The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-06-23
MANKATo FREE PRESS.
FRIDAY, JUNE %. 1892.
THE WALLS SAFE.

Building Inspector Gilman, of Min
neapolis. arrived in the city on the
1885 a. M. train and Immediately be-
gan the inspection of the opera house
walls. according to the arrangement
stated in last evenings paper. After
dinner he went over the walls more
in detail, and his inspection was very
thorough. At the request OF Alder
man Higgs he will furnish the coun-
Gil a written report in detail, and Will
not hesitate, he says, to recommend
changes wherever needed to secure
safety.
A FREE PRESS reporter accCmpa-
MED Mr.. Gilman on his preliminary
inspection. The walls seem TO be
perfectly solid ana are unusually
strong. They were erected in 1872,
and at that time that portion OF the
city was low and marshy, and 1t was
necessary to put in very strong foun-
dation, One of the strongest founda-
tions in the city was placed there and
the walls do not seem to have settled
hairs breadth during the past TWEEN
ay-one wears. The mortar is as solid
as the brick itself.
There are some slight cracks near
the corners, nearly all being caused
by the fire ten years ago They have
not widened since then. Several OF
the stone window caps have broken,
as they were not properly laid. The
walls are as strong with these cracks
as without. The plans for the re-
modelling call for the tearing out OF
the walls where the cracks are the
largest, so that this ought to set at
rest any fears that nervous people
may have.
Said Mr.. Gilman 1.-THE walls are
perfectly safeOand are stronger than
many in our public buildings in Min
neapolis, where there has never been
thought of danger. They were made
very substantially and the slight
cracks that appear amount to moth
ing at all, There is absolutely no dan
ger to be apprehended, land if the walls
were built up anew from the ground
they could not be safer. There is no
danger of such walls falling down, AS
in the case of the Ford opera house at
Washington, the cause OF buildings
collapsing is not generally the faultOf
the walls but Of some other thing.
The excavation under the walls of the
Ford opera house caused that to fall"
We learn from Architect Gerlach,
who will oversee the remOdeling, that
the roof will be supported by Howe
trusses, which are as strong as bridge
Spans, and will cross the building in
single spans. There will be no lateral
pressure on the walls, and therefore
no danger of the walls falling out.
The strong trusses will also do away
with the necessity for posts in the in
terror of the building. Mr.. Gerlach
comedies with Mr.. Gilman's views as
to the strength of the walls, and as
serts that there is no possible danger.
Instead of a stone Intel over the
main entrance there will be an iron
Intel, and the walls will be otherwise
strengthened.
The architect who prepared the
plans for the remodeling, Mr. Carter,
of Minneapolis, has had a large eXper-
fence with opera houses, having plan
ned several large ones, and Mr.. Gilman
has much confidence in him. His
method of putting on roofs is perfect
ly safe.
This ought to dispel any fears that
have been had as to the safety OF the
walls, and no one Deed be deferred
from entering the building after it is
reopened, from the fear of any possible
danger.