Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-09

ia after thirty-one years or con-
- slant building the largest build
q4S1 ing in America is nearing com
- pletion comes another to the eff
feet that the big pile is so sadly over
crowded that its $500 tenants are begin
ming to how for an additional story. This
despite the fact that the structure, Phila-
delphia's City hall, has $50 rooms with a
total floor space of 513,673 square feet, or
E IS acres.
George G. Pierre, chief of the Bureau OF
City Property, who has jurisdiction over
City Hall, and John NJ. Bunker, the build
ing's superintendent, are being bothered
with another complaint about the smallness
Of their big charge. They are told contin-
ually that it's twenty-five elevators cannot
accommodate the thousands Of persons who
enter the hall daily. Mr.. Bunker says that
he knows full well that the city employees
are cramped for elbow room and that the
kick about the elevators is justified; but
what can we do?" he asks helplessly.
We've put in and put in elevators until
we've no place to install another; and,
while there's room to stick another story
on the building, we've no authority to do it.
But something will have to be done soon
to relieve the jam. The only vacant rooms
now at our ommapd are the eight in the
tower, the highest in the world, but they
are so poorly lighted and ventilated that
they are of no use except as store rooms"
If another story is ever added to City
Hall it will be only one of hundreds of
queer things that have become a part of
the buildings history.
The leading queer thing-to Philadelphia
taxpayers-is how the hall, even If it Is the
largest structure in the western hemisphere
and the worlds largest municipal building,
the Parliament building excepted, ever came
to take $25, 900, 900 from their pocketbooks.
A recent report, in endeavoring to explain
this vast expenditure. reveals some inter
esting facts. 1t states that 1917 900 has
been paid to the architect and his assistants
in salaries since 1871, when the building was
begun; $40, 300 to a messenger; 1851, 400 for
paint and painting; 1925, 900 for cast and
wrought iron (the building has 40 steel
frame, for such a thing was unknown when
the hall was begun; ST. 12, 900 for so, 900, 600
bricks and brick work; SIS, 500, 900 for 1,464,-
900 cubic yards of marble for marble work;
- 1000 900 for dressed stone for inside finish;
= l,OOO,O 600 for fitting up rooms; $3.50, 900 for
plumbing; 1856, 900 for metal work on the
tower; $3.50, 900 for asphalt floors and roof;
$28, 900 for a tower clock; $61S, 900 for car.
penter work; $65 900 for 81, 346 pounds of
bronze work; 81 ,343, 900 for watchmen and
cleaners; $736,000 for electric installations;
and so on.
The installation of electricity furnishes
Z an interesting incident in the halls history.
When the walls were erected electric light
ing was unheard Of, but when scientists had
demonstrated its usefulness the now extinct
Public Buildings Commission, in the late
eighties, ordered electrical equipment. The
electricians had to chisel troughs into the
stone walls for the wires at an expense Of
thousands of dollars, and 1t took them the
better part of five years of steady work to
wire the building. Now, however, the hall
has a plant capable of furnishing all the