SPECIFIC A TIONS. 293 



encouraged, or made possible; but, as has been said, the general 

 instructions should be such as would encourage individuality 

 of design and construction, where such latitude is likely to elevate ; 

 and cannot possibly lower the scale of general excellence sought. 



What has been said presents rather the legal than the com- 

 mercial aspect of a draft of a set of specifications, but beside the 

 legality of the transaction, vital though this be, the technical, 

 and Uade elements are primarily the most essential. The rule 

 that "the best is the cheapest in the end" has its limitations. 

 For a building, to specify all "hard" brick and "heart lumber" 

 entails upon the purchaser an unnecessary expense where, in 

 general, "kiln-run" brick and "merchantable" lumber would 

 answer every practical requirement; nor should the engineer 

 expect to get high-grade materials for his client by ambiguity 

 and his interpretation of the specifications. 



Before commencing to draft specifications, what is wanted 

 must be fully known, expressed without ambiguity and useless 

 verbiage, and afterwards insisted upon. 



In a recent address, delivered before the American Society 

 for Testing Materials, Dr. Chas. B. Dudley, Chief Chemist 

 of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, crystallizes these princi- 

 ples in his conclusions, which are as follows: 



" (i) A specification for material should contain the fewest 

 possible restrictions consistent with obtaining the material 

 desired. 



" (2) The service which the material is to perform, in con- 

 nection with reasonably feasible possibilities in its manufacture, 

 should determine the limitations of a specification. 



" (3) All parties whose interests are affected by a specification 

 should have a voice in its preparation. 



" (4) The one who finally puts the wording of the specification 

 into shape should avoid making it a place to show how much ; 

 he knows, as well as a mental attitude of favor or antagonism 

 to any of the parties affected by it. 



