St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-13
THE FALLING CAPITOL.
.gchitect Burlington Trying
to Hang 1t to Its
Roof.
ats and Mice Fled From the Top
Long Ago.
Vacations and Fishing Excursions Favored
by the Officials.
A C1ear-Cut Criticism OF Buffington's
Assurances of Safety.

sion to decamp on vacations and to go out
on fishing excursions. A visit to the hall in
front of the private rooms of the supreme
justices revealed three heavy timbers based
with jack screws, which were being operated
to raise ceiling beam up in its center from
a position of an Indian bow to
horizontal. Iron rods were being put
In here and there to hoist floors, partitions
slid ceilings in the third story of the east
wing roofwards and into their original posi-
ton, while yawning gaps and seams in the
caucus room and halls adjoining, and by
heaps of fire proof cement, looked very
handsome for public structure not having
chance to celebrate its second birthday.
Architect Burlington was in supervision of
the work of trying to tie up the floors of the
third story and ceiling of the second with
inch iron rods which he told the denizens
would each support 5000 pounds, to the
roof truss timbers, which by their shrinkage
At their entrance into the outer walls hav
30 thrown the weight Of the roof and the fire
proof filing upon the inner layers Of brick
in those walls, throughout the whole build
ing, as to crack the inner walls of every
below. How long these upper roof timbers,
all of which it is proposed to doctor with iron
rods, to the designation OF the building,
will hold the load thus placed upon them
would seem to be question merely Of
lime, if in addition pillar supports are not
placed on both the second and third floors to
support the centers, as we understood had
been recommended by the governor before
the last Sundays settling, and
which had been opposed by
Architect Burlington because these posts
would injure the appearance of the halls,
who also said there was ''no fear'' of the
happening of what did happen Immediately
after the governors wise suggestion.
1t would seem to be common sense plan
to commence in the basement and .stave up
the floors of the capital from thence to where
the weak trusses hang down, but by this
ironing up with rods Of weakness to weak
ness and continuing to pile on the overladen
came's back still greater burdens Of weight
there is no telling when the insecure foothold
of the shrunken timbers in the inner brick
walls may give way, and the roofs of the
wings come tumbling in with a crash. If
this kind Of policy of kite work is to be pur-
sued instead of replacing the wooden
trusses (Which the architect admits should be
Of iron to sustain the weight put upon them
from above and below, then we may soon
expect to see an iron collar placed about the
neck of the goddess of justice which sur
mounts the dome, with chains extending
down therefrom and yollled into the roofs Of
the four wings an additional air support.
Late in the afternoon, Gates Johnson
building inspector, of the city,
was being shown over
the wreck by Architect Burlington, who was
very busy enlightening him as to the coal
mine shaft supports he was putting in to
hold the floors and ceilings up to the roof,
but there was all the time OF the exhibition
very 50 Der look Oh the face Of the inspector,
which did not betoltcn that he was any more
satisfied with the ''rock solidity' Of the bust
ness than the governor, who is closely
watching those mechanical" movements,
nr tH" occupants of the offices below, who do
not reli the idea of being inundated on
buIiia4tOn's altar.
Yesterday morning Architect Burlington
called at Clerk Nichols, of the supreme
courts Office, to rally him on ''his useless
and bury him in Il shroud OF court syllabus
Mr.. Nichols informed him that he was no
coward, but that the coming into his Office of
citizens and mechanics and telling him that
he was fool TO stay therein at the risk Of his
life, and what his own eyes had shown him
as to the condition OF the upper part of the
second and third stories of the east wing,
were anything but quoting TO Il mans
nerves, and that he felt as
though the occupants of the
building should be thoroughly convinced of
their peril or nou-peril by the examination
aud thorough inspection of the building by
competent builders TO ascertain the cause Of
Its caving in and its cracking in every par
ttion wall above and below, emitting to
state, however, that not rat or mousse both
of which thoroughly infested the structure
the first few months of its occupancy by the
state, could now be found therein.
Thereupon Architect Burlington completely
ridiculed the idea of the structures being
unsafe, and proceeded to show Mr.. Nichols
ION paper plan of roof truss, and how
he was raising the same mp by iron rods into
place with his jack screws.
This did not satisfy Mr., Nichols, who
pressed home on the architect the fact that
the roof was too heavily burdened by its at
tachments above aud below, and asked him
as an architect why he had permitted such
n strain to be placed upon these trusses as to
do such damage as they had to the whole
structure.
The architect retorted that the ''buildiug
was good enough for St Paul, and that
bar, would be good enough for il" intimat-
ing that the stiuginess of the city in contrib
uttng to build the enterprise, and
It's desire to load it down with
dre proof on wooden trusses, was none of
his care or business when it was erected.
Mr.. Nichols held him up to the ring rope
as an architect for allowing insecure mater
ial to be placed in a structure built for the
occupancy OF the state aud not for St Paul,
until he was glad to discontinue the inter
view, and sam having obtained permission
Of the justices has gone off fishing, evidently
considering his chances for life much better
In the open air.
1t is understood that Gov. Hubbard will
not come to definite decision as to the
course he will pursue with the building until
Burlington has the east wing lacked up and
he can watch the results of the job As Buff
tugtou has been once paid for his work on
this structure, If iron trusses are not suhsti-
tuted for his warped wooden ones, his patch
work on the same will In time swell up in
cost 10 the price of the original contract. As
amatter of good square fact, the whirr and
caug Of the repairing jack plane and ham
mer has been heard in the capitol building
nearly every week since it was opened to the
public, while the unseen spirits of destruc-
ton have been at work therein every day aud
night sometimes almost terrorizing the
Waterman of the building on nights and
Sabbaths.
The STATE Capitol building.
Mr.. Editor; Inasmuch as public attention