REPORT

OF THE

SUPERVISING ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS.

WASHINGTON, D. C., November 15, 1884.

SIR: We have the honor to submit a report of operations pertaining to the reconstruction of the south wing of the building occupied by the Department of the Interior, from October 23, 1883, the date of our former report, to this date, with a recapitulation up to date of the whole work, which, funds admitting, will be finished before the end of this winter.

The eastern end of the wing will be in a state to receive the wroughtiron model-cases, already constructed and delivered on the grounds, ready for erection, about the first week of December.

In the central or entrance hall the scaffolds will be removed about the same time, so that a full view of the finished ceiling, side walls, and arches may be had, and the laying of the encaustic tile floors commenced about the 15th of December.

The work on the western end of the wing will be a few weeks behind, but rapidly follow that on the eastern end.

The large hall, above the main portico, containing 3,000 square feet floor space, is about ready for occupation.

The central hall of this wing, being at the head of the main stairway of the building, forms the main entrance to the huge quadrangle which shelters the model-museum of the patents of the United States. Hence, in design, material, workmanship, and decoration, it has received the careful consideration which its importance calls for. Sixteen pilasters in Doric renaissance, surmounted by carved consoles, ornamental friezes, and enriched cornices, support a molded ceiling, paneled in a variety of forms, and having an octagonal skylight of twenty feet diameter, glazed within a wide border of colored glass, with obscured and embossed plate-glass in the center. All details, enrichments, ornaments, and rosets of the ceiling are plastic, and relieved by carefully blended, subdued tints and chaste gilding. The bases of the pilasters are executed in black and antique green polished marbles; the pedestals in Tennessee, the fluted shafts in polished Sienna, the capitals in flat, veined Italian, Keene's cement-scagliola.

To the east and west this hall discloses, through large open archways between the pilasters, a view into the corridors and offices and into the galleries forming model-halls. The high wall spaces above the windows and below the cornices of the north and south walls are allotted to six largest-sized bass-reliefs, representing objects appropriate to the purposes to which the adjoining halls and rooms are devoted, namely, invention and industry, mining, and agriculture, on the south side, and electricity and magnetism, water, and fire, on the north side. A paneled

wainscoting in black, antique red, and green polished marbles girds the hall and incloses a decorated tile floor of original designs, which is being executed by the United States Encaustic Tile Company in Indians apolis, Ind.

The galleries constituting model-halls are inclosed along the corridors and within the openings on the entrance hall by ornamental, polished, and chased bronze railings.

The limited funds then at disposal did not allow us to use the spring months to best advantage. The building was brought under an absolutely fire-proof roof of wrought iron and porous, hollow terra-cotta blocks, overlaid with Portland cement concrete, and this again was covered with heavy tinned sheet copper, jointed, by day's work, according to the most approved modern systems, which make ample allowance for expansion and contraction under the exacting conditions of our climate. The skylights were glazed with heavy hammered glass and provided with a system of condense gutters. As soon as the new appropriation, made in July, 1884, was available, advertisements were published inviting proposals for the iron work required inside the building, such as ceilings, window and door frames, casings of floors, railings, stairs, &c.; further, for plain and ornamental plate-glass, obscured and fluted glass, marble work, bronze work; and in all cases awards made to the lowest bidders. The fire-proof casings of all constructive iron work, with non-conducting terra-cotta tiles, were carried out; the iron skeletons and furrings for cornice work were gone on with, the ornamental and scagliola work in Keene's fire-proof cement was proceeded with by day's work; the encaustic tile floors were provided for, &c. The wooden roof over the main staircase adjoining this wing, which, owing to a lack of funds, had so far remained intact, was removed and replaced by a fire-proof roof, with ornamental fire-proof ceiling underneath.

While the above preparations and operations were set in motion, another most onerous duty was imposed upon us. Sheer necessity compelled the removal of the thoroughly corroded and inefficient, and, for the reconstructed building, insufficient, heating apparatus, and hence the introduction of a new low-pressure steam-heating apparatus, planned and based on the theoretical and empirical results now available, was resolved upon. This work was carried on during the night, so as not to interfere with the business of the examiners of the Patent Office. After laying open the foundation, walls, and floors of the building, quite unexpected difficulties were met when the horizontal underground ducts for the main, return, and relief pipes, and the numerous large grooves in side walls and floors for the rising pipes, had to be cut in the irreg ular gneiss and granite walls and heavy concrete floors of the building. To establish an efficient circulation of the steam by a steady return flow of the hot condensed water into the boilers, the heavy foundations inclosing two boiler rooms had to be underpinned. These difticulties were overcome, the boilers were set, the pipe system laid, and a sufficient number of radiators placed, so that with the first cold spell the boilers could be started and steam let on.

All this work was pushed so that in the month of August a heavy force of plasterers could be employed, who worked by the day, under the eight-hour law, and have now completed the bulk of the work, with the exception of the plain plastering in office rooms and some ornamental work in connection with the scagliola work, all of which could not be completed yet.

The floors of the galleries are now being laid with fire-proof cement work as fast as they get ready for it.

The fire-proof model-cases have already been delivered and are awaiting the opportunity for erection in place. They fill the halls with the exception of the second gallery of the eastern end of the wing. The completion of this second gallery requires an appropriation of $7,500.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT.

The careful estimates laid before Congress in December, 1882 and 1883, for the reconstruction of the south wing, aggregate $151,000 for construction and decoration and $18,000 for the new steam-heating apparatus. The appropriations asked for under the first head have been made by Congress in full. For the heating apparatus only $2,000 were appropriated. Since the old heating apparatus was absolutely beyond the reach of repair, and 200,000 cubic feet of air in office-rooms have been added to the former space supplied by the heating apparatus, it was impossible to get along with this sum, and strong efforts were made to defray the cost of this unavoidable work from the funds for construction. Unexpected difficulties, the excessive cost of the work executed during the night, and the very large increase in the price of labor during the last summer, frustrated the success of our efforts, and some of the work necessary for completion cannot be done with the funds at disposal.

Contracts and accepted proposals entered into during the operations of reconstruction and fitting.

Contracts and proposals entered into during the operntions, &c.—Continued.

Iron furring and lathing. John M. Hoyt, Springfield. Plain, 25 cents to 27 cents

Ledig & Herrlein, Phila-S
delphia.

Otto Wolfsteiner....

Snowden & Cowman, Bal-
timore.

J. G. & J. M. Waters...
Emil Fritsch, New York

1,068 88 924 68 2,775 00 7,741 00

354 10

3,550 00

4,900 00 474 20

237 00 7,700 00

The expenditures on this work up to date, properly classified, are as follows:

To complete the work as thoroughly as it has been begun, and prosecuted up to date, will involve the following expenditures:

Labor and material for Keene's cement floors

Iron stairs, window-frames, &c....

Glass and glazing...

Encaustic tile floors..

Radiators for steam heat

Fire-proof sliding door.

Doors, frames, architraves, sash, &c..

The expenditures to date are (excluding pay-roll for current month)..

Hence, balance for liquidating liabilities.............

Deficiency.....

......

$60,000 00
91, 000 00
2,000 00

153, 000 00

$1,800 00

3,600 00

1,700 00

4,400 00

4,000 00

550 00

2,400 00 450 00 3,800 00

3,300 00 2,800 00 4,300 00 600 00 5,500 00 750 00 1,500 00

41,450 00

130,398 73

22, 601 27

18,848 73

It is respectfully suggested that the importance of providing this balance be brought to the attention of Congress, so that the building can be turned over to the Interior Department in complete order. We have the honor to be, very respectfully, your most obedient, CLUSS & SCHULZE, Supervising Architects and Engineers.

Hon. HENRY M. TELLER,

Secretary of the Interior.