The Eddy current., 1898-10-01

Ersstsd ~ Place where No Fouasa-
tion Coutd ne Tad.

Ersstsd ~ n Place where No Fousaa-
tlon Couid ne Tad.
Few Of the hundreds who daily pass
up or down Carr's LAM are aware how
little separates them from the Great
Western railway. n hole we're dug
but three feet deep In the roadway the
pedestrian might drop through direct
on the line. for only some eighteen
inches OF earth covers the eighteen
inches Of brickwork Of which the tun-
mel consists. and separates the passer
above from the train below. Tho
engineer Of the Great Western will not
allow an ounce Of weight to rest upon
his tunnel, and nowadays the city sur
veyor will not allow even a filmsy
I structure a. be erected This has been
the cause that for years has kept open
that piece Of land near Carr's Lane
I Chapel-at one time the resting place
Of ghost shows and clrouses. The price
demanded for the land seemed m0der-
ate enough. and deposits have been
made and plans prepared. only TO be
condemned alike by the city surveyor
and railway engineer. Architects and
others OF recognized ability have tack
led tho problem. only to give Il up. The
difficulty has been that the WHOLE OF
the street frontage IL over the tunnel.
and NJ an awkward angle varying from
four feet 20 twenty-five but not par
tlclo OF weight would the company al
low to rest upon the tunnel. and cross
girdors could not be used on account
Of the shallow depth. What the land
owner wanted 10 do was TO erect a
threo-story building. with very little
Indeed 10 rest II upon. and u was EVIL
dent that the twenty-five feet OF build
ing over the tunnel would have TO be
suspended out at arms length. as
Il we're In other words. as the pro-
posed building was forty-hye feet deep
and from this had to be deducted 20
feet OF tunnel. II left but 10 feet OF solid
foundation to carry an erection forty
fve feet wide and three stories high.
To overcome this difficulty the archi-
tect who had the work IN hand devised
an ingenious system OF huge cantiiev-
ers. six in number, running to nine
feet deep, and estimated to carry
weights " wing from 100 to 400 tons,
and ~, .lding will soon be com
pleted. ae cantileyer supports the
greatest weight estimated az 400 tons,
, and calculated 20 support n strain OF
SIS tons We may. perhaps. render
the matter more intelligible by taking
, an typical the cantilever known TO the
architect as Al, which projects oyer
, the tunnel 20 feet and supports pr
will mpport-its due share (375 t6ns)
4. OF the building. while only 10 feet OF
= II under the building will rest upon a
[ solid foundation To add to the safe
! ~. from this hangs a huge mass OF
I concrete. some 1G feet across by 10 feet
high. and Weighing some 100 tons sus-
= pended by steel bars 22 feet LONE The
= whole matter resembles the weighing
a OF n leg OF mutton on the butchers
p steeiyard-the cantllever acts as the
= steelyard-the warehouses and shops
4 are supported at the long end. and the
y gigantic weight OF concrete dangles
= from the short one. acting In some
= manner az counterpoise, while the
= cantllever rests upon bed OF concrete
o II has been suggested that vigorous
3 sneeze In front portion OF the prem
9 isea or the simultaneous entrance into
> the premises OF two or three portly
9 customers might Tip the whole thinl
n up." The drawings OF building con
q structed on such novel lines have, nat
= urally. been examined with the utmost
o care. both by Mr.. Englia. the engineel
Of the Great Western. and the citS
surveyor. and the one or two minor OBJ
!. iectlons have been successfully met
q when the girders are covered In !
? will present no unusual features tC
y the eye and will have little 10 distin
= gulsh II from It's fellows. All The
q same. Il will be a monument OF archi
/. tectural ingenuity. birmingham Mail