New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-04
PRICE THREE CENTS.
THE CRACKED CEILING.
REPORT OF THE EXPERT COMMISSION.
the AsSFMBLYMrN ADVISED TO ABANDON THEIB
CHAMBER WITHOUT DRLAY-THEY MAY
BE CRUSHED AT ANY MOMENT.

at any moment it may fall bury ing l2s Assembly
men beneath tons OF sandstone. This is the
opinion OF the expert commission. consisting OF
Johh Bogart State Engineer; +. &. Clark, OF
Foughkeepse; and Richard NJ. Upiobn, architect,
OF New-fork. They have hurriedly examined the
celnng. The Commission began work yesterday,
and to-day IL made a preliminary report, bling
convinced that there such imminent danger
OF the ceiling falling that il must not delay an
hour In informing the Assemblymen of their dan.
ger The Ass mblymcn unconscious of the comine
OF such grave Information, had quietly done thcit
work throughout the morning hours and into the
AFTERNOON. just before the session would have
naturally closed eX-Speaker Hustled who was
acting Speaker in Mr. Coles absence handed
down the report of the Commission INSTANTLY
there was profound attention paid 10 the ,locri.
mcnt, and one ccnld have heard pin drop in the
Assembly chamber as the reading proceeded When
the Assemblymen realized that not only was tho
Assembly chamber unsafe. but also the rooms
below 1t IN the Capitol the State Library and one
OF the Secretary of States rooms, not to speak
OF the committee rooms OF the Assembly, they
were profoundly impressed
COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER THE REPORT.
Wncn tho reading of the report had ceased Afr.
AinswOrth moved that q committee Of five be ap.
pointed to consider the report and decide what
action should be taken regarding 1t. Mr. Aims
worths motion was adopted, and Messrs Answorth
Sheehan, Greene. IIadlcy and Platt were appointed
the committee. They were told TO make report
on Tuesday next.
The committee held a meeting directly after
present. Mr. Aiusworth said that in pri-
vate conversation Messrs Boeart. Clark and Up
John had depicted the condition Of the Assembly
chamber In far worse terms than they had done
in the n report TO the Assembly. Mr. Bogart had
said that he felt in actual peril Of his life when
crawling over the stone ceiling il weak.
Mr.. Sheehan said he had been Informed that a
block Of stone In rib directly over his head had
yielded to the pressure upon it that il was only
W yyas lu
thirteen inches in thickness. which none too
thick. If this stone shonld SO yield to the great
pressure put upon IL, the entire ceiling would
fall. Mr. Sheehan suggested that the court
yard OF the Capitol should be covered over TEN.
porarilv and used as an Assembly chamber,
state Engineer BOgart said that this could not
be done
Asscmhly1nan Curtis suggested that the ASSEM-
bly, should meet in .TcImn Hall fine room in
the building of the Young Mems Christian Asso-
citation.
Other members favored hiring the Leland Opora
House. but the objection was made that these
buildings were far distant from the CantoI,
whc"e the Senate would meet. and that 10 was
hire the leland Opera Honsc, it was said, for the
remainder Of the session.
Mr.. Hustled IL is said favored asking the soma
tors TO surrender the Senate chamber to the As
sembymen. and to use the Assembly parlor for
a Senate chamber.
Finally il was determined TO asl, the Senate on
Monday night 10 appoint committee 10 hold
Inference with the AsSemhlymen on the subject
Senators to their willingness to surrender their
room. The Senate Chamber looks small in com
parison with the Assembly, chamber. but W..
Hustled says that il is larger than the Assembly
chamber in the old State Capitol.
AFRrsu CRACK ~ TUE crIrrHG.
This afternoon Mcssrs Bogart. Clark and Up
John made another examination Of the Assembly
Chamber ceiling accompani'd by Asscmhlyman
Hamilton and several news apcr correspond nts
One result of this examination was the discovery
of another dangerous crack in the cct'irg This
was i'm the no. the 81 iib Of the ch1mbor. \
stone had spawlod Of of fourteen inches in lcngth
Chief Eng;n cr Norwood of the Capitol said tran
this break hid occurred since the cxamlna'i@9n ION
WIS made Yesterday After the m"mberS ot INC
Commiss n had completed tbir examination, State
Engineer Bogart said:
II think that it would he suicidal for the As
scmhymcn to remain longer in the Assembly
Oh mbcr. II does not maftr who il r'spons bic
for this state of affairs. That is not the QUESTION
The thing We're directed TO discover Is whether
it is slfe or not for the As>'mhl'mcn TO remain IN
the room. As we stated in our report. / think 10
decidedly unsafe to do so. The rm'dy for the
evil in respect is plain. The stone arches
must come down that viii not he costly matter;
nor will il he an "normous expense 10 fhe State
to put in another ceiling The reports that { Will
cost $500, 900 TO take down the ceiling and put
up another one are prerosirrous. In nv opinion
q great mistake was made IN using stone Tor me
ceiling. ! must say that | WIS exceedingly ner-
vous yesterday when | scrambled over those
cracked ribs Of stone in the ceiling and discover
the actual condition Of the arches. When ! saw
the chips If stone falling felt like scranbllng
ahead faster. One does not like the idea OF faI.
ing eighty feet with great mass of tons OF stone
MIR Upiohn upon discovering the new crack in
the northeast rib. said: I'll 20 no furthcr
value my life more than all the Capitos on earth
Excuse me, bat I'll go back and Mr. UpIohn Pc
treated.
D. MocRATs SMELL A BIG APPROPRIATION.
The Republicans think that the Democrats
pushing the proposal TO desert the Assembly
chamber with the idea that they may be able TO
get big appropriation for the Capitol and get
employment for hundreds OF Democrats. But the
leading Republicans say that il does not n"e"s
early follow hat th,rc viii 80 a bic appropriation
for the Capitol II the Assembly Chamber is aban-
dOned They ave not apt to make big ap ro-
priat"n for the use Of the Democrats in Presi
Genital year. The fact that Mr. Sullivan, Of
Sullivan q E,ers, Of Albany, who has made
thousands OF dollars in supplying iron work for
tho Capitol was the guide Of tho members Of tho
expert Commission in making their examination
picion in the minds of the Republicans. Still most
of the Republican Ass mhlymen seemed inclined
to believe that the Assembly Chamber is dam
gerous room and must lie abandoned. The Re-
publican leaders say that temporary quarters can
be obtained somewhere in the Capitol for the As
sembly, and no appropriations whatever be made.
GRAVE OBJECTS POUND BY rHE px"rRrs.
The preliminary report of the Commission TO the
Assembvmen is as follows:
We began N examination NJ tho Assembly ceiling.
and n has revealed such dangerous esndon sf fhHgs
that We are compelei at report to the Legisla
ture upon tho pressing and Immediate question Of aas
ger We up to the tsp Of the ceiling asd found
there al many serious ents OF the Of
the groinsd vaults owiag to the vaults and ribs
not acting together. This has caused cracks at
the Joints, In cases OF considerable
length place at the of the ceiling the A.
ssmbly floor ne through tho crack. We found
that ths main vault places had seted
below II. original level All the main ribs which support
the ceatral ,aut were fonnd to be cracked and shat
tered usar the circular keystone In
OF these RIBS we found stone three feet
long split from end to esd 10 strips By the side OF
another rib space. split ny pressure. ten and
half ncse, sug seven inches wide three and one
half inches deep It's defect not due to the material
There Is clear evidence Of sound sandstone
split by pressure many tnes what