The evening times., 1896-10-05
ABERT.. BUILDING. REPORT
Mr.. Brady Replies to Builder
H5Wlstl's Charges.
QUOTES THE REGULATIONS
He Declares That the Law Was Com
piled with IN Every Particular.
Defense of the Inspectors Office
and Officials-Transcrip From
Weekly Inspection Statements.

Building Inspector Brady submitted to the
| Commissioners today a response to the
| charges filed by John II. Ho wiett, a local
contractor, regarding the construction OF
the Albert uuiiding, which is intcuded To be
aueienseo or HIS ONCE against ne Imputation
| that the structure was not properly III
| spected. 1t Is as follows:
nave the honor To acknowledge the re-
| celpt Dy your reference or the ad instant
| OF the accompanying comm untcalion from
| Mr- John u. dOwiett, builder, OF this city,
| In whcn he calls attention to the TALL or
tue west wall OF the AUert building, ON
| Penns yivania avenue, between Twelfth
| and Ihirteenoh streets, during the storm OF
| the 23th ultiiho, and asserting as IL cause
| Ihereor gross and criminal violation
| OF the building regulations OF the Distric~
| or Columbia In that there was u failure To
| nave the side, end and party walls an
| cnored at each tier OF beams atintervals OF
| ten rect with good, strong wrought iron
! pnchors one-halr inch thick, one incn wide,
| well secured TO side walls and fastened to
| the side OF beams by not less than TWO
| wrought iron nails one-quartef inch IN Ill
aneJcr," etc, as required by arasraph
| tive, section four, OF said regulations.
In reply thereto have the honor to re-
port that have carefully investigated and
| examined into The construction of the build
| ing named, andl do not ind tha the charge
| OF Mr.. Hewlett is at all substanuated by
| any OF the fact in the premises.
Paragraph 8, section 4, OF the building
| regulations OF the District, d copy of which
l iDciose Tor Your information, requires that
'.side. end. or party walls shall he anchored
| at each tier OF beams at intervals ofnot less
than ten feet with good. strong wrought
| iron anchors. one-halr inch by one-halfinch,
| well secured into side walls. and wen f'st-
| eDed to the side OF the beams, by not less
| than two wrought iron nails at feast one
quarter inch in diameter, so as to form con
| tinuou5 ties across the building oil each
| floor "
THE REGULATIONS. .r ..-
.If
as stated oy Mr. iiowIelt, that SIDE ,enu, anu
pTaLy walls shall he amen ored, etc, there
by making IL appear that tuesc regulations
impose the obligation that all the inClos-
| ing walls OF building shall De anchored
| at intervals OF ten feet
| SuCn "a Teg0iation mas never existed IN
the District. Walls running parallel To the
| moor beams, upon whlcn no ncd'y' cohceh.
trated loads are imposed, at each TIER OF
| beams are anchored transversely To the
| Joists, IN order To maintain Their perth
| dicularlty, but this condition did not eN-
| ist IN the side walls OF the Albert building.
Walls running parallel to floor beaIns
| "niCn have hca|N, concentrated h'aua
imposed upon the IN are not anchored TO Tile
| floor beams, but tn the girders support
! ing the IloOr bsamS. ana sucn was tne con
| ditiou that existed IN the Albert building
as will be noted below The incorrect
| statement OF Mr. Hewlett has been the oc-
| casion Of many inquiries addressed To me,
| ~ which II appears proper now 70 RESPOND;
| On Ihursday, the l st instant Il examined
| the Albert building. and found a wrought
| iron anchor adherlng to an iron siruer or
| beam that had lost lts bearing by the de.
struction OF the wall, tangible evidence nf
| compliance with the ouliStlluhs Oh the
| building regulations .-...-
CONDITION OF THE BUILDING.
inspected the west wall and found 1t
| wellcupstructed and with Messrs. SC hneiher
| and Ccrhett and Assistant Is. c. King |
| erected q plumb line in each story ND
| mediateiy below the damaged portion and
! found 1t maintaining true perpendicular
| face. as4.. IA ? y .s........... .......t-.
| Since the destruction OF the Alert wall
| the question or anchorage has been thor
| oughIy discussed many persons having
| the iuea that througn-dncnors-e extending
| through the thickness OF The wal! and Sc
| cured by stars or other shaped iron pro-
| lccting outside the face OF the wllls-arc
| what are required by the building regula-
| tiuus. This is not 50. 1t frequently oc-
| ours, where through-anchors are Inserted
| III exposed party walls, which are subse-
| qucntly useu ny adjoining new buildings
that the plates and nuts offer obstruction
| 10 the plasteTIng OF such walls, and they
are removed, thereby destroying anchor
| 10 avoid this in the future. the conimls-
| son 10 revise building regulations for the
| District of Columbia adopted rule that
| where tbrough-anchors are used IN party
| walls they must he couutersuns or formed
| SO that they Will not project more than
uue-half inch from the face OF the wall,
| thus allowing the piastering to cover then
| ANCHURAGE.
| So much adverse criticism has been
| applied " the anchorage. ol the y bert
| pmluing, tnat | deem Il advIsa tie to give
| a description of the interior. construction
| Inc east ana west walls are anchored
together every twenty-twn, ieet. on each
| story, with heavy nftecn-inch beams
| weighing Ilrty pounds per foot, engaged
| TO ine wan Win Unree-uuarrer-incn iron
| rods, placed at ri gnt angles with Lle beams,
the breaking shearins strain of kaid rods
| being 1000 pounds. 49, .....f
| IiIs wiutn between walls is thirty-three
and a nau fet, and the beams, above
| III entloned, are supported at tne center
| BY iron columns to which the girders are
| boIted. thus forming continuous ties across
| the building. Upon the Sirders are placed
1 three 10y twelve-inch Joists, spaced twelve
| inches from centers, running parallel with
T, the 81 de walls. and the ends or these luists
are tied OF anchored into the fro nj and rear
| walls, ut intervals less than ten feet
| Al the tine OF the uesjruc..On OF the
I wall in the fourth anC. fifth stores the cou-
| struct,on weight imposed upon the wall at
| the bearing OF each Eirder or the flfth story
| was II ,S5o pounds, ana on tiie wall at liie
| same po,ut beio W in the fourth story =: ,n3o
| pounds The l3-inch wall destroyed. which
| was free OF reccsses or any KIND. between
| two spaces OF girders, weighed III pouh'!s
| per sut,are foot; so, therefore, the weight uT
| The construcio Oh that the wind either blew
down or pulled asunder represented ll4,-
| 49U pounds, IN au area of l 800 square feet
| of expo sure The force OF the wind ut Tie
| time OF the destruct ion OF this wall was. IN
| nv opinion, too Intangible to compute
| Since my induction in office l have ex.
| acted Il written report weekly from each of
| my assist ants so as to be informed OF the
i general oh haracte T OF construction throughout
| the District, its progress and its coinpletioD;
| and the record of the Albert building. i'll
| charge of Assistant King, is Sherctoappendcd.
| The elements are beyond the control or
| man. and nothing that is wrought by him
| can withstand their fury. The storm OF
| Tuesday In its violence aud destructiveness,
| was beyopd the like of any experience OF
| this community. l find nothing in the
calamity which befen the Albert building
| calling for my condemn alton i'll its construc-
| tiou Very respectfully.
JOHN B. BRADY.
| 1881 Inspector OF Buildings.
Trapscript from weekly reports maue by
| Assistant King showing inspection Of the
Albert building. Building permit issued
| June I2, 1886; from reports June u, I'M
derpipning all done, ready for sUperstruc-
| ture; July 4, UNDERMINING finished. ordered
| vault covered and sidewalk opened; July
IL nothing recorded as to Alert build
ing; July 25. floors condemned and ordered
reconstructed; August 1, brickwork o. h.
Joist copdemhed; August 10, under roof,
| satisfactorily; August 20, ready for roof.
satisfactory. iess than seventy-five feet In
height.
1 N-
Dead In Sight of Home
While on his way to work about O'clock
| ,h,s ,,or,;,>rx canrpe Nprp coInrel spypuI Z