The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-10-09
ARE BUILDING DOWN
ODD METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION
On HIRBOUR SKYSCRAPER.
STRANGER COMMENTS ON IT
Workmen on Sixth Story Where There
Is No Wall For Three Stories
Up From the Ground.

II thought these people out here in
Butte were spending all their time dig
ging holes in the ground but I see they
put few castles up in the air and be-
gin at the top to build them at that. I
wonder if they begin excavating for a
mine down thousand feet or SOP"
The man who expressed himself as he
is above quoted was standing on the
corner of Main and Broadway this morn
ing talking to a friend. and both gentle
men, who seemed to be strangers in the
city, were looking up at the workmen
who were 'busily engaged in laying bricks
on the sixth floor of the Hirbour build
ing. This structure, as everybody who
is keeping track of the new buildings In
Butte knows, is going up on the cor
ner of Main and Broadway, and as it Is
a little higher-eight stories-than any
other building in the city. it attracts
great deal of attention. Just at pres
ep, however it is not its towering into the
atmosphere that is causing the most
comment about it. but the fact that the
brick walls were begun on the fourth
story. The walls are built from the
ground up on two sides-the north and
east sides-but the exposed part of the
building-the sides facing Main and
Broadway-are still open below the
fourth story. the building being sup
ported entirely by the steel frame work.
Two stories. the fourth and fifth. are
entirely closed in, and the brick work
will continue upward until the whole
structure above the third story is walled
up. Then the workmen will begin on the
ground floor and build up along the steel
with terra Gotta, until they reach the
fourth story. The terra Gotta which Is
to be used on the two lower stories. was
not on hand when the workmen were
ready to begin, and so they just climbed
up to the fourth story and became busy
there with their trowels and mortar. 1t
was the sight of these workmen taking
wall up towards heaven, while it did
not reach to the ground by three stories.
that attracted the attention of the
stranger who commented on the plan.
What would people have said Of
Jules Verne if he had suggested 25 years
ago that building walls would be con-
structed by beginning at the fourth
story?" continued the stranger, as he
turned to his friend. THE extravagantly
imaginative writer has set before the
public some odd stories, but I don't think
he ever said that buildings We're going
to be put up by coming down from the
top. understand that as matter of
fact these workmen are going up on the
particular story Of the structure where
they are laying bricks, but can see
nothing to prevent them from going up
to the seventh story and building that
before they finish the sixth on which
they are now busy. They are in GER
tain sense, building down. after ALL"
I'm the old school books. you know,
there used to be a lot of advise to young
people about starting right, laying good
foundation and all that, l thought that
advice was all right in my day. and I
have tried to follow it as we'll as could,
but it begins to look as if there would
have to be a little revision In that figure
about laying a good foundation. I think
something should be said about putting
on "a good roof and then going ahead.
Get your roof on so that it will shed wa
ter and put UP your walls and lay your
foundation While you are sure you can
be in out of the wet. Does that sound
unreasonable. Build for the Future
recall was one Of the favorite subjects
for essays when we got along in the
school course when we knew how to give
advice. Nowadays think there would
have to be a change made in the sub
ject Build for the Future, but Build
From the Top would be a very nice way
to put it, at least it would seem so from
the way things are going here in Butte.
II am glad have seen those men at
work UP there. for I may want to put
up a building here in Butte myself some
day, If I do so will know how to in
terrret the reports that are made on it.
If am sitting in my Office back east and
a message comes in saying that the
workmen are busy on the tenth story.
will know that the building Is just start
ing. and will be prepared to meet a lot
of bills for material that will be coming
in for me to pay. If some weeks later
I get information to the effect that the
men are putting in the wall on the sec
ond story I will know that my building
is nearly completed and I can begin to
figure out how much rent it is going to
bring in. That is all important to man
who is thinking of investing in Butte.
man can never travel so far that he
may not learn something by just step
ping out on the street. I have found that
out this morning"
The feature OF the new building WINCH
attracted the attention of the stranger
is easy of explanation. The front and
sides of the building now in course OF
construction win be of glass and the
lower stories in front and side Will be
without brick work. The plan of struc-
ture gives the building the appearance
of being built from the middle toward
both ends, but in this case as in many
others, things are not what they seem
and appearances are deceitful.
Fatal Prosperity.