The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-05-05
A rEAMMoTH STRUCTURE.
Tho v.'csao-Nh Accomplishment CT
Mechanical Science.
Eow the Great Building for Manufactures
and Liberal Arts Mt tho Vcrlsi's Ealr
Was piitnncd-A Monster
Derrick,

II Is in its present etaSc of construc-
ton that the mammoth building for the
manufacturers end liberal crts at the
worlds fair is most curious and inter
esting. says Harpcr's Weekly. They
Gre now at work on the big derrick, or
'travolcr," as il Is called. and the dirncn-
sions of this engine arc suggestive of tho
tremendous .proportiofs the building
itself will assume as it ncars compile
ton. The greet Eads bridge 1T ST.
Louis is q remarkable structure, and
one would fancy that o building con-
tanning more iron and steel than that
crnbraccd in its mighty arches must be
q rare building indeed. In the manu-
features building will be used 400 tons
more Of metal than the araount.uscd by
Mr.. Eads' engineers. New Yorkers
know what Brooklyn bridge looks like.
arts building tvo buch bridges could he
built, and thcrc would still remain as
much as 2.40o tons unused. To be more
exact, upwards Of l2,0oo,0O0 pounds of
steel ard iron will be consumed by the
constructicnists in the work of putting
the liberal arts hall together.
The plans for this the most extensive
building ever attempted by man were
prepared by Mr.. George 3. Post, Of
New York. The trusscs that will sup
port the roof ere the largest in the
world. There will be c clear span of
3so feet from pillar to pillar. When
the New Yorker stated that span Of
this proportion would be used, arcfi-
tccts and builders generally laughed at
the idea, and said that this was ideal
construction. But the enterprise was
not submitted solely to builders of
houses. 1t wGs point TINT was not all
included in the studies Of architecture.
1T more nearly approaches bridge en-
Ginccring. This is true of more than
one building planned for the Columbian
consulted, made their rcalculations. looked
wise, closed their eyes as if in deep
thought. and then pronounced: at can
be done, but it will cost great fortune
in dollars"
DIR. Post was vindicatcd. and the
worlds fair treasurer undertook TO do
the rest. The contracts were let to a
Pittsburgh company, und now they are
demonstrating the accuracy of the
mathematics by literally doing tho work.
But there was another problem land
not a small one) to be solved before the
iron and steel were made ready. Given
the plans and the material, how could
this 6,000 tons Of metal be lifted into
position? There are 9G main trusscs,
each weighing 200 tons, and these are
to form the bases for the roof spans.
To lift mass of material weighing 200
tons. and to handle it with the pre-
cision and accuracy necessary for the
nicetics of Mr.. Posts plans, require no
common cnginery. And no common
cnginery is brought into play here. 1t
was month ago that the builders bo-
gan the work OF constructing the engine
which was to carry these immense
masses of netal as easily as an athlete
swings dumb-bell. 1t was now aim ost
flnished-a derrick 255 feet in height,
and SGS feet in length. 1t is built with
four uprights ut the corners, that arc
jointcd ut sections of 10 feet by heavy
cross beams, making the skeleton. For
the stays are used as ropes OF steel that
ere strung diagonally. Then there arc
v trusscs that being bolted and
mortised to the cross beams, insure the
strength Of the structure
The traveller" rests on o foundation
rs stable and as solid as may be. A
strip of the greet Aoor was torn up, and
piles in three rows were driven in along
the line Of the track which the derrick
IS to follow. Gaps Of timber la inches
square, on which ore placed l0o-pound
steel rolls, malse track. Purchase will
be had in the great cranes that will be
rugged on the top Of the traveller. 4"
The heaviest taclsle obtainablc win be
used in the working Of these cranes A
stationary engine will be used oto move
the derrick along the. track.
Now that this great derrick Is ready,
II is expected that the building itself
will grow rapidly. In this case the prep