Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-02


or both of the above reasons. the concrete
was worthless for the purpose intended.
and that it was necessary to order the ma
terial removed from all of the floors OF the
building and replace it with other material,
al a cost of not less than $4,000, as your
petitioner verify believes.
The Leaky Roof.
The architect caused to be constructed
over the building a large and expensive
skylight or roof That skylight is now. and
always has been. defective and dangerous
to the life and limbs of those working I'M
der it. By reason of its faulty design or
construction many repairs, aggregating
in cost many hundreds of dollars. have al
ready been made. Parts of the ironwork of
the skylight have within six weeks past
fallen distance of nearly two hundred
feet into the post office working room.
where several hundred people are usually
employed. to the imminent danger of the
lives and limbs of the employees. The Post
Office Department is now engaged in a gen.
eral repairing Of the skylight, at ex-
pense. your petitioner verify believes, of
MANY hundreds of dollars.
Your petitioner further AYERS his belief
that the skylight was accepted and paid for
by the architects office over the protest of
some of the inspectors, employed to super
wise its construction, and in spite of the
recommendations made by these officers
that changes ought to be made In it, Your
petitioner also ayers his belief that the
architect has allowed the skylight to re-
main a menace to life and limb for several
years while having knowledge of the de-
fective and unsafe construction, and that
the architect has now concealed In the files
of his office reports condemning said con-
struction from those whose duty 1t was to
inspect the work. and that in dereliction
of his duty and in violation of his oath OF
Office he has failed to act on these reports.
to the great danger Of the public and the
great loss of the public money of the
United States.
The Windows.
The architect called for in his specifica-
tons and caused to be installed in said
building several hundred windows of GER
tain patented construction. Those windows
were and are defective in design and con-
strucIion Since the building was occupied
by the post office authorities all. or nearly
all. of them have been nailed up with
weather stripping, not only destroying en-
tirely the patented construction for which
the government paid large extra sums of
money. but as direct cost Of much addi-
Iional money. Many of these windows are
now stuffed with rags and blotting paper, in
cndeavor to keep out the cold air, and
they are now the cause of much complaint
and even sickness among the employees of
the department occupying the building, re-
sulting in an Interference with the public
service and loss OF the public money
Your petitioner AYERS hts belief that the
supervising architect had knowledge of the
defective design and construction OF the
windows, and that he personally in COM
pany with his chief executive officer. visited
the building and inspected. accepted and
paid for the said windows, in spite of the
protests and over the recommendations of
his assistants in charge OF the work. Your
petitioner also believes that there are now
concealed in the files of said architect
! office the reports of said assistants con-
demning the windows. and that those re-
ports are of date previous to the accept
ance and payment by the supervising archi-
tect for the window construction
Your petitioner further AYERS that he be-
lives that consideration is now being given
To the methods of repairing the defective
windows by the Post ONCE Department
and that these repairs. II and when made
will constitute another waste of several
thousands If dollars of the public money.
The Granite Scandal.
Your petitioner hereby further expresses
his belief that the architect received pro-