The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-26
BADLY BUNCLED.
City Building Must Be Repaired
at Once.
The Auditorium Roof is Still
Leaking Badly.
WATER IN BASEMENT.
Foundation For Boilers is Being
Damaged by Water.
Plans Being Considered by Pub
lie Buildings Committee.
WATER IN BASEMENT.

An important meeting of the commit
tee on public buildings of the city coun-
ell was held this morning at the city
hall for the purpose of deciding what
can be done to check the rapid deterior-
alton of the city building and Auditor
ium. and repair damage which is being
done by faulty construction.
Another effort will be made at once
to repair the roof of the big building SO
that it viii not leak. The recent rains
have come through the roof, and a lot
more of the plastering in the corridor
of the city hall has fallen
Extensive changes are contemplated
in the present construction of the base
ment, to prevent water from coming in,
and to save the foundation walls from
damage. AS it now is. the walls are
getting in bad shape, and every time
there is a heavy rain, the water stands
in the boiler room several inches deep
The action of the water in the boiler
room has caused the brick foundation
under the boilers to disintegrate. until
the great boilers have begun to settle
to the cement floor. The brick piers
which support the boilers are cracked,
and show the effect Of the crushing
weight upon them.
It is also. proposed to cover with as
best0s the two boilers and the ], 400 feet
Of ,. and inch steam pipe mains
which supply the building with heat. 1t
is claimed that owing to the fact tina
these pipes are exposed to the cold air.
1t requires about twice as much fuel to
warm the building than otherwise would
be needed. The cost of covering the
pipes with asbestos viii be about $500.
but the city Will save nearly that
amount of coal bills it is believed.
Owing to faulty construction of the
boilers themselves, Engineer Stafford,
who has had long experience in firing,
and who fired the city furnaces last
winter, says that unless carefully han
died there is great danger of an ex-
plOsiOn which Will wreck the building.
1t appears that the steam pipes leading
out of the boilers. and the return pipes
which bring the steam and water back
to the boilers are so arranged that they
act as Siphon, and draw all OF the wa
ter out of the boilers. If the return
valves are not opened at just the right
time Engineer Stafford says that the
water would rush back into the over
heated pipes and cause a blOw-up. The
pipes should be fixed in some manner to
prevent the siphon action, so Mr.. SAT
ford claims.
le buildings are George Neil, chairman :;
speaking of the condition in which he
found things this morning Mr. Neil said:
he condition of things at the city
building shows plainly that it was snide
J9D OF CONTRACTING. Ihlngs are IN bad
shape and it viii cost a good deal of money
10 make needed repairs. We viii have the
holes in the roof fixed today. but 1 am
afraid that owing to lack Of money the
other repairs will have to wait till fail We
viii have the steam pipes wrapped to pre-
vent loss of heat and something will also
have to be done about the condition of the
boiler room. Every time it rains the wa
ter runs in there It gets in mainly from
the coal chute, I think which is lower
than the surface of the ground The boiler
room floor is laid at such an angle that
instead of running out through the sewer
the water settles in lakes on the floor If
this thing continues the walls viii be seri-
ously damaged.
1t is proposed to heat the lower floor of
! the fire department headquarters by
means Of a separate pipe which can be
! operated day and night with smaller
amount of steam than has been used.
! Owing to the present arrangement it has
/ whole city building at night in winter in
order to keep the chemicals in the chem
/ ical engine from freezing. It is believed
/ that this object can be accomplished by
/ placing q series of steam coils on the floor
/ under the chemical engine and letting the
/ same pipe feed the steam radiator in the
! watehmans box, which must be kept warm
all night
All these defects in the city building are
! merely those of most recent discovery.
/ While Mayor Hughes was in office he
/ spent several hundred dollars in repairs on
/ the building. The woodwork in the city
/ hall was patched up where it had warped
/ out Of shape, doors were cut down OF
/ pieced out to make them fit the castings
| the roof it was decided to have the whole
| thing painted. This was done al a cost OF
/ about $3.50. but it apparently has done Nc
good The rain finds plenty of holes al