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.ÿþ130 architects to the nationFigure 5.9Mullett used the opportunity to present Sherman with a twenty-U.S.courthouse and postnine-page letter, outlining a list of errors and improper expendituresoffice, Baltimore,that had been incurred in that time.He also pointed to the endorse-Maryland, 1881 1890,ments Hill obtained from the state of Maine, which were procuredJames G.Hill.Courtesythrough the influence of the contractors of granite being used inNational Archives.federal buildings.For example, Jonas French of the Cape Ann GraniteCompany, which supplied granite for the Boston post office, stronglysupported Hill s appointment.At the end of the letter, Mullett urgedthat he be reappointed supervising architect, but Sherman de-clined.48 However, rumors spread throughout the city and the archi-tectural profession in the spring of 1877 that Hill s departure was im-minent.In May 1877, a portion of the roof of the New York post office col-lapsed and killed four workmen.A few months earlier, the press hadnoted the departure of William G.Steinmetz as superintendent ofthe building and his replacement by Thomas A.Oakshott.Mullettseized the opportunity to ascribe the accident to the dismissal ofSteinmetz.A grand jury investigation into the accident revealed thatthe roof truss had not been properly bolted to the framing.Oakshott,neither an architect nor an engineer, was apparently uninformed asto the construction or placement of the roof truss.Hill was relievedof any major responsibility for the accident; the American Architectconcluded that an instance of negligence is not proof of incompe-
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