REPORT ON THE STATE, WAR, AND NAVY

DEPARTMENT BUILDING.

REPORT

ON

CONSTRUCTION OF STATE, WAR, AND NAVY DEPARTMENT BUILDING, 1881.

OFFICE OF BUILDING FOR STATE, WAR,
AND NAVY DEPARTMENTS, OLD BUILDING,
NAVY DEPARTMENT, SEVENTEENTH STREET,

Washington, D. C., July 1, 1881. SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of operations pertaining to the construction of the building for State, War, and Navy Departments, in my charge, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1881:

The east wing of the building having been entirely completed during the last fiscal year, operations were confined exclusively to the north wing. At the close of the year ending June 30, 1880, as shown by the last annual report, the work, which had been proceeding slowly for some weeks for want of funds, was nearly suspended, and the supply of materials practically exhausted.

An appropriation of $450,000 for the north wing was made by act of Congress approved June 16, 1880, but owing to the facts that much of the material required, consisting of manufactured iron and cut granite, could not be contracted for until funds were available; that considerable time was necessarily consumed in the preparation of those materials, and that the iron-work was the first needed before the work could go on, operations on the building could not be resumed with any vigor until September 23, 1880. Even then, but few parts of the work could be carried on simultaneously, as it was necessary to complete some floors and interior walls to enable the derricks to be raised into advanced positions for the handling of the stone.

After two or three weeks, however, the work moved along with system, and good progress was made up to November 22 with both the stone and brick masonry, including the combined iron-work. At this time freezing weather set in, which suspended the masonry for some days, and, with the exception of one or two weeks of mild weather suitable for laying masonry, was succeeded by one of the severest winters of this latitude, effectually closing, on the 20th of December, all operations upon the building.

The object of pushing the masonry work so late in the season was to fit the building for the iron-work of the roof, for which the contractors had prepared much of the material, expecting, according to the terms of their contract, to erect it during the winter. The weather, however, rendered all such out-door work impracticable, and it was necessarily deferred until spring.

On February 23, 1881, the last of the stone for the court-yard walls of this wing arrived at the building.

On March 28, 1881, the weather having become well settled, opera