Evening star., 1896-10-05
Building Inspector Reports on the
Albert Building.
APPROVES OF THE CONSTRUCTION
Builders Who Take Opposite View
of the Building.
M A K IN G. An ms Pc CTION


the Alert building, 1911 Pennsylvania ave-
nue., the west wall of which was blown
down by the recent wind storm, damaging
the adjoining buildings and resulting in
the death Of one man and the injury of
several others. Mr.. Brady says:
ITO the Honorable Commissioners, ID. c.:
'Gentlemen-I have the honor to acknowI-
edge the receipt by your reference of the
Sd instant OF the accompanying communi-
cation from Mr. John H. Hewlett, builder
of this city. in which he calls attention
to the fall of the west wall of the Albert
building, on Pennsylvania avenue between
18th and 18th street, during the storm OF
the 10Th ult.. and asserting as a cause
thereof, gross and criminal violation OF
the building regulations Of the District OF
Columbia in tfet there was failure to
have the side, end and party walls an
chored at each tier of beams, at intervals of
ten feet, with good, strong wrought iron
anchors one-half inch thick, one inch wide,
well secured 10 side walls and fastened
to the side of beams, by not less than two
wrought iron nails one-quarter inch in
diameter &c, &c. as required by para
graph 8, section 4, of said regulations.
In reply thereto, ! have the honor to
report that 1 have carefully investigated
and examined into the construction of the
building named, and I do not find that
the charge Of Mr.. Hewlett is at all sub
stantiated by any of the facts in the prem
lses.
Paragraph 5. section 4 of the building
regulations of the District. copy of which
inclose for your information, requires
that side, end, or party walls shall be
anchored at each tier of beams, at inter-
walls OF hot less than ten feet, with good,
strong wrt ught iron anchors one-half inch
by one inch, well secured into side walls
and well fastened TO the side of the beams
by not less than TWO wrought iron nails
at least one-quarier inch in diameter. SO
as to form continuous ties across the build
Ing on each floor. The building regulations
| &c not provide, as stated by Mr.. Hewlett,
| that side, eLd and party walls shall be
anchored, &c, thereby making il appear
tfat these regulations impose the obliga-
| ton that all the inclosing walls of build
| Ing shall be anchored at intervals of ten
| feet. Such a regulation has never existed
| in the District. Walls, running parallel
| 10 the floor beams, upon which no heavy
concentrated loads are imposed at each
tier OF beams, are anchored transversely
| to the joists ia order to maintain their
| perpendfcuiarfty, but this condition did not
| exist In the side walls of the Albert build
| ing. Walls running parallel to floor beams
| which have heavy concentrated loads i'm
| posed upon them are not anchored to the
| floor beams, but to the girders support
| Ing the floor beams, and such was the con-
| dition that existed in the Albert building,
| as will be noted below. The incorrect
| statement of Mr.. Hewlett has been the
| occasion of many inquiries addressed t.
|
| respond.
| "On Thursday, the 1st instant, examin-
| ed the Albert building and found wrought
| iron anchor, adhering to an iron g1rder or
| beam, that had lost its bearing by the
| destruction of the WALL tangible evidence
| of a compliance with the obligations of the
| building regulations.
| Condition of the Building.
Il inspected the west wall and found it
| well constructed, and, with Messrs. Schnei-
| der and Corbett and Assistant B. c. King.
| 1 erected a plumb line in each story i'm
| mediately below the damaged portion, and
found it maintaining a true perpendicular
| face.
THE girder which is placed upon the
west wall, and which longitudinany ties the
| building, l found perfectly true along its
exposure. At the completion of the in
| spection 1 ordered the owner and architect
| to reconstruct the wall as quickly as pos
Sible, in order to eliminate the element of
danger existing, due to the exposure of the
| east wall.
Since the destruction of the Albert W al
| the question of anchorage has been thor
oughly discussed, many persons having the
idea that through-anchors (eXtending
| through the thickness of the wall and Sc
| cured by stars or other shaped iron, pro-
jecting outside the face of the walls) are
| what is required by the building regula-
tions. This is not SO. 1t frequently occurs
where through-anchors are inserted in ex-
posed party walls, which are subsequently
used by adjoining new buildings, that the
plates ard nuts offer obstruction to plaster
ing of such walls, that they are removed
thereby destroying anchorage.
ITO avoid this in the future the commits
sion to revise building regulations for the
District of Columbia adopted rule thai
where through-anchors are used in party
walls they must be counter sunk, or form
ed SO tina. they will not project more thar
one-half inch from face of the wall, !hus
allowing the plastering to cover them
Anchorage Plans.
$50 much adverse criticism has been ap
piled to the anchorage of the Albert buildin,
that 1 deem it advisable to give descrip
tion of the interior construction.
1.-The east and west walls are anchored
together every % feet on each story witt
heavy 15-inch beams, weighing 80 pound
per foot, engaged to the walls with 3-4-incl
iron rods placed at right angles with tn
beams. the breaking shearlng strain G
said rods being 22.OOO pounds.
| 1.-The width between walls is 33 1-2 feet
and the beams above mentioned are sup
ported at the center by iron columns, Z
| which the girderS are bOlted thus formin;
continuous ties across the building. Upol
the girders are placed by 12-inch joists
| spaced II inches from centerS, running par
allel with the side walls. and the ends o
these joists are tied or anchored into tn
| front and rear walls at intervals less thai
10 feet. At the time of the destruction o
the wall in the fourth and fifth stories tn
construction weight imposed upon the wal
| at the bearing of each girder of fifth stor,
was 1885 pounds, and on the wall at tn
same point below in fourth story wa
| 22,U30 pounds. The 13-inch wall destroyed
which was free of recesses of any kind
between two spaces of girders, weighed L.
pounds per square foot; so, therefore, tn
weight of the construction that the win
either blown down or pulled asunder repre-
sented 1I4.40O pounds in an area of 1,32
square feet of exposure. The force Of tn
wind at the time of the destruction of thi
wall was, in my opinion, too intangible I
compute.
"Since my induction in Office 1 have ex
acted written report weekly from each O
| my assistants, so as to be informed of tn
| general character of construction through
out the District, its progress and its com
pletion and the record of the Albert build
ing, in charge of Assistant King, is heret
, appended.
1.-The elements are beyond the control Q
man, and nothing that is wrought by hir
: can withstand their fury. The storm O
Tuesday in its violence and destructivenes
was beyond the like of any experience Q
, this community. I find nothing in the ca
lamity which befell the Albert building cal
ing for any condemnation in its construe
ton.
|