Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-20
Court Of Claims Case Bearing on the
Post Office Building.
CONTRACTORS ASK FOR Big DAMAGES
Steam Heating Work Revealing the
Departments Flaws.
A SUPER ESSED REPO

has been instituted in the Court OF Claims
by Charles F. Wood and John L. Meyer
trading as the Philadelphia Steam Heating
Company. The action grows out of the
contract entered into between the govern
ment and the complainant company for the
steam heating plant and apparatus for the
Washington city post office building. In
the petition filed in connection with the
claim Messrs. Wood and Meyer charge that
they were hampered, interrupted and in
terfered with by the governments officers
and agents, and were subjected to heavy
expense and consequent loss by numerous
changes decided upon in the supervising
architects office after the original specifi-
cations had been complied with.
1t has been known for some time past
that there were differences existing be-
tween the steam-heating contractors and
the government officers in charge of the
erection of the new post office building
about which there has already been much
criticism and conflict of opinion. A board
of survey was demanded by the contrac-
tors some time ago, after, according to
their statement, they had been harassed
and wrongfully accused. The report of this
board has never been made public.
No Answer Filed Yet.
The government has filed no answer so
far in the claim that has been entered
against the United States. The case is ex-
pected to attract considerable attention, and
will probably attain to great importance in
the bearing it will undoubtedly have upon
the system now in vogue in the conduct of
building operations carried on directly by
the government. The claimants state it
as their intention to introduce some inter-
esting facts In connection with the system
that will be, they say, in the nature of
revelations.
The claimants in their petition to the
court outline briefly the contracts entered
into between them and the government re-
garding the steam heating of the new build
ing. Proceeding, they say:
The petitioners completed said work in
strict accordance with said contracts, SUBJ
3ect to certain changes and notifications
required by the governments officers and
agents, and fell short of nothing with re-
gard thereto, the governments officials and
agents accepting the same as having been
done to their entire satisfaction.
Defective Plans and Specifications
But the petitioners say that, owing to
certain delays in the prosecution of said
work, caused by the governments officers
and agents, for which petitioners were in
no wise responsible, causing petitioners
much extra expense, and because of certain
defective plans and specifications furnished
by the government, through which petition-
ers were put to extra expense and subject
ed to great loss, and because of certain
extra work required of the petitioners by
the said officers and agents, for which they
have not been paid, the petitioners have
not received of the government the com
pensation to which their said work justly
entitled Them
The petition next states the numerous in
stances of alleged hindrance and deIay in
the prosecution of their work. Many of
these -rec1ted deal strictly with technicali-
Ties In the machinery and apparatus 1t is
stated that, while the petitioners We're earn
estly and actively engaged in the general
prosecution of their work, the government
acting through Assistant Secretary of the
treasury o. L. Spalding, on May s. 1897
suspended all work incident to galvanized
IRON vent-ducts and running steam isers
Tor interior rooms, including and above the
second story, until March 0, 1898, whereby.
1t is claimed, great loss of time and much
extra expense was caused the petitioners
without their fault, and by causing all of
the work on the galvanized iron vent-ducts
IN the basement to be suspended from MAY
IL to July 8, 1897, in order that the con-
tractor for the plastering might have time
to complete his work.
Continuing, the petition cites the follow
ing instances of delay and alleged loss.
The Boilers.
THAT 1t was a part of the original con-
tract that petitioners should furnish boil
ers of certain sizes and dimensions, which
sizes and dimensions were clearly shown
upon the drawings upon which said con-
tract was based, and set forth in detail
and at length in the specifications accom-
panylng the same; but that by reason of
latent errors and discrepancies in said
drawings and specifications 1t was physi-
cally impossible to accomplish the complete
construction thereof; that Immediately unon
the award of the original contract petition
ers had entered into subcontracts with GER
tain material men for the said boilers; but
tn fha rpfI
discrepancies which developed during the
construction of said boilers 1t became
necessary for the government to revise and
modify the original plans of said construc-
tlon, and the government did submit to the
petitioners, July 10, 1897, revised and modi-
fled plans for the construction thereof
Whlch revised plans petitioners forwarded
Immediately to the said subcontractors for
SAID boilers, with directions to change the
construction accordingly, which modifica-
tons and changes occasioned loss of much
valuable time and resulting extra expense
to the petitioners; that there afterWard de-
Veloped certain vital errors and discrepan-
cies in said revised plans for the construc-
ton OF said BOXERS, which made It neces-
sary, September 4, 1897, for the govern
ment to modify and change said revised
plans, which last named notifications and
changes petitioners Immediately forwarded
to the subcontractors for this work. with
directions to carry out the same; and that
by reason of these last named notifications
ana changes the reasonable progress of the
work of the petitioners under the original
contract was hindered and impeded, to
their great loss in time and money.
smokestacks Would Not Fit Structure,
That 1t was part of the original con-
tract that smokestacks should be erected
in the building in g. certain manner indi-
Gated on the said original drawings; but
that when petitioners proceeded to the
erection thereof 1t was found that the
structural ironwork of the building pre-
viously erected by the contractor for that
work, without petitioners knowledge, pre-
vented the erection of said smokestacks in
accordance with petitioners contract:
whereupon the governments officers and
agents directed petitioners to remove such
portions of said structural ironwork as in
terfered with their work, and that nv rea-
son Of the delay attending the determine
ton of the above question and the extra
work of removing said structural tronwork
petitioners were occasioned the loss of vain,
able time, and were subjected to extra ex-
pense.
That one of the provisions of the origi-
nal contract required the petitioners TO
construct system of underground cast
iron and brick trenches of certain sizes and
in certain locations. that Dafitinpars T., 49,