Omaha daily bee., 1897-06-13

feet long, 210 feet wide, and is covered with
towers, which make the distribution OF the
weight very unequal, the feat can be said to
have been truly gigantic, and worthy to
rank among the great engineering feats Of
the world. The moving cost SOS, 900.
MOVING A RAILROAD STATION.
Yet smaller buildings have beeen moved
which, in proportion, presented greater diff
tculties, and for their sizes greater weights.
The station at Mott Haven, n. Y, is COM
posed of brick and stone, extending out in
bays and covered ways IN a manner which
seriously interferes with uniform weight. 1t
is the kind of a building which would be
badly damaged by an earthquake. 1t is 1856
feet long and thirty-fve feet deep. 1t
weighs LOO tons. An eighty-foot tower at
tached alone weighs 500 tons. Yet this
building was lifted up on jackscrews and
fourteen men moved it fifty feet in four and
one-half days. Crossbeams were extended
under the building and were allowed to rest
on two tracks or ways which were simply
beams of greater length than the ones under
the floor and thoroughly fabricated. Behind
the station a number OF posts, secured to the
tracks by means of chains, served as abut
ments for the jacksCr1 VS.. As the Jack
screws pushed the station forward the abut-
mens were moved forward also so that the
screws always had a solid backing against
which to work. The Job thus became ex-
ceedngly simple. Almost the same operation
was gone through with in moving the old
brick church at Sailors Snug harbor, on
Staten island. The ferry house of the Brook
lyn City railroad was also moved in this
manner, except that it was moved In an
oblique direction. This was accomplished
by providing the track timbers with guides.
The ferry house now stands 40 feet west
ward and twenty-five fest northward of its
original site. 1t is now seventeen inches
lower than its former level. 1t is a brick
structure, 52Xl10 feet in extent The work
NJ pnn
HOW "A HOUSE Is RAISED.
The process of raising house is interest
ing. If 1t is frame house, the chimneys
are given special attention. Two holes are
cut through the base of each chimney and
beams are pushed through and allowed to ex-
tend all the way across the house and in such
a position that the cellar ceiling joists will
cross them Enough beams are put through
In this manner to thoroughly support the
joists. Then two heavy timbers are crossed
under the beams so as to catch up the ends
Under these again more timbers are crossed
and tho latter again are made to rest on long
straight tmbers, which are to be used for
tracks; all this II the house Is at the proper
level. If not, jackscrews must be employed
to raise or lower 1t. The screws generally
rest on platforms, which are made by taking
short lengths OF timbers and piling them in
pairs crosswlse on one another until the de-
sired height is reached. Two timbers are then
to the end OF the screw. The other end of
the screw bears up against the joists OF the
building. Thus, II the bearing of the screw
Is not great enough, II Is only necessary to
add more cross tlmbers underneath. Now,
to raise the building, Screws will lift say,
ten tons each, and will be placed at distances
OF iye feet apart all around the building.
Each screw carries a slow thread and has
two holes In 1t near the top, crossing each
other. Into these are to be inserted the crow
bars which turn the screws When all Is
ready men station themselves at every other
screw, and, inserting their crowbars give
the screw quarter turn. Each man then
passes on to the screw next ahead of him and
gives that quarter turn. They keep on
doing this, working around and around the
building and raising or lowering 1t gradually
until 1t Is on the required level. The timbers
are then inserted as explained above and the
house made ready to move forward.
COMMON SOAP DOES 1T ALL.
The lubricant generally used by house
movers Is common soap. II contains the
best kind OF grease for the purpose. The
wooden tracks are thoroughly rubbed with
II, and, as 1t squeezes its way into the grid
ers, resting on the tracks, and does not cas-
lily eyaporate, II makes a very slippery path.
In moving frame houses a single horse is
used TO pull IL along, not as he would pull
wagon exactly, but by means OF a wind
lass. As has been pointed out. the girders
which support the house are not even
chained together; the weight OF the build
Ing holds them sufficiently rigid 10 one Of