Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-06
SOME DANGEROUS WORK
How the Courtyard of the New Post Office
Will Be Rooted
A Movable Truss Bridge for WOrkmen
Raising the Arches in Halves
and Riveting Them.

What is perhaps the most difficult and
dangerous work yet attempted in the con-
struction of the new city post office build
ing will be begun within few weeks. For
several months workmen have been engaged
in setting up the trusses and boiling together
the frame for the roof story of the building,
and this work is nearing completion. PedeS-
TRANS on Pennsylvania avenue have watch
ed with interest the progress of the work
and many times have been thrilled at the
sight of men carelessly perched high up on
an upright or unconcernedly walking along
a cross-beam with no support on either side
and little or no protection below them. For
tunately, no fatalities or serious accidents
have happened since beginning the roof
construction. But more dangerous work is
yet to come.
A Movable Truss Bridge.
Those who are acquainted in general
with the plan of the new building are
aware of the fact, and for the Information
of others who are ignorant on the subject,
it may be stated that there is a large court
in the center. This court is 30 feet wide
and 200 long, and must be rooted over. It
is this work which is dangerous. Several
plans have been under consideration by the
contractors as to the best methods of per-
forming the work, one of which was the
building OF a scaffold from the ground up
the entire height of the building, in order
that the worhmen might be able to con-
struct the steel arches which are to span
the court. Other suggestions were made,
but it has been decided by the contractors.
and their plans have been approved by the
Treasury Department, to build a movable
truss bridge across the ninety-niffe feet of
space. and on this will be accommodated
the men who Will rivet the trusses as
they are hauled UP by the derricks.
This bridge or traveller, as it is called,
will be constructed of stout timberS and
will run on tracks laid at each side of the
court. 1t will be two stories in height, the
second story being sixteen feet above the
first This construction is rendered neceS-
sary because the roof trusses are arched,
so that when work is to be done at the
crown of the arch the men can be accom-
nodated on the second story. and while
working al the -abutments the lower story
will be used
The bridge is to be ten feet wide, which,
1t is claimed, will give ample space for the
Workmen. If, however, one of them should
make a misstep his fall would not be brok-
en- until he reached the ground, 154 feet be-
low, except by the joists of the first floor. OF
course the bridge is to be perfectly strong
and secure and will hold all the men and
tools necessary for building the arches.
Hoistins the Arches.
When the work of bridging the court is
actually begun a novel method will be car
ried out The arch, or one half of it, is to
be assembled on the ground and when it is
all riveted and bolted together it will be
hoisted by means of derricks and put in
place. The other half will be similarly put
together and hoisted, and the two halves
will then be riveted at the center. This re-
duces to a minimum the dangerous mid-air
work which otherwise would be necessary.
Each half arch contains about thirty
pieces of steel, and when put together
weighs in the neighborhood of seven tons.
As each arch is set up and riveted in the
center, the travelling bridge will be rolled
along to where the next one is to be con-
structed, and SO on until all are completed.
When this shall have been accomplished
the contractors will feel relieved of a heavy
burden. for although there will still be
other dangerous work to be done before
the building is completely rooted in, yet
the most difficult and the most dangerous
part will then be over.