The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-19
The Biggest Rooted Struc-
tuTe Ever Built.
Only Two Years Demolished,
Now Nearly Forgotten.
The Difference Between "COasting''
and "Scorching" Expounded.

Several gentlemen were talking last
evening about the largest buildings they
had ever seen and one Of them ventured
the opinion that ct. Peters al Rome was.
in his opinion, the biggest structure IN
the world. His statement was doubted
ut once ny one OF the others who declared
that the United States had the honor OF
bayisg had the largest building ever
built. lie did not say immedi lately what
building be hsd in mind, but per
mitted his friends to guess. One sug-
gested the Madison Square garden in
New York, another the Chicago Coliseum,
the third the Cincinnati Music ball, the
fourth the con vention hall at st. Louis
and so on. None OF these, however,
satisfied the gentlemen who had started
the guessing contest. Finally he asked
how many OF the party had visited the
Worlds fair at Chicago, and the replies
showed that oil but one had attended that
wonderful exposition.
"Well. then," he went on, "those who
were there do not seemto have improved
the opportunities afforded for, II you had
you would rave known that the Mana
facturers' building there was the largest
rooied structure the world has ever
seem" Then be proceeded to say that
even the iigu1es of It's dimensions gave no
adequate idea OF the inmensity OF the
building.
II was rectangular in form. consisting
" nave or central room, surrounded by
Q court. 1t was 1857 feet long by 7s7
wide. The central room was 1897 feet
long by 3s7 feet wide, and the court sur
rounding this was 200 feet wide. A
gallery the size of the court surrounden
the nave. The central room was formed
by 2S steel arches, with gross span OF
3s7 feet and a clear height in the center
OF 202 feet, max ing room with more
than 10 acres of clear floor space, and
without a supporting column under it's
ceiling, which Yves 252 feet above the
floor. The Madison Square Garden,
placed in the center of this room, would
have looked like building material ex-
hibit, snd would have occupied less than
cne fifth OF the room IS floor space.
TIE ground space covered oy the build
ing was over 33 acres ana including the
gallery. there were about 40 acres of floor
space. 1t was 20 times the size OF the
Chicago Auditorium, and 10 buildings
like the Madison Square Garden could
have been erected within its walls. The
standing army OF Germany could have
been mobilized under its roof, and
arranged with seats like our theaters il
would comfortably house 320, 900 persons.
All the Republican national conventions
that have Assem- bled since the Declaration
OF independence could sit in such O
building at one time. Four games of base
hall could have Teen played on the main
floor at one time.
And then think OF the enormous
quantity OF material entering into the con-
s,ruction Of thst building. Michigan and
Wisconsin pine lands cut about 10, 600 feet
of dressed lumber to the acre. Calculat-
ing from this basis, the Manufact.
prers' building represented over
100 Gcres OF standing pine. for IL
90 stained l7,00o,O0 feet of lumber.
Inc steel in the roof frame and the
trusses forming tie nave would puild
two BROOKLYN bridges. aud were of
greater weight than he Eads Bridge at
ST. Louis. This work wss put up by
contact ct i-i0 cents per pound, ana
the i.l0th OF a cent made difference of