Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-01-24
The New Opera House.

INTORTA nj STATEMENTS AND SUCCESS FTONS OF
TIE IEsPECToR OF BUILDINGS.
Mr.. Adolf Cluss, inspector of buildings, has
addressed q communication te Mr.. THONGS Ber-
", proprietor of the new opera house now near
" finished. at the intersection Of 9th street and
Louisiana aveRue, in which he SAYS: "On OBJ
serving that the employees Of your lessee go on
with their work III disregard o. the precauticn-
AIRY Sneasures believed to have been mutually
agreed upon lastHeek, / transmit you an official
statement of my objections and conclusions"
MIR. Eluss then proceeds tn object to the par
ttion dividing the main staircaSe from the
auditorium, to the iI-ode OF securing the ends Of
loi>tlnS under the passages at rear of galleries
to the external walls to the strength OF the
staircase inside the building and ~ the ma
teTial of those inside. Che partition dividing
the staircase from the lot bies and All. itOrium
is altogether unsuited fox the purpose, Mr..
Clnss writes. being by finch studded parti-
ton, which forms the support of one end Ct the
joists under the floors BY which the audience
reaches the main stairway. 'tsuch a light par
titiOn is unfit to- be used for carrying weight in
any substantial building, but in this case 80 big
with ,nOmentous consequences, il is reckless, on
account on the little resistance il offers to the
progress OF fire breaking out in AMI spreading
from the lower story" 1t should he Pinch
brick wall but great expense would be in
CURED III the removal of she present and the
substitution Of a brick wall he suggests that the
partition be built of briek-wOrk i'm cement
mortar not less than 9-inches thick, the brick
being built Detween the StUSding. anchored
thereto, and wei banded with headers a: least
every seven courses this viii strengthen the
wall ami render il apt to Withstand the action of
lire sufficiently long ut a critical moment.
The mode of securing the floor jOists OF the
passages of the galleries TO the exterior walls il
also objected to. The floors Of the passages OF
theaters should be made in the strongest man
ner- Large mOyins masses OF people entering
and leaving theaters nj the same time necessa-
Tily tries these floors to the utmost. TO strength
en- the system YOU have adopted, and obyiate
the necessity OF RETAINING these floors, YOU
must have wrOught-iTon stringers or hangers
4 a. list nd ri
securely into the walls, the jOists being spiked
tn the iron stiTrups; the plate running along
side of and nailed 10 the wall should also be Sc
cured 10 the wall by strong wrOught-iron hold
fasts. placed about four feet apart The inside
STAN carriages are also regarded as insufficient,
an'i one more Is recommended to he added, with
ends secured to the header-beam at the top
with wroUght-TOn hangers. instead of their be-
ing fastened by common nails, at present.
lie condemns the use OF timber for the outside
stairs, as the safety of the public demands that
all exterior staiTcaSes To public OF other large
buildings should be of iInperishable and FIRE
proof material. lie directs that iron or stone
be substituted IN accordance with the original
intention.
The lessee referred 10 by Mr.. Cluss in his com
muncati"n IL Mr.. Ford, OF Baltimore, who pro-
vides all the inside accommodations, such as
noors, galleries, stairs leading to the latter and
stage. The proprietor represents that the high
wooden outside steps are merely Temporary
convenience for the present winter, 10 be re-
Paced by IRON during next summon.
THE TEMPERANCE ALLIANCE AND THE
LIQUoE IAws-A meeting of the Temperance
Alliance was held last evening in the lecture
room OF tie Y. Nj. G. A, and the committee on
the Sunday law submitted a report: That the
executive committee be directed to divide the
District of Columbia into districts and appoint
for each district a committee, whose duty il
shall be to report any violation Of the liquor law
that NAV occur in their district. Also, that the
executive committee be authorized and in
structed TO wait upon the honorable board OF
police and request for the said district commit
tees commissions as special policemen, without
pay, or whatever authority is necessary to enable
them to discharge their duties effectually. Also.
recommending that place similar TO the Holly
Tree inn. i'm Boston, be established az a place OF
resort for the laboring people Of the District OF
Columbia. Adopted.
The committee on resolutions reported 4 series
which was adopted, demanding OF lawmakers
the enactment of such statutes as will rid this
District, over which the national Congress
ercises exclusive legislation" AMI the terri
tories Of the United States, over which ii eXer-
cises s.eXclusiye jurisdiction" in a large meas
IRE. of the sad and lawful effects of the rum
traffic: also setting forth that they will not cease
from active efforts till the manufacture and sale
of intoxicating liquors as a beverage are placed
under the ban of a moral and legal reprobation;
and inviting all the people who agree with them
in the thing to be done without regard to politics
religion, sex or condition, to unite with them
in this imrortapt work, and thus press it on 10
successful issue.
General Hawkes. suggested the propriety Of
the temperance organizations taking part in
the inaugural procession. Mr.. Common moved
thai theexecutive committee be directed to con-
fer with the organizations of the District re-
gardng this matter, and report the result
Adopted. Mr.. Maupin moved that the eNecu-
tive committee be requested to apply To the
thorities and ask them to close the bar-rooms on
the day OF inauguration; laid over to the next
meeting.
TIE WASHINGTON MoNUMEST.-Cdn II Be
Raised 0c1 Feet Without Esdangering IT'S stability.
Mr.. John Carroll Brent, secretary of the Wash
ingtOn Monument Association, publishes a card
DENYING the recent statement of a morning
paper III regard to the instability OF the Wash
ington Monument, and quoting from the report
of Lieut.. Ives the typographical engineer who
was detailed by the Secretary OF War TO super
intend the work. Lieut.. Ives says in his report,
dated August 10, 1859, that before the monu-
ment was commenced the strength of the
material of which the obelisk was to be com
posed was thoroughly tested, and the marble
found TO be able TO bear, without crushing,
pressure more than fifteen times greater than
il would be subjected ~ i'm any part of its
structure. Ii raised 20 thh hight of six hundred
feet. the weight of the shaft, together with the
foundation, will be a little more than seventy
thousand tons. The weight Of the portion now
Fer FIVE wears, therefore, during which
the work has been suspended, the foun-
dation has been bearing about four sew
he required TO sustain, and In recent examin-
| alton was unable to detect any appearance OF
settling indication Of insecurity. As the
question has been raised whether the height OF
| SIX hundred feet can be attained without en-
| dangering the stability OF the obelisk, II would
| appear that the weight alone Of the structure
| would offer q resistance nearly eight time.
| greater than the overturning effort Of the
heaviest tempest to which IL would probably
| ever be exposed. The dimensions of the obelisl
| are: Height 600 feet; breadth At base; IS feet
| at top, 80 feet.
Tue BILL INCREASING THE NUMBER Oh
CoLoEED SCHOOL TRusrEEs.-Comm tees Of
\ colored citizens, consisting Of DIR. j. L. N
Bowen, James Thompson, and George III. New
| man, from the 18th legislative district; VIM. A
/ Taliferr0, John +. n. Wilkinson, and w. p
4 Ryder, from the nth district; and John w
Branson, Simeon w. Bland, and George HI
Brooks, from the 18th district, appeared before
4 the House committee ON the District OF Column
bia, to-day, and presented the resolutions adopt
| ed Mt q mass meeting Of the eolored citizens o.
4 the 11th 18th, and 18th districts on the 20tl
instant. The resolutions endorse House bill No
/ 1881. which increases the number Of coloret
/ school trustees from three TO nine; and also en-
dorse the '.bll 10 provide for extending the tim.
4 OF payment Of special assessments and for Othel
/ purposes which bills were introduced BY Gen
Chapman, delegate in Congress from the Dis
] tfict Of Columbia.