The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-22
High Fence Surrounding Federal
Square Is Not Longer an Obstacle
to Anxious Sightseers.
EIGHTY MEN NOW EMPLOYED
SUPERINTENDENT sTRATHAM SAYS
WORK WILL BE PUSHED.
When Completed 1t Will Be the
Largest Postomce, for Size of
City, in the Country.

DuliulnS are daily looming nlgner anu
higher above the tall board fence which has
hidden the work for SO many weeks. Pas
sersby no longer have to stop and affix
their eyes TO a small crack or knot
hole to see what is doing within. The
noise of the workmen pounding at the stone
and the steel and the creak of the derricks
lifting and placing blocks of limestone and
beams of iron, has attracted the curiosity of
scores of people.
Perhaps the fence has a good deal to do
with it, too. If the fence were not there
and the work were going on before the
eyes of the whole public, doubtless the peo-
pie would not be inquisitive to flatten
their noses against the boards and squint
their eyes at squares of stone formless
brick walls and piles of freshly worked
earth. But the fact that the fence is there
for the express purpose of keeping people
out, makes people desire to get in. The
officials have been very strict about letting
outsiders trespass in the government gar
den. 1t is government policy. Unless you
have business behind those unscalable
fences, you will have to hunt a peep-hole.
OF course there are exceptions and few
visitors are shown the new. work, but it
would not be wise for the officials to make
a habit of it for they would be overrun
with visitors and the work would be de-
layed no little bit And if the fence were
not there, the workmen would spend a
greater part Of their time chasing the small
boys from the walls and the dirt piles; and
there are chances of eager spectators ven
turing too closely and being injured by a
fragment of the heavy material with which
the men work. So that after all the fence
is not put there to spite the public or to
arouse its curiosity, but rather to protect
| it, as well as the work.
CAN SEE FROM OUTSIDE.
| Now however. people can stand on the
opposite side of the street and watch to their
hearts content the progress of the work.
| From that position they can see the stone
settlers setting the stone and the brick lay
ers placing their hundreds of brick, shout
| ing ever and anon, More mort! more
mort" The steel men working with the
| derricks and swinging into place the heavy
beams are also discernible from the side
walk. But all below the line of that high
board fence is a mystery to those without.
There is no getting around 1.-THE fence is
| heartless. Whether anything is going on
below there or not there may be, and as
| long as people think there is and they can't
| see 1t they are disappointed.
AT the northeast corner of the square are
the Offices of the contractors and the men
| in charge of the work. ID. G. Stratham,
contractor for John PIERCE, is in charge
| and the men are under him. Mr.. Stratham
is always. willing. TO talk about the work
| and to tell about its. progress.
Those who have watched the progress of
| the work and have noticed every morning
! on their wsy to business the increasing
/ height OF the smooth gray stone have re-
marked at the rapidity with which it was
| done. Since the stone strike was settled
the walls seem to grow in the night time.
| However, If one notices closely, he will see
| that the growth is on three sides only. The
| north side of the building, as yet, is at a
standstill. This is due 10 change in the
| original plans by the officials at Washing
| ton Each side of the building is con-
| structed according to different plan, and
| the fact that the plan of the stone work
| of the north side was changed at the last
| moment from the plain fiuted pilasters is
| responsible for the delay on that side A
| revised drawing of the north front is now
| being made, but ii will have to be sent to
| Washington for approval and acceptance,
and this red tape will involve a further
delay of two or three weeks.
EIGHTY MEN AT WORK.
In the meantime work is being concen-
trated on the other sides of the building
| About eighty men are now at work. The
| strike in the stone Quarries at Bedford
| was responsible for a setback of two
months and these two months, Mr.. STRAIT
,ham said, were the best working months
of the year, being the coolest and the fair
est. The stone and brick work is now be-
tween the first and second stories. The
steel work is keeping pace with it and in sew
eral places is slightly in advance. The iron
beams of the first floor are all laid and
the men are now working on the partition
beams. The section of the building where
| the work is now retarded is that part which
| will constitute the working portion of the
/ postoffice.
Although at this time the work is going
on much faster than is usually the case
| with government buildings, Mr.. STRAIT
ham says that he expects no more delays
| in the progress of the work and thinks the
| stone Enclosure will be completed by next
spring. The interior work will probably
! though only two stone settlers are at work
| on the stone part, they can more than set
all the stone that is shipped in and cut. A
little trouble is being had in getting enough
| stone, but this, the contractors say, will
| be remeded in few days, when the Bed
ford quarrymen have promised larger ship
| ments. The Brown-Ketcham Company of
| this city is doing the steel work.
A peep through the fence does not give
| one fair idea of the intended size of the
| building. Most people, il is safe TO say, will
| ham said that for the size of the city IL
| will be the largest government building in
the country, while the ground included in
| it's site is larger even than that at Chi
| cago. There will be 100 feet of lawn on the
Ohio-street front and about 40 feet on the
| New York-street front. The spacious lawns
| will add much to the attractiveness of the