The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-09-30


The Editor of the National Intelligent
Ger not having had room this morning for
my remarks on the late accident 1T the Ca
pital, take the liberty TO transmit to YOU
i'm addition tothe concise statement publish
ed by YOU Yesterday, the following Informal
ton, which the eagerness of the interest
which the public take in the occurrence APP
pears to demand.
The vault of the court room consisted OF
n mi-spaerical seg,ren, dome of 50 feet s
inches diameter, and cylindrical scgncut
of about s. feet chord, extended to the cast
ward. The principle on which this work
was constructed, was such as theory and ex-
periencc have approved in numherless in
stances, and of the soidity Of which bot,
wings of the Capitol afford many proofs and
examples That the vault should thcrcfo fore
have fallen perpcndicularly into the cellar,
| and have not carried with it any part of tie
work except the backing which rested i'm
| mediatciy upon it, and that no part OF the
butment should have in the slightest degree
failed, would fy'io''i appear impossible.
and without some explanation of the man
( ner by which il was brought down cannot
be easily understood. That attemps have
been made in the absence of the workmen
| to injure this work can BE- legally proved.
But attribute its failure to other and more
| efficient causes. The first OF thcse-as to
| the cylindrical arch-was the improper
! structure of the boxes, or small centers,
placed upon the great center Tor frame OH
which the arch is turned) for the purpose of
sinking pannels in its underside, and thus
| tightening the weight and improving the APP
pearancc or the WORK. these small cen
| tecs were made like boxes with solid sides
| instead of being loosely boarded, SO that
when the centre OF the great arch was struck,
they prevented that part which was pannei-
led from pressing together, and suspending
! all the bricks of the pannels without any adj
ditional pressure, threw an extraordinary
weight upon the margins, weakened and
/ broke the bond, and occasoned the arch to
warp, although it would not have fallen,
had the half dome stood.
| The spherical part of the vault or half
| dome owed its destruction to other causes.
In order to save very much labor and mate
rails, Mr.. Lenthall, who in skill and judg-
ment on every other occasion was almost
without rival, departed from the best me-
| thod of dwelling the top of the vault for the
( floor of the Senate chamber, and carried
round the dome two arches of ten feet span,
| both resting on one narrow sefnicircuar
base or butment OH the top Of the dome,
thus loading that part with many tons weight
more than the remainder. He was aware
OF the danger OF this proceeding, and had
secured the center by range of props UNI
/ der this line. When afterwards the centers
were to be struck, he was very unwilling
! to move or lower this range of props and
indeed appears to have had serious appre-
tensions on the subject at an early period.
] For on my return from Philadelphia, he
pointed out the difficulties he apprehended,
and although Immediately recommended
that the backing should be removed and
differently constructcd--hc wished to try
the effect Of his method still longer, and
he almost daily went alone into the room and
lowered the center little. His consum-
mate judgment and success in every former
undertaking was such, that made no OBJ
Elections, as the arch did not open above in
the least, although the centers had been
lowered Il little immediately on its being
keyed, and afterwards had been settled four
or five inches. On Saturday an attempt was
4 made whilst the men were at breaks fast to
force down the key bricks of the arches, on
the back OF the segment of which the CEN
ter had been struck and removed / order
ed the injury to be repaired, and on OPEN
ing the arch, though the backing was dis
turbed by settlement, the arch itself appear
ed safe No crack whatever appeared on
the spherical arch. Mr. Blagden, whose
character as workman and a man, is too
well known to require any commentator of
lniOG, IrOUl the commencement OF low
cring the centers, told me that the vault
would be thrown dawn. But my fears were
removed, when on Friday the centers were
lowered some inches, without any cracks
appearing, and told him that | thought all
safe--he was still ncredulous, and / then
told Mr.. Lenthall that would open the back
ing arches before the centers were removed,
On Monday morning was absent at the Ma
wy Yard, and it appears that a failure on
the top of the arch was then apparent. He
went below with about ten hands to examine
it, and soon afterwards il fell. The escape
of all but him, is almost miraculous. One
man Mr.. M'Nauty, carpenter, was thrown
out of the window by blow from falling
Ipiece of timber, and thus saved. Mr.. Len
thall himself was within yard of esca-
ping
Over the senate chamber, above the court
room, vault oflargc dimensions, and much
Ibolder execution, is constructed Of this
vault the centers were cased, but BY the
sudden fall of the vault below, the support
of the center of the segment was torn away
entirely well as that of the crown of the
spherical part, and the whole weight thrown
with jerk against the east wall But the
vault stood firm, and exhibits at this moment
the best proof that nothing was wrong in
the principle of the work. For had it not
been of the most solid construction both in
Let, -,