Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-11-22
After Hearing Testimony and
Examining the Fallen
Building They Report
TO Gov. Rusk.
Poor Pilasters and Poor Iron Pill
lars in the Second Story the
Cause Of the Crash.

Madison, after having spent several
days IN such labor make the following
report:
Hon. j. II. Rusk, Governor. and
Chairman Of Capitol Building
Commission:
DEAR SIR:-In compliance with
your request ito investigate the cause
Of the collapse of part of the capitol in
process of erection, we make the fol-
lowing report:
We have made a careful examina-
ton of the new south wing of the CAPT
tol, and found that nearly the whole
Of the interior walls, floors and roof.
had fallen to the ground. We then
heard the statements of the supervis-
! ing architect, the consulting architect.
the contractors and their foreman:
also the statements of some of the men
employed on the work, together with
the statements of several citizens who
witnessed the disaster. We then made
another examination of the building
and also perused the specifications and
examined the drawings, and this is the
result Of Our labors:
In order that the matter NAV be
properly understood by persons not
acquainted with the subject, we give a
short description of the new south
wing OF the Wisconsin state capitol
building, so far as 1t is necessary for
our purpose: The interior walls of the
building for the most part run through
basement and first story to the height
of second story floor and go no higher
Above this the floors are carried prin-
/ M Iyr hu anlI1,oo,1c, ,aOc+i1,o,
these walls and running up to the
roof, carrying girders upon which the
iron floor JOiSts rest which carry the
brick floors and the roof. The building
has Easements and four floors. The
masonry supporting the iron columns
consisted, for the most part, Of pilas-
ters Called piers in the specifications
10 the brick walls of the first story
and below. The central corridor, how
ever, had III the first story and below
rubble stone walls on which some
columns rested. The brick pilasters
were two feet square, the walls which
contained them being generally one
foot thick. On top of these pilasters
/ at the level of the second story floor,
a cast-iron plate one foot square, rested
directly on the brick work Cor on the
rubble stone work in the corridor
wallis and on this plate the second
story columns were placed with the
other columns above them. These cast
iron columns were, by the specifca-
tons, in the second story to be 7 inches
in diameter and in the third story to
be 6 inches outside diameter, each of
which stories were twelve feet high.
The fourth story which was seventeen
feet high, was to have columns five
inch is outside diameter. The thickness
of metal IN all columns was specified to
be seven-eights of an inch. The
fourth story columns carried the roof
and ceiling only. The second and
third story columns also carried the
floors. After a careful examination
Of the building itself, together with
the drawings and specifications there
Of, and also having listened to the
statements Of the persons befOre men
toned. each of whom was examined
separately and apart from all persons
whOmsoeVer except ourselves, we have
come to this conclusion: that the
disaster occurred on account Of the
weakness Of the second story columns
VI vi b1lC 111c1oO41I y support UCuCdGu
them, or Of both combined and we
will therefore cOnfine our remarks to
these points. We estimate tie load
of a second story column where it
rests on the masonry below at 90
/ Short tons when the building would
be finished and loaded with the ordin-
airy weights it would have to carry.
With regard to the drawings and
specifications The specifications say,
1.-The ends of all columns must be
turned smooth and to have cast plates
at both ends, plates to be the same
size as base and cap" The base and
cap was about ten inches in diameter
/ We found the plates to be one foot
square, resting directly on the brick
or rubber stone masonry, without
any cap stone on the masonry. In
! other words an estimated load of 90
tons was brought on one foot square
Of ordinary masonry, which masonry
was IN most instances of brick, though
/ the brick pilasters or pier itself
was two feet square. We regard the
brick pilaster two feet square as small
er and weaker than it should have
been, and the fact that the cast iron
pldlC was DQG OIIC IOOG ana.
therefore, did not cover the whole top
of the plaster, and had no cap stone
below it, as a grave mistake. The
weight borne by the column was con-
ccntrated on too small an area of ma
sonry, the top of which perhaps crush
ed more or less under the plate.
We estimate the second story col
umn, if made as called for in the spe-
cifcations, would safely carry Is tons.
The estimated load that it ultimately
would have to carry we estimate at 80
tons
The third and fourth story columns,
as called for in the specifications,
would have been strong enough to
carry their respective loads, and SO
would all the girders and floor beams,
with regard to the execution of the
work
The cast iron columns were not