The Critic and record., 1891-04-21
CONFLICTING VIEWS
OF the Cause of the Rottenness of Ger
tain ShOreham Timbers.

tain ShOreham ItmDers.
Mr. James NJ. Dunn, the well-known
builder, was one of the men who worked
on the Shoreham. Talking of Fridays
accident and the report of Inspector Ent-
wistle that the timbers were rotten, he
said:
at seems foolish to talk of the timbers
having rottcd because they were packed
i'm mortar. In the lirst-place mortar pre-
serves wood instead of rotting it, as is
shown by the fact that the wooden boxes
in which mortar is mixed never rot, IL
the timbers used were rotten they must
have been so when placed in position, as
even under the most unfaVorable circum-
stances they have not had time to rot since
the structure was built.
'The accident, in my opinion, was due
to the carelesSness of the workmen, who
used too much pressure with the jack.
The floor being weakened could not stand
the strain, and consequently gave way.
Its weight coming on the one below, of
course, carried that with it, and so on
through the successive stories to the lower
floor. ] do not think the accident indi-
Gates any structural weakness in the build
ing. 1t was built by n New York firm,
and one of the best pieces of work, in my
judgment, ever done in this city"
VIEWS OF THE INSPECTORS OFFICE.
Mr.. B. c. King, assistant inspector of
buildings, SAID this morning that the
timbers used in the construction of the
fallen stairway at the Shoreham were
sound when first used.
81 know this" he said, "from personal
observation and inspection. The timbers
retted after they were put in. The ques-
ton now is: What caused the dry rot
My own theory is that the mixing Of the
mortar on the floor dampened the tim
bers which were placed IN position and
covered with concrete before they were
dry. The result was that they were prac-
tically air tight and at once commenced
to decay.
But another question is, if the tim
bers were dry when the concrete was put
on would they not rot? This cannot
answer, as ! have not yet sufficiently eX-
amined cases of this sort. The concrete is
damp when used, and this may produce
the same effect as if the timbers were wet
before they were covered with the cement.
IF this is true, and it can be ascertained
| by testing the rest of the joists that could
not have been touched by the mortar,
| then that mode of construction will have
| to be abandoned. | have not yet dis
| cussed the question with Inspector Ent-
| wisle, but will do so as soon as possible.
| OF one thing however, am certain, that
| the timbers were not rotten when first
| used"
The Inspector Inspecting.
Inspector of Buildings Entwisle is max
ing daily visits to the Shoreham and will
probably continue to do so for at least a
week. He says he will not report upon
the cause of the accident to the stairway
to the Commissioners, as he has not been
| ordered TO do so.
He declines to discuss the accident OF
advance any theory as to what caused it,
THE only thing / will state" he said
lis that the timbers were sound when
| first used'
When asked whether he was making an
inspection as to the safety of the rest OF
the hotel, the inspector said that he wa:
not at liberty to answer.
His duties at the Shoreham will not bt
completed until the stairway is repaired
and 1t is understood that meanwhile h'
is making a thorough personal inspection
of the timbers at other points.