Year: 1875

| following are the instructions of the Sec
retary OF the Treasury to the Supervising
| Architect:


TREASURY DEPARTMENT,


WAsHINGTON, September 25. !


Respectfully referred to the Supervis-
ing Architect of the Treasury, who Is
hereby directed to take measures for
strengthening and completing the con-
crete foundations, in accordance with the
recommendation OF this report. lie Is
also directed to take down the parts OF
the building herein recommended, and
proceed with the reconstruction ut once.
He will bring the building rs near as
NAV be To All uniform level before hard
| freezing weather, when he will suspend
building work and adopt such measures
as may be necessary to protect the build
ing thoroughly from exposure to the
weather during the coming winter
Before the resumption of work in the
spring the Supervising Architect
will carefully revise the plans ot
the building, redistributing weights and
tightening structures IN accordance with
suggestions contained in the report, and
also reduce and cheaper the character OF
sIone cutting on the superstructure. lie
will select for superintendent oithis build
ing the most competent and trustworthy
man he can obtain, and will charge HIM
specially with seeing that all contracts
with reference to the material are rIgldly
enforced, and that all materials furnish
ed is carefully inspected, The supcryis-
ing architect will also cause to be set
permanent bench mark, from which
| levels shall be taken from time to time,
Ms recommended in this report, and take
whatever steps he may find necessary to
carry out the recommendations of this
! report. ID. H. bklSIo",


Secretary.
4 Horrible Crime.


LOUISVILLE, September 2J.-JacoO
Reitter committed n horrible crime IN
New Albany, this morning, numbering
his wife, cutting his own throat and hrlng
the house. lie came home the night pre-
vious desperate from drunk, and forced
his way to his wife's presence, and then
commenced his crime. Retter first beat
his wife until her screams attracted the
attention OF the neighbors; then tied her
neck to stihe her outcries, and succeeding
in this, beat her several hours with All
iron instrument until her head was
mashed to II Jelly. Three holes were
made in the skull, and the face feartully
mutilated. After which he set
fire to the house, leaving the
body to be cremated by the flames. Rettcr
concealed himself the chicken coop in
the ward of his residence and watched
the tlarnes devour his house and never
moved till the body of his. wife was taken
out. Her flesh was burnt to II crisp in
some places and the body presented Il
most horrible appearance IA 1t was being
removed. Reitter cut his own Throat
severing his windpipe and intlictng a
wound from which he may die at any
moment.


Chicago Custom House.


WAsHISGToN, September 25.-Ihc re-
port of the Board appointed to invcstI.
gate the Chicago Custom House, alter
reviewing the circumstances OF their APP
pointment and acknowledging the good
Offices and courtesy of all with whom
their duties brought them in contact, ar
rlyes ut the following conclusion:


The ground upon which the tounda-
ton OF the building rests was by our
direction thoroughly tested by digging,
boring and applying known weights upon
known areas, thus giving US, We believed,
IL thorough knowledge Of It's nature, &c.
Your CommissIon finds that the building
is undcrlaid throughout Its whole extent
with compressible stratum, compressed of
mixture of clay, sand and water rang.
ing in thickness from twenty to twenty
five feet; below which is hard
blue clay. They are Of opinion,
after much careful delIneation, that
the foundation of the building
should in the first instance have been
carried to this blue clay, either by pillng
or by masonry, and that had this course
been adopted, there would never have
been aLy question, concerning the
safety Of the building: Asst is the build
ing rests on continuous mass Of concrete,
varying in thickness from - to 4 feet,
covering the whole area of the building,
except the central corner spaces, and
some of the areas of concrete are excel
lent, and distrlbate Il pressure over an
area materially greater than that of the
footing stones of piers; 50 that the pres
sure per square foot in the ground below,
will probably not be greater than 1000
pounds per square foot without any ma
terial disturbance. Your Commission
is of the opinion, too, that the weight OF
the building can be much reduced, ana
recommend that sucha "a reduction he in
sisted upon most strenuously.


The Commissioners therefore report
that in their opinion, the foundation OF
the building is


Not on Firm Ground,


but that with the notifications already
proposed and alterations of the founda-
tions herein mentioned, the defects in the
foundation may be- remedied. The alb
scnce OF bench marks and consequent con-
fusion in levels, prevent the Board from
determining whether the foundations
vary from the original level, but the COM
psrison of all the levels taken by the
three Boards convinced them that the
building may be said to be level in itself,
the extreme difference of the level in the
four corners being less than one



corners the levels only differ by five
hundredths of an inch. The greater
height of the west side is due to the Up
heaval by frost, but on account of the
absence of bencbmarks already men
toned, the board is unable to state posi-
lively whether there has been y settle
ment or not. They are however, of the
opinion, from the general appearance OF
the building as well as from the general
uniformity of the level, that there has
been so far no material settlement, a.
though some settlement may be appre-
hended In the future progress OF the
building. If, however the precautions
suggested by the Board be adopted, they
are of opinion that such settlement Will
be nearly uniform, and will not materl-
ally interfere with the stability of the
building. The Board here recommend
certain conditions, upon which, in their
opinion, the building may be completed
uI..tInytnn RnnL