ANNUAL REPORT OE THE PUBLIC PRINTER EOR THE FISCAL TEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1894. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 1895. — ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PUBLIC PRINTER. Office of the Public Printer, Washington, J). (7., January 11, 1895. Sir : I have the honor to transmit to Congress a report of the affairs of this office for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1894. Very respectfully, Th. E. Benedict, Public Printer. Hon. A. E. Stevenson, President of the Senate. To the Senate and House of Representatives: In obedience to the provisions of statute, it is my duty to present to Congress a detailed statement of the transactions of this office for the fiscal year which closed June 30, 1894. The statistical information embodied in the accompanying tables, carefully compiled from the records of the office, covers a period of over ten months of the admin- istration of my predecessor in office, and of less than two months of my own charge of the public printing. In addition to this interesting exhibit of the practical operations of the work of public printing, binding, lithographing, etc., the law requires that I shall report such further information touching the condition of the office as may be in my possession. I feel it to be especially my duty at the present time to call the attention of Congress to the new and serious aspect which the question of providing safe and more commodious accommodations for this office has assumed. The following report of the result of an examination into the con- dition of the buildings occupied for public printing—which has already- been transmitted to the Joint Committee on Printing of Congress was made to Brig. Gen. Thomas L. Casey, Chief Engineer of the United 3 : : : 4 REPORT OF THE PUBLIC PRINTER. States Army, by Col. John M. Wilson, of the Engineer Corps, who was detailed for the purpose under authority of the act making appro- priations for sundry civil expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1895, approved August 18, 1894. To this report I invite especial attention Office of Public Buildings and Grounds, Boom 24, War Department, Washington, D. 0., August 31, 1894. General : In compliance with the instructions contained in the letter of the 20th instant from the office of the Chief of Engineers (file mark 7438) directing me to have prepared and to submit a detailed project and estimate of cost of repairiug the Government Printing Office, pro- viding fire escapes, and putting said building in a safe and secure con- dition, I have the honor to report as follows The Government Printing Office, located at the southwest corner of H and North Capitol streets, was originally purchased in 1861, and now consists of what is known as the H street and North Capitol street sections, which are not fireproof, and the southwest and south center sections, which are believed to be fireproof. The original H street section, which was about 243 feet by 61J feet in area and four stories high, was built as a private printing office in 1856, and purchased by the United States in 1861 ; a four-story addition, about 60 feet by 76, was erected at the west end of the structure in 1865; and in 1871 a four-story addition, of the same general style of construction, about 93 feet by 61 feet, was erected immediately south of the H street section, and fronting on North Capitol street. In 1879 a fireproof building about 53 feet by 87 feet, four stories high, with an L about 60 feet by 60 feet, was erected south of the western portion of the H street section. In 1880-81 a lot on H street just west of the H street section was purchased and a stable erected, and in 1881 a second fireproof four-story extension, about 59 feet by 94 feet, was erected just west of North Cap- itol street section. In 1885 a brick storehouse, 16 feefc 10 inches by 100 feet, and three stories high above area, was built south of main building and con- nected with it by a bridge over an alley. A one- story plumbing and paint shop, 16 feet 10 inches by 65 feet 9 inches, was erected on the same lot at the same time. All of these additions were constructed under the supervision of the Architect of the Capitol. In 1888-89 an additional story was constructed upon the south center fireproof section, which had been erected in 1881. During the past ten days careful and critical investigations of all these buildings have been made both by myself and my assistant, Lieut. John S. Sewell, Corps of Engineers; walls have been inspected, excavations adjacent to foundations of walls and piers made, and the latter critically examined; floors torn up, and beams and girders inspected at various points, and with the information now at my com- mand I have the honor to recommend that the following work, in the order named, be undertaken First. To strengthen and repair the entire H street section. Second. To place an additional fireproof story on the southwest section. REPORT OP THE PUBLIC PRINTER. 5 Third. To erect a new five- story fireproof building upon the area between the southwest section and the south center section. For the repairs and strengthening of the H street section detailed estimates are submitted; for the other work only estimates in bulk are submitted. But if the general project is approved and the structures can be built under the law, detailed plans, drawings, and estimates will be prepared and submitted for farther action while the work upon the H street section is in progress. (1) TO STRENGTHEN AND HEPAIR THE H STREET SECTION. This sectiom is a four- story brick structure fronting on H street; its length is 303 feet 6 inches ; its depth for 60 feet from the west end is 76 feet, while the remainder of the section is about 60 feet deep, the east wall being on Xorth Capitol street. The walls of the building are 18 inches thick to the fourth floor, and 13 inches thick from there to the top. The floors are of timber, sup- ported by 3-inch by 13-inch joists in the third and fourth stories, and 3-inch by 11-inch joists in the second story. There is no basement; the first floor is laid directly on a brick pave- ment, which rests on the ground. The floor joists run north and south along the north and south sides of the building, their ends resting upon the walls. As originally cod structed, two lines of girders and columns extended from east to west through the building, and these carried the middle span of the joists and the inner ends of the two outer spans. The columns of the first and second stories are 6-inch cast irou, with about three-quarter-inch shells; in the third story the columns are rectangular Georgia pine posts, with a section of 10 inches by 10 inches. The girders in all the stories are 10-inch by 11-inch pine. The iron columns in the first story rest upon brick piers, which extend down to hard earth about 4 feet 1 inches below the floor. The chief engineer of the building states that these piers have a base about 4 feet square. The only one of these examined by Lieutenant Sewell had a part of its foundation cut away to make room for a large printing press, and was not as large as the others are stated to be. The original construction above described made the clear spans of tne floor joists about 19 feet, with a total strength in the second floor of about 150 pounds per square foot, and in the third and fourth floors of about 110 pounds per square foot for quiescent loads. As the work of the printing office increased the upper floors became considerably overloaded and the first floor filled with machinery. The main line of shafting and pulleys was suspended from the middle of the middle span of joists in the second floor, and under the increased loads and heavy vibrations the condition of the building became so alarming that three additional rows of girders and columns were put in, dividing each span of joists into two nearly equal spans. The new posts were of white oak in the first story and Georgia pine above, all being 8 inches square. The girders were 8-inch by 10-inch Georgia pine in all the stories. Some inclined struts were also placed just inside the north wall to lessen the danger to this wall from the vibrations. The foundations under the first floor for this extra shoring are brick piers resting on concrete, the depth being about 3 feet and the piers about 3 feet square. 6 REPORT OF THE PUBLIC PRINTER. The foundations of the outer walls of the building consist of a well- built rubble wall resting on solid earth at a depth of from 4 feet to 6 feet and a width at bottom of from 2 feet 4 inches to 2 feet 10 inches. The original building appears to have been well designed and well constructed throughout, except that the walls are too light for such a large structure, even without the vibrations transmitted to them from the machinery, and wooden lintels were used over all the windows. The shrinkage of these lintels probably caused the numerous cracks which appear over the windows. The original structure was taxed far beyond a safe and reasonable limit, both as to space and weight.