The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-04-24
HUGE FRONT WALLREM0VE0
Reconstruction of the Inter-
Ocean Building Begun.
A DANGEROUS PIECE OF WORK
Made Necessary by the Insecure Con.
dition of the Front, Which Had
a Small steel PIate-An Eastern
Gale Might ToppIe 1t Over.

The reconstruction OF the whole great
front OF the InteIocean Building on Ninth
street, is d piece of work unique in Wash
ingtOn and probably ia the United States.
The building is zine stories high, besides
the basement 1t Icons up so feet above
the street The width OF the building is
about fifty feet. This whole wall Of
1000 and mere square feet has been taken
out bodily. The Inter-ocean Building has
now only three sides
IL is estimated thatChe reconstruction will
cost in the neighborhood OF sgt, 900, pcs
sibly more. 1t will take several months,
during which the building viii remain idle
This viii mean several Thousand dollars
more, in various ways, to the owners.
Besides that there is a large element Of
danger in the project. A big wind might
do something frightful.
Ali of this trouble and expense anddanger
was caused by the breaking Of snail IRON
plate a little over an inch taick, and perhaps
sixteen inches square.
For d rOng IIue Tins wall has been re-
earled with suspicion. OminOus cracks
were detec, ed in it, AT last tie suild-
ing inspector investigated the matter.
Mr. King, assistant building Inspector,
made an examination and a report The
center OF the front wall was Sagging an
inch and a half The plate in the tase
OF two of the second story columns had
broken.
This column was eight inches through.
IL was resting Oh its plate, which, in turn,
rested on a steel construction acr,rss the
whole width OF the building at the second
story. This steel construction consisted
of two pieces nine inches apart. When
the plate at the bottom OF the column gave
way the eight-inch column sank into the
nine+nch hole.
In d few words that is a non-technical
description OF the accident. The whole
center part OF the front wall rested on
this column and this on the plate 1t
began to sag when the plate broke.
1t could not be determined just how dan
gerous this breach was; or, in other
wor Is, Just how long the wall would stand
Because OF this and because the recon
Etruction would also be dangerous, Build
Ing Inspector Brady hestated "a long time
about doing it.
The danger, of course, lies in the fact
that the side walls are now without the
support OF the front. A heavy east wind
sweeping into the shell could very easily
topple them over. Every precaution has
been taken against this danger 10y COntrac-
Tor Duehay, at the suggestions of Assistant
Building Inspector King, who is looking
after the work for the inspectors office.
The whole front has been boarded up to
keep out the wind as much as possible.
Thewalls abovethe adjoining buldin cs have
been secured with iron rods. The front OF
each separate floor all the way up has been
secured with studding to the satisfaction
Of the inspector
The building inspector has not as yet had
al ything official to say with regard to
the broken plate, which caused all the
trouble, and the people who put it in,
whether anything or anybody was at
fault.