Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-05-02
OUR WASHINGTON FIR
OCCUPIES POSITION ON A SKY
SCRAPER IN CHICAGO.

It's 72 Feet Long and Towers 347 Feet Above
the Street-Was Carried East on Two Cars
Difficulty in Getting Il Into Position-lt
Il Took -Four Days Of Hard Labor Before q
Large Force Of Men and Teams Accom-.
pIished the Task.
Tipped with copper globe beneath
which the Stars and Stripes stretched
out proudly under the influence of the
never ceasing lake breezes, a big stick
of Washington fir marks the fact that
work on .Chicago's new federal build
ing has been pushed to the highest
elevation the building will reach. The
timber occupies the highest position
ever afforded piece OF wood in the
Mississippi Valley, for its u feet OF
unmarked expanse reaches 347 feet
above the ground. With one excep-
tion, it is higher than any point of
any other building in Chicago-the
Montgomery-Ward structure, reaches
still so feet further toward the sky.
The splendid piece of wood which
now holds 20 prominent place in the
city made trouble for the contractors
before it was put in place, and many
were the devices and plans which
went wrong before the pole was landed
securely in its resting place. It took
four days OF hard work and three At
tempts failed fatty before big force
OF teamsters and workmen could bring
the stick OF timber the 40 blocks be.
tween the yard where it was dressed
for the federal building.
The big pole was cut, according to
the Marsh & Bingham Lumber COM
pany, which sold it to the contractors
somewhere about the Oregon-Wash.
ington line, and went TO Tacoma with
other sticks of . special consignment
for the Chicago firm. Thence, stretch
ing over two long cars, it travelled over
the Northern Pacific and Northwest.
ern lines to Chicago, being at last de-
posted with dozen other timbers be-
eide the railway track west of the
stockyards district of Chicago.
When the contractors began casting
about for q pole for the federal build
ing, days were spent by an expert in
searching through the multitude Of
lumber yards and lofts which line the
Chicago river. Nothing suitable was
found until the lot of tho Marsh.
Bingham company was visited. 1t
took the expert but ten minutes TO de-
eide that the stick selected was the
one he had go long sought. The next
day, and for nearly month thereafter,
four men worked increasingly prepar-
ing the timber for use. The result Of
their labors was q straight, well-round.
ed flagstaff, which. its three score and
10 feet, was but ii inches in diameter
at the base.
When the pole was ready to be
placed on long wagon and start for
the building, which occupies q block
bounded by Adams, Dearborn, Clark,
and Jackson streets, in the busiest
center of the city. Within . dozen
blocks OF the work the wagon attempt
ed to turn a corner, with the result
that the big stick threatened the plate
glass front OF a store and tied up a
street car line. No way could be
found of turning the corner success.
fully, and ultimately the timber was
unloaded and taken back to the yards.
A second and third attempt resulted
in like failure. Then survey of the
streets was made, and it was found
that by paralleling the railroad tracks
to the Grand Central station, and then
moving north through Custom House
| place, the journey could be accom-.