Evening journal., 1898-08-15
HANGING A BUILDING.
A Strange Experiment I'm Structural
Science Now Being Made fn
birmingham, England.


Few Of the hundreds who daily pass
up or down CaTr's lane are aware how
little separates them from the Great
Western railway. If hole were dug
but three feet deep in the roadway the
pedestrian might drop through direct
on TO the line. for only some Is inches
Of earth covers the IS inches of brick
work of which the tunnel consists. and
separates the passer above from the
train below. The shallowness of this
tunnel has frequently been source of
trouble, for when the cable tram con-
duits were laid in Colmore row q spe-
cial form had TO bS devised to meet the
difficulty. Again. large and impos-
ing frontage in Ccrr's lane Is nothing
but huge sham Of timber and plaster,
especially devised to present an impos-
ing-very imposing-front without sta
bility and without weight. The en-
gineer to the Great Western railway
viii not allow an ounce Of weight 20
rest upon this tunnel. and nowadays
the city surveyor will not allow so
flimsy structure TO be erected as that
referred TO. This has been the cause
that for years has kept open that piece
of land near Carr's lane chapel-at one
time the resting place OF ghost shows
and circuscs. The price demanded for
the land seemed moderate enough, and
deposits have been paid and plans pre-
pared. only 10 be condemned alike by
the city surveyor and railway engineer,
Architects and others Of recognized
ability have tackled the problem only TO
give ii up. The difficulty has been thut
the whole Of the street frontage is over
the trnnel. and az an awkward angle.
varying from four feet 10 twenty-five.
but not a particle Of weight would the
company allow 10 rest upon the tunnel.
and cross girders could not be used on
account of the shallow depth.
What the land owner wanted 10 do was
to erect threc-s-ory building. with
very little indeed TO rest Il upon, md II
was evident that the 25 feet of building
over the tunnel would have 20 be sus-
ncnded-held ont AZ arms lergth, as Il
were. In other words, MS the proposed
building was 40 feet deep and from this
had TO be deducted 25 feet OF tunnel. Il
left but 10 feet Of solid foundation tc
carry an erection Of As feet wide and
three stories high. To overcome this
difficulty the architect Who had the
work in hand devised an Ingenious sys
tenn Of huge cantilevers, six in number
running TO nine feet deep, and estimated
to carry from 100 to 400 tons. ard cal
culated to support a strain of s75 tons
We may perhaps render the mntte
more ineligible by taking as typica
the cantilever known TO the architec
as Al. which projects over the tunnel 2
feet, and supports. or viii support-it
due share (3T5 tons) Of the building
while only 10 feet Of II under the build
ing will rest upon a solid foundation
To add to the safety, from this hang
a huge mass OF concrete some 10 fee
across by IS feet high. and weighin
some 100 tons. suspended by steel bar
90 feet long. The whole matter re-
sembles the weighing Of leg of NUT
ton on the butchers steelyard-th
cantilever acts as the steelynrd-th
warehouses and shops n-e supported a
the long end, and the gigantic weigh
Of concrete dangles from the short one
acting I'm some manner as a counter
poise. while the cantilever rests upon
bed of concrete. 1t has been suggested
that a vigorous sneeze in front por
tion Of the premises. or the simultane
Gus entrance into the premises Of tw
or three portly customers, might I'll
the whole thing up" But the drawing
Of building constructed on such move
lines have. naturally, been examine
with the utmost care both by Mr. Eng
lis. the engineer Of The Great Western
and the city surveyor, and one or tw
minor objections have been successful
met so that the building is now 8
course OF progress. When the girder
are covered in II viii present no vi
usual features to the eye, and will hav
little TO distinguish II from It's fellows
All the same, Il viii be a monument {
architectural ingenuity. Birmingham
Daily Nail.