will be
completed during the coming summer.
The building will be put up partly under
contract and partly by days work.
While the plans for the new printing Of
flee have been sketched III the rough, there
is a great deal of work yet to be done on
them before they are ready for the con-
struction. They rare being completed by
Mr.. J. G. Hill the architect.
Lieut. Sewell, IN charge of the construc-
ton. has established his office at 1875 North
Capitol street s