Appropriations and disbursements, fiscal year, 1904. Bureau of architecture and construction of public buildings. Appropriations and disbursements, fiscal year, 1904. Bureau of architecture and construction of public buildings--Continued. SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS, JULY 1 TO AUGUST 31, 1904. MANILA, P. I., September 15, 1904. SIR: In compliance with instructions conveyed in your communication dated July 27, 1904, I have the honor to submit the supplemental report on the operations of this bureau for the period July 1, 1904, to August 31, 1904. The office and general bureau equipment remains the same as on June 30, less one clerk class 9, as provided in Act 1225. No work of great importance has been started since the previous report. Probably the most interesting event since that date, touching the repair and maintenance of public buildings, was the phenomenal flood of water during the week of July 11, when the greater part of the city was inundated. The water, however, did not rise above the street level within the walled city. At Malacanang palace the water was over 3 feet deep in the main foyer; at the new San Lazaro corral it rose about 8 inches above the stall floors; the new post-office at cuartel Fortin was dry; the storehouse floor, bureau of architecture, was dry; at the civil hospital there was over 3 feet of water; the public printing office, first story, was dry, as was also the first floor of the new municipal building, although the water was 2 feet deep on the premises; the finished grade level at the new laboratory was dry, but the old levels were flooded. BUREAU OF GOVERNMENT LABORATORIES. Delivery of the machinery for this building is progressing and it is being set up as fast as received. The gas generator was put in commission the last day of August and is satisfactory in every way, the gas mains all having been tested out previously. The biological laboratory moved into the new building during the latter part of August and has the use of the major portion of the biological desks. The donkey pump is now in commission for the present purpose of keeping an even pressure on the water service throughout the building. The main boilers have been satisfactorily tested to a pressure of 260 pounds per square inch. AUDIENCIA BUILDING. A new railing has been placed in the chamber occupied by the supreme court, and the room has been entirely repainted and decorated. The floors of the rooms holding a large number of court records have shown signs of weakness recently and new trusses and girders of modern construction are being placed under same. SANTA POTENCIANA BUILDING. The plumbing of this building has been radically remodeled and is now in a sanitary condition. These renovations consist of the building of a new water-tight cesspool and septic tank overflowing into the street sewer, connected with the new soil and waste lines from the new toilets and lavatories on both floors of the building. The old cesspool has been cleaned out and filled in. BUREAU OF CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION. A fire-alarm system has been installed throughout the building and bodegas, with direct connection to the San Fernando station of the city fire department. A standpipe system has also been installed in the main building. BUREAU OF POSTS. Plans for a post-office screen, lock boxes, stamp window, etc., have been prepared by this bureau for the post-office at Cebu, Cebu. The work was all finished and put together in Manila, then knocked down, crated, and shipped to Cebu where it is being erected. PUBLIC PRINTING OFFICE. The stereotyping and electrotyping divisions are being moved from the second to the first story, giving more space for the bindery in the second floor. These divisions will occupy the space on the first floor formerly used as a paper storehouse, the paper being now stored in one of the custom-house bodegas. MALACAÑANG PALACE. The first story walls on the exterior have been repainted and the main foyer and other parts of the building touched up all being necessitated by the results of the July inundations. Recommendations concerning this building contained in the first annual report are again respectfully submitted, viz, that a new residence be constructed for the use of the civil governor in some other portion of the city. The neighborhood of the present palace is famous for its low level and the frequency with which water floods the grounds. The property is situated so that it receives the full swift current of the river in time of flood, and the water is noticeably higher on the palace grounds than it is in other parts of the city where it gets a chance to spread out and is away from the swift current of the river. In this connection, the stone in the old foundation for the proposed residence of the Spanish governor-general could be used in building a new residence for the civil governor, and would probably be sufficient for all the main walls of the building. BUREAU OF PHILIPPINES CONSTABULARY. Request has been made by the chief supply officer, Philippines constabulary, that this bureau take charge of the construction of necessary new buildings and repairs to old buildings throughout the islands. The request did not include buildings in remote portions of the interior, but only such as are within working distance of the coast towns, where supplies and materials can be delivered. Estimates have been prepared and submitted to the Commission in regard thereto. The bureau has been requested by the chief supply officer to take charge of all repairs and new buildings for the bureau of Philippines constabulary in the city of Manila, which include, in the immediate future, the construction of a new horse stable and repairs to the Santa Lucia barracks. A bluing furnace has just been completed in the Oriente bodega for the ordnance division of the constabulary, plans and specifications for which, as well as the supervision thereof, were done by this bureau. A supplementary statement of the financial operations of the bureau to August 31 is hereto attached. In explanation of the apparent discrepancy in the value of payments made during the two months covered by said statement and the statement covering the whole of the fiscal year 1904, submitted in previous report, it may be said that the greater part of the expenditures during said period involved payments to contractors on completed contracts which happened to fall due within the period mentioned. During this period, also, the books showed additional charges against the various subheads, due to the fact that certain materials, which were used on the jobs during the fiscal year 1904, were not charged to the subheads until statement furnished the disbursing officer, July 31, 1904. Respectfully submitted. EDGAR K. BOURNE, Hon. JAMES F. SMITH, |