The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-08-03
A GOVERNMENT STRONGHOLD.
Post Office building in Philadelphia
That Is Heavily Armored and 9th
crwise Protected from Assault.


crwise Protected from Assault.
Not one in a regiment of the thou
sands of persons who daily pass the
Philadelphia post Office is aware that
the massive granite building on Ninth,
Chestnut and Market streets is the
best protected government building in
the world, and that it was planned by
its architect in such manner that it
could bid defiance to rioters and could
almost withstand a siege of artillery.
Even Postmaster Hicks did not know
this until his attention was called to
it, says the Press.
Every widow from basement to roof
is guarded by heavy steel shutters two
inches thick. One-half inch of this
is made of armor-plated steel and it is
strong enough to tlatten nickel.
jacketed bullet from a Krag-Jorgen.
sen rife. The doors are similarly
equipped. Although these shutters in
some cases weigh as much as 1000
pounds, yet they are SO nicely poised
and balanced in the grooves into which
they slide that a man has no more diff
Guilty in closing them than he would
have with an orulnary heavy storm.
door.
Each shutter has two holes Just
large enough for a Springfield rifle to
go through, and these holes are at the
level of the average mans shoulder,
In the high windows on the lower floor
are two rows Of these portfolios, the
upper row being arranged about Is
feet from the floor, so that u down.
ward fire could be directed at any ut.
lacking force. Nor are these all the
means taken for protection. Except
where it is bridged over at the va.
rious doors,,a 12-foot moat runs com.
plc'cly around the building. This il
not there for the purpose of furnish.
ing light and ventilation to the base.
ment, as may appear at first glance,
but is for nothing less than to pre-.
vent the use OF rams in battering down
the shutters.
We have been so secure from inva.
sion that it seems ridiculous almost
that such precautions should be taken
to render inpregnable federal build.
ing. But such precautions were taken,
and the building was planned this way
in cold foresight. Penrosc McClain.
collector OF internal revenue, who is
also the custodian of the federal build.
ing. asked about the steel shutters.
said:
"Thcy are there for double pur.
poses. The first as defense against
riot or attack. and the second as
protection against fire. IF it ever be.
came necessary, we could close every
one of those shutters in Is minutes,
and then The building would be al.
most like Il fort. Until short while
ago there were stored for safe keep
ing in two vaults in this building ovGA
%""22 900. All this has since been
removed and is now secured in the
new mint. The moat, rs suppose
You might call ii, was put where it i.
is for the purpose of defense. 1t is
hardly probable that any of our own
citizens would attack this building,
but in the event of war it might be
very necessary for the government to
have building which would be Sc.
cure from attack"
The collector did not saw so, but
there arc several millions of dollars
worth of revenue stamps in his
vaults, and below in the post Office
there are many other stamps, the
value of which only Postmaster Hicks
knows, and he will not tell.
in the cellar of the building are two
nrtcsan wells. There is an ample
Of tar F.
ing from he city pipes, but hostile
force might cut these pipes. Tt would
have great difficulty, however, in
reaching the artcsian wells, so that
n garrison would be certain of plenty
of water if placed there and com.
PEELED to withstand siege.
The present generation has forgot.
ten it, but in the past there have been
many times when government build
il,gs have been the object of attack.
Had the white house been susceptible
OF defense IL would not have been
burned by the British when they cap.
tnrrd the capital of the United States
in the war of 1912. The capitol itself
would have seen spared q like fate
in the same war had it been so con.
strnctcd. In he draft riots in New
York and other cities during the
civil war the federal building time
and again was the objective point of
the rioters. But if citizens have short
memories, the government has one
like n memorandum bool1-and it does
not forget.
How They Broke Up.