National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-01-23
THE wiNDER BUILDING.
a Few Facts Relative 10 uts insecurity
Interior Arrangements.

To the Editor Of THE REpuRrICAN
Being clerk In the + street wing Of this build.
ing, read with some interest the article concern
ing its safety in Saturday mornings paper. So
did my family, who parted with the writer NJ
halfpast eight rs those part who have no hope, or
mighty little. However n cool consideration of the
risks first and Of the probabilities Of safety after
ward will convince any one that the building is all
right withoutwaitng for the report efthe engineers.
The building Is not founded on rock, but on the
alluvial deposit which forms the greater part Of
the District The outside walls are three feet
thick. The walls Of tle corridors are about two
feet thick in the lower stories and about eighteen
inches in the upper Between each two rooms Is
a solid partition wall of unknown thickness.
Heavy cas.iron girders were used instead of joists
and the floors are all OF brick laid on brick arches
filled up TO a level with sand
THIS SEEMS WEIGHT ENOUGH
without the contents, but the Second Auditors
files in the upper stories weigh over three hum
dred tons, and are slowed on nearly five miles Of
shelving The new roof consists of an inner and
outer skin Of corrugated iron, filed in between
with fourteen inches of cement the whole weigh
ing four hundred tons or more. Probably there is
weight Of four thousand tons on the foundation
In 1872 the streets OH which the building fronts
were cut down several feet, laying bare the
foundation walls, which were then faced with cut
stone. About that time District contractor built
asewcr on seventeenth street sOuthward to g.
He failed to connect the low sewer with the old
and for several years ne'Gfanagc Of a thrcc-fOot
tube
PBRcoLATED THROUGH THE SOIL
under the buildings below When the old War
Department building was demolished the con-
tractor threw down the walls in huge masses.
Every time one of these struck the earth this build
ing seemed TO jump like pea on n drum head.
Then the weather authorities have also precipi-
tated several firstc northwest hurricanes into
the hollow angles ofour walls. An outsider might
think the above elements of insecurity enough.
We don't, and this is why. This building is pro-
vlded with superintendent He lisa high toned
gentleman Of the very oldest school, especially the
old school Of Washington poitics. He has theories.
not To say hobbies One of them Is the science of
heating and ventilation. He knows all about this
that ever was known lin his mnd), and Its latest
development is the hermetical sealing of all win.
dows III the halls, stairways and water closets.
In pursuance of his orders no clerk dare open, a
| window in his room unless he first carefully
closes the door, transom, and register Then he
may freeze himselfin the effort to get little fresh
air. We have not had window open in water
closet since the advent of cold weather In Novem.
Der. In the nth floor the water supply has lately
been
DEFICIENT PROM SOME CAUSE.
Between II all the air in the upper portion of the
building is strong enough to hold up the archives
the new roof, and the Engineer Department on top
Of It, We are not afraid, consequently OF dump
into the cellar; but still we are not happy. The
new roof will not burn, but as matter of comfort
II Is II dead failure. Under II the thermometer
| ranges from 10o below zero to llOo above The
porous brick floors are not only unnecessarily
heavy but they were allowed to 60 uncarpeted
until saturated with saliva and things aud are not
necessarily IN a more healthy condition than the
walls of an Old hospital yet the Engineer Depart
ment holds on TO them like adog to u root. Judge
| Harmon, the deputy auditor, has done more 10
civilize the building than any OF his predecessors;
but when the present carpets wear out four hum
dred tons dead weight could be taken off of the
foundations by, replacing the brick floors with
there is danger of our being smashed and ere.
| mated let us have 1t lessencd that much
LEMUEL McJUNKIN.