Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-20

etc, previously installed by contractors
| for that work, without the knowledge of
the petitioners, they were prevented from
carrying out said work in accordance with
the original plans under the original con-
tract, but were compelled at various times
during the progress of this work, by orders
of the governments officers and agents, to
make changes and notifications in the
plans of said work, because of the said in
references, thereby causing petitioners the
loss of valuable time and incurrence of ex-
ira expense"
Hampered by the Bond Issue Force.
A number of instances of like character
are specified, together with the following
paragraphs:
That on account Of the Spanish war
bond issue and the necessity for place
to install the clerks and employees of the
government engaged in the work of said
issue in the summer of 1898 the govern
ment, through its officers and agents, did
on or about June 20. 1893 enter into and
take possession Of the first floor of said
building and install therein a large force
of clerks and employees, and did at various
and sundry times interrupt and interfere
with the petitioners work by directing the
stoppage thereof between the hours of
o'clock am. and o'clock pm, and by
locking up certain portions of the building
and excluding petitioners therefrom, where
and in which petitioners were carrying on
certain portions of their work under said
contracts, and refusing petitioners access
thereto both day and night, SO that petit
TONERS were prevented from making meas
urementS for materials to be used in their
said work; that said interferences and in
terruptions continued from about June 90
1898, to about the last of September, 1898.
wherein and whereby petitioners sustained
without their fault, much loss Of time and
money in the execution Of their work under
their said contract.
THAT by reason of many and various
other interferences and Interruptions with
the reasonable progress of the work at
divers and sundry times, by the govern
ments officers and agents, and by reason
of divers other errors and discrepancies
in the plans and specifications furnished
the petitioners by the government for the
prosecution of the work; by reason of i'm
proper and imperfect materials called for
by said plans and specifications prepared by
the governments officers and agents, and
used by the petitioners at the instance of
the government in doing the work, and by
delays caused in the progress of the work,
by dfsagreements resulting from the use of
said improper and imperfect materials and
erroneous and unjust Interpretation of the
said plans and specifications upon the part
of the governments officers and agents the
petitioners, without their fault were
subjected to great loss Of time and put to
much extra expense"
Mr.. Woods Pamphlet.
Mr.. Charles Francis Wood of Wayne Pa
Of the suing firm, has written a pam
phlet to Congress and mailed copy to
each senator and representative. In this he
details his experiences as a government
contractor under the present system. of
construction by the government. In his
pamphlet Mr.. Wood says:
1T has been said that there are families
in Washington who can trace their ancestry
back to the beginning of the new post office
building, and yet this particular one is not
different from any others that could be
"a rx--itf iSt,a af
the post office at Washington fit almost any
other building Of similar magnitude con-
structed under the direction of the super
viSing architects Office of the Treasury De-
partment, with only change of name?
1T is true that I have been insulted
abused, vilified and accused of all sorts of
underhanded actions during my experience
with this system, when the fault lay en-
tirely with those who made the plans from
which the work was done. 1t is true that
the scoundrelly decisions of the underlings
in charge of the work We're affirmed by the
supervising architect, and that, after
months Of bitter controversy, brought on
by the errors and blunders in the plans and
Specifications for the work. had to appeal
to the Secretary of the Treasury for the
appointment of a board of arbitration to
settle the differences. 1t is true that after
having entered into this arbitration with
the Secretary OF the Treasury. and after
the award Of this board, the report of the
board was concealed and suppressed to COW
err up the laundering stupidity so glaringly
brought out in the Investigations of the
plans and specifications prepared by the
supervising architect. 1t is true that have
never been allowed even to see this report
when, by all the laws and rules of honor
able warfare and controversy, was justly
entitled to a copy, and my rights in this
particular were fully equal to those of the
OF her party to the arbitration. 1t is equally
true that after months of careful investiga-
ton the board of naval engineers. who were
officers and gentlemen, reported in my favor
on every material point and wrote boldly ,,
on pages of the records referring to this
contract not only a REPUTATION of the
charges which had been made against me-
but a scathing arraignment of the methods
of the architects Office well; and, while
these records have been concealed In an
endeavor to hide the inefficiency, or worse
of the architects office. can well afford to
await the time of their publicity through
the courts of the United States for my vim
dication."