How much was the work the hired slaves did worth?

"The laborers’ job then was to get it from the stone yard or stone workers’ sheds using the stonecutters carts. As the masons built up the foundation walls, the laborers used pulleys to get stone down to carts next to the wall and then pushing the carts to the masons and under their instructions lifting it so they can set it in place. Inclined planes and poles to leverage the stone probably helped. Laborers probably also brought mortar to the masons and perhaps mixed it. There was a horse driven machine to mix the lime. When a horse wasn’t available the hired slaves did all the work. That seems a plausible explanation of what the slaves did. No one described it at the time."

 Quote from Slave Labor in the Capital, page 87

Going through the documents I copied for this blog, I found a better short description of how the laborers helped the stone masons. John Dobson, an Englishman, made a piece work contract with the commissioners describing the prices for all the types of stone work necessary all on condition that the commissioners provide laborers "to hoist and haul stone onto the scaffolds." That quote is at the bottom of Dobson's letter. I copy that letter at the end of this post. Unfortunately for all the figures in it, Dobson's letter doesn't help us estimate how much the work of the laborers tending masons was worth.


While there was little written about what the hired slaves actually did, and no estimate of how valuable they were to the project even though they were hired as a cost saving measure, we can get answers to those questions by looking closely at what was written about skilled workers. Thanks to the commissioners forcing their masons to get paid on a piece-work basis, a group of masons estimated the value of "sufficient attendance" that is to say, having laborers tend masons. They offered to work for 4/6 per perch of stone laid without "having all the materials laid down convenient to the building" or for 3/6 per perch with that help. So they valued the work of the laborers who tended the masons at one shilling, roughly 13 cents, for each perch laid.

Since the masons also offered to work for 11/3 per day, we can estimate that a mason generally laid 3 to 4 perches of stone a day. One perch of stone wall is 16 ½ feet long, 18 inches high and 12 inches thick. So a day's work for a mason and the laborers attending him entailed moving and setting 10 to 12 slabs of freestone. The North Wing of the Capitol was 120 x 126 feet and 70 feet high.

We the under named Masons, who were induced to come from different parts of the continent to the Federal City, under expectations of meeting with good wages, but who now find ourselves out of employ, certainly from no fault of our own, after having been a considerable time engaged in the Public service, performing our work faithfully and to the full satisfaction of our employer, beg leave to offer our services to the Publick on either of the following conditions.
We will build the foundation of the Capitol to the height required with rough stone, in a workman like manner which we are qualified to do, at 4/6 per perch - having all materials laid down convenient to the Building - And if found with sufficient attendance we will do the same for 3/6 per perch - Or we will work at 11/3 per day. But no man who is a Tradesman will submit to work under those who are not. We therefore cannot work under McDermott Roe & cannot help thinking it very hard that we should be told we must work under him, or be discharged, after having worked so long for the publick without complaint against us.
We have heard assigned as a reason for the change which has taken place in the manner of conducting the Public work - that the Masons who were at work at the Capitol - idled their time and did not do their duty. This is not true, whoever may have made such representations to the commissioners - Let the work done this Spring be fairly estimated and it will be found that each Mason employed fully earned his wages, allowing the rate per perch at which McDermott Roe has contracts - with this wide difference in favor of the masons - that their work will stand the test of the severest examination, and McDermott Roe's is totally unfit for such a building, and must be undone or the House will be ruined, which we are willing to prove. It is also said as a reason for the change, that the masons refused to work without their wages were raised from 10/ to 11/3. This is not true, the Masons said not a word about their wages until after they were told by Mr. Hoban that those who did not choose to work under McDermott Roe might go about their business - They were well satisfied to continue as they had done for twelve months before at 10/ a day. - But after being discharged they had a right without any imputation upon them to hold their future services at what they thought proper
Robt Brown, James Maitland, John Delahunty, Thom? Maitland ( ?, 1794)