, 1873-03-19
OUR ARCHITECTURAL. WRECKS.


Sin ): Hnving observed in your isnuo Of ycstor-
day m account Of tho failure of part Of tho
masonry Of tho now fremont Hounc, I'm lod to
offer few remarks will, regard to tho n1annor
in which the maSon-worl1 Of our buildings III
this city Is boing executed. Tho numerous
instnnccs OF crushing piora and cracking wn1la
Tint hare occurred within tic last ycar would
lead us to suppose TINT our architects would
beneft by the experience, and That tloy would
adopt ordinary mud reasonable means to prevent
q recurrence Of those bluniors, which arc ut onco
disgracofnl to tho architects and most damaging
to tho buildings. In tho mattor Of brick piors,
1t IL not only esaontial tbat thoy should bo built
Of selected harel.durnt brick, closely jointed md
grouted in cement mortar, but tint they should
DO Of u sizo proportionatc with tho weight they
lavo to boar, having iron or stono boud-plntes
at iutcrva1s not exceeding Q foot.
That pointa OF such vital Importance arc COM
monty overlooked in tho construction of brick
ricrs, ia painfully ovlont in aome Of our best
buildings. Tho brick usod iu the piers that sup
port tho Iromout House aro Of too poor quail
ty to be used III tho commonost walls Of n fret
class building tic mortar used iB not by nny
meuns what it ought to ho; mud, Us for bond
plates, thero are none,--so that it is q mystory
how those picra havc stood tho pressure 30 long.
III lEt bho ptlll1uE III III lIlSlA0 wall DULL, 0N0
foot thick, Of Boft brick and common mortar,
which is mn1o to bcar iron columns which sup
port tic various floura 10 the top. The common
precaution of putting an iron plato under those
coi,linns xhero they eit OIL tins fragile piece Of
tho wall is completely nhattorod by ths osceaaive
weight it bcar4,. Having closely examined tho
piers Of tho fremont House, lind that there is
scarcely ONO i'll tho building but indicates eigna
Of being moro or less injured hy the weight Of
the supurstracture, almost NIL showing sylap-
toms Of crushing or rendillg. That tho building
Ia what Mr. lsanin pronounced it to be, q in
bad shapo tn(ood," no expert will deny; and tho
nun who would pronounce it not dangerous as it
now Glands, il prepared to assume moro respon-
sibility than any prudent expert would bo willing
to shoulder.
Our worthy Mayor having chosen NIossre.
and ; roors tIo sato or Of tic bnng Il tie s>e pue
could not expoct any othor verdict than tlnt
ton TINT SIr 1uring is architect rur tho build
Ing now In coilgse OF erection near the corner OF
Madison and Clark strects tl,at Mr.. Wheelucls
is architect for the Union Building; and that
Mr.. Boyiugton was architect for half-a-dozen
buildings OF last year, tho piers OF which
crushed to atoms under tho weight that ho OK
tho three unfortunate experts did not report to
hia Honor that no building WAS secure unlesa
supported by y fow crushed piers and shattered
wn1s. would suggest that the public hesitate
men who hro themselves connected with build
Jugs tho execution Of which is suticiont to stig
matize q whole chapter Of archltccts. Although
I cannot attribute. tho failure Of tho columns
aud piers that supported tic Union Building
altogether to careessnesB in executing the work,
cannot help Htating that tho groseest negli-
gencc was manifested OH this point. Some Of tho
stone piers that yielded waro '' backed" up With
brick which were 30 nliEerably built thnt soma Of
them were actually placsd on end. This recklcss-
hess in building tho brlck-worl cauBea tho on
tiro weight to bo thrown upon the Rlender saudi
stono piers, which weto in-suitod to lear it, eY
the sequel proved.
draw attention to tho Hsproportinneto di1nen-
sionB Of Tho brick piora TINT support tho new
Singer Building, Oil the corner of Stato md
Washington etrcets. Thoso piers may 10 ord-
nurily wul built but they gro in aize such as no
reliable architect would pronounce adequate to
sustnin the mass Of stone nnd brick that roBts
upon theln. Those piers being covered up with
cast-rop, any crushing that mny tnlse place call
not we'll la detected - fact that may loal to
piers and iron columns side Ivy side, supporting
tho one lntol or beau Tho multiplicity oi mortar
Joints III tho bric}-work will cnuEo it to settle
more or less thus throwing nh uAoQlnl Bharo
Of tho proAsllro upon tho iron column, which will
neitl,cr ao.tlc or shorten. Such combination
of supports cannot bo too atrong1y denounced
M bcilig most injurious to tho stability OF q
building. An oyidont want Of noundness of
construction contraats badly with neritricious
Tho system common in this city, Of carrying
up ono past Of tho waa Of Il building, and 'cav
Ing tho rest behind, to bo carried up aftorwards,
eraily done BY what III called .,toothng, Tint
Is, tic projecting of evcry alternate course OF
brick 10 aa to form. bond for tho wall loft be-
hind. When built in this ma'lner, tho side
walls aro frequently carried up two, three, or
oven four ntnria., while tho front il loft bol.il,d,
waiting for homework or cut-Btone, tho result
being that tho various paris Of tho building
settle Of different timea, which cascs crack iii
and whloi, seriouuly a1rcuta tho strength
is bs asodedy soSy ta some one 'es sen IR wen '' Il
Is necessary to forward my ono part Of tho
is koorlng back to tic extcnt Of ilalla brcii on
dy Ssis ee to bona % upo shg Ais IL tS obeatd 'soi
to hy builders as being little more troublesome
to DO hn III f. hyyr Ay pSsy e waho2 %
"tootl.ing" can aeo it demonstrated in tho rear
wall Of n building already referred to, ucar tho
corncr Of Madison, md Clark atreots. Tho
"toothing" IN tho old wall WA depended upon
ie, that, to prevent tho ontro wall fa!ling Into
tho alloy, thoy were undor the necessity of s,,-
poring'it across tho alley. from tho wull Of
hurkc'a Hotel. by wooden Brnntlings. Thoso
props wll 10 loft il their place until tito wall is
then tlo outaido supports will DO removed, aud
tho wall loft to dopond ontiroly upon thoso inside
timbcrs, Whereas tho timhors ought to depend
upon tho wallis; and, In tho oyont OF q fire tnking
certain to come to tho ground; md, to prevent
a catastrophe similar to tl,at whicl, took place
recontly at . fro In New York City, the anthorl..
ties would do vol 10 condemn such wallis, and
oauBo thonl to be pulled down.
1 think 1t q pity that builders should be allow
cd to execute work III n nlnlllcr ut variance with
any received principles of Ronnd construction,
by oarrying on o Wholesale Hyston Of tootl,-
Ing" In tho walls OF Arat-claas buildings, suela
Al IL now being dono III tho building Of tho
American Merchants Uniou Expross Company,
on Monroe B.1oat. While ouch IL allowed, we
cannot expoct that aggregation III tho construc-.
tion OF our buildings Which will prevent CRACKED
walls, cracked plaster, and, to q great extout,
orusLel plers. Yours truly, Anou1rEoT.
0uIoAao, March IL, la13.