New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-28
A CHURCH BUILT IN A DAY.
From Tho Chicago Tribune.


A church with seating capacity Of 5000 per
sons, heated by three furnaces and lighted with WITH
midnight Saturday, at Ravcnswood and was dedi-
Gated at 1915 o'clock Sunday morning by the Rev
81 B. Williams. OF Atlanta, Ga, assisted by nearly
The site Of the church Friday night q
trsss When the people OF the neighborhood looked
out Of their windows Sunday morning they found
ing from its chmneys and the front doors open
ready for the dedcatOry service o,oso, ., ,,
night Friday Tho first lumber was hauled to the
site at o'clock Friday afternoon and men began
miles away AT o'clock Saturday morning ten
men put to work. and as fast as material
enough arrived the number of workmen was In
creased TIL there nearly 200 men engaged on
the structure At o'clock Saturday night the
enough OF the roof had been covered over for the
church women Of Ravenswood TO begin decorating
with hags and bunting.
Al exactly midnight twenty hours aftsr the the
in tho lock OF the front door and went home to get
q little sleep before opening the church Tor service
The Rev. NJ. g. Williams. who until recently has
been engaged In temperance crusade In Iowa. be-
gan a series of revival meetings at the United Pres
The plans were to conduct meetings every after
noon and evening for four weeks. After two days
OF meetings the church where they were held be-
came too small for the crowd and the ministers
and church people decided TO build another and
larger church and have it ready TO dedicate by
Sunday. ,o.. ,,.o,,.e-ao,. .,.,,. s-o,
was subscribed starter by the people Of
Rovensvood The Rev. Mr. Williams went out
NJ ter the meeting TO mo a contractor ana AT MID
WIGHT he had drawn his plans and the contract was
ready 10 be signed. One of the provisions that
The church should be ready for service by Sunday
II n was not there was 10 be no work performed
early on Sunday morning 49,. , -
The nearest electric lighting plant Is two miles
awav from RaVensWOOd. ii was necessary 10
string electric wires all the distance to keep tho
contract The linenen started 10 string wires at
the same ting that the first load Of lumber was
dumped on tNe ground L
A few workulen busy for an hour and a half
on Friday Afternoon, preparing the ground for the
building and with that exception, the work was
all done Saturday over 5000 feet of lumber was
hauled 10 the Site, and was used almost as fast as
II unOaded.
The men stopped work for half an hour at noon
and the same length OF time for supper. and the
Construction OF the building went on till midnight
when the last nail driven In the completed
structure The 1900 chairs were nearly all IN place
before the roof was completed. and the piano AM
pulpit furniture being placed at the same time
The doors being hung.
The nave OF the church is eighteen feet high.
while the aisles about eight feet lower No
floor was laid but tho ground was covered with
twelve inches of fine shavings. The roof is covered
with boards and tar paper, and the walls are iined
with heavy building paper to keep out the cold.
The choir will seat $50 singers, and. besides the
MIC no there will be full orchestra at each service.
The building Is lighted by four arc lamps and