St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-06-04
AT THE SCALE SHOPS.

CALIFORNIAN called there Friday and
found everybody busy. The big
chimney is the principal object of in
terest just now and will, when COM
pleted, be the tallest one in the state.
1t is round and slightly tapering and
rests upon a foundation of solid
granite masonry and that upon
solid ledge. At the base the chimney
is 10 feet in diameter, the flue is 61a
feet in diameter and the walls are SO
inches thick. At the top, when COM
pleted, the outside diameter will be
81a feet, the fue 61a feet and the
wall - inches thick The brick
work was begun May 1 and the
chimney will be completed about
June 10. 1t was ga feet above the
foundation Friday and the view from
the top was magnificent. Emerson
falls can be plainly seen at this height
and the top is just level with the
foundation of Col. Franklin Fair
below the level of Main street. A
flight of iron steps are built into the
wall on the inner surface of chimney
so that in case of any future trouble,
a workman could go up and repair
the wrong. The staging around the
outside looks rickety enough, cling
ing like an ivy around the massive
column, and the ladder leading to
its top seems doubly insecure, but a
climb to the top convinced the writer
of its safety. Brick, mortar and
scaffolding timbers are hoisted to the
top by steam power, shaft being
extended from the boiler room for
the purpose. The workmen at the
top communicate with those below
by means of an electric bell, the but
ton of which is raised day by day as
the chimney grows taller. A strong
board shed protects the men at the
base from falling brick and other
things. Over 10000 bricks have
already been used and no less than
100000 will have found a resting
place in this great structure ere its
completion. When it is known that
only 10000 bricks were used in
building the new Fairbanks dry
goods store and only 10000 in the
grocery, the magnitude Of this Chin
ney will be comprehended. The old
chimney is 85 feet high, but it stands
about 20 feet lower than the new
one and is less conspicuous. 1t will
be taken down on the completion of
the new one. The chimney is de-
signed by Lambert Packard, who is
the architect of all the finest build
ings in town, and this, like his other
architectural conceptions, is model
of it's kind. The construction is I'M
der the immediate supervision of
master-mason J. A. Dexter. Mr..
Dexter is a workman of experience,
having begun work at his trade
when 13 years of age. He was mas
ter-mason on both of the new Fair
banks stores last year
Another force of men are engaged
in laying the foundation for a new
5OO-horse power engine, the steam
for which will be generated in four
new boilers with double the capacity
of the old ones. The ledge at the
base of the new chimney is being
blasted out to make room for these
new boilers and the roof of the boiler
house is to be raised eight feet
lust across the street from the
boiler house and parallel with the
track of the Lake road ground is be-
ing excavated for a large new coal
shed which will be 200 feet long, 80
feet wide and have storage capac-
ity of 1000 tons. A spur from the
main track will run through the
middle of the shed upon trest1e 21
feet high and coal will be unloaded
direct from the cars. The coal for
the foundry will be stored in the old
sheds as at present, the new one be-
ing designed to hold only the coal for
the boilers and domestic USE Work
on this building will be pushed rapid
" forward and it will be completed
in time to be filled with coal before
fall.
BOARD OF TRADE