The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-05-31
TO CAST TON OF STAFF
ON HIGH SCAFFOLD.
sculptors on Platform, 100 Feet
High, Will Be Screened
by Canvas.

An extraordinary feat OF staff decoration
on the Palace Of Electricity will be the
modelling Of one ton of plaster of paris on
a scaffoldins 1870 feet above the ground. This
piece Of stan is the big acroterium which
is to crown the gable at the main, east and
west entrances of the structure. The dec
Grafton Is % feet long by Ii feet and 8
inches.
All of the other ITO models required for
the Electricity Palace have been finished
by Modelers Barth and Stalk. They have
completed the entire staff application for
the Palace of Textiles. which took seventy
separate ca SITS. The casting OF the acroteri-
UNI or the Electricity Palace makes all
other staff work. to be performed for some
time seem very inconsideratle.
A housing of canv's will be built around
the gables which must be treated. The
sculptors will work within this tent in the
air. 1t is not erected for protection against
the weather. nor to prevent observation by
spectators on the ground. Mod=ler Barth
explains that sculptors are not generally
accustomed to working at great heights.
They are apt 10 become giddy from a SUI
perSensitiveness of elevation. The housing
OF canvas prevents. them from seeing the
ground and thus diyerting their attention
from the work.
In working at so great a distance from
the ground, fine finish on the work Is
wrong said Modeler Barth. The best
effects at a distance are produced by mass
e.. therefore the best tool for the modeler
in casting the acroterium will be an ord
mary Ratchet. With this implement he will
chop the chunks OF plaster from the work.
In this work the modeler uses excelsior. in
stead of hemp fiber, for the staff. Excel
Sior Is wood fiber, and is much lighter
than the hemp
The textiles Palace has been ore of the
simplest modelling contracts ever offered by
an exposition building. The capital OF the
column for the colonnade is repeated us
times. The cupid frieze. the first piece
modelled. which attracted considerable at
the same number Of times. The large car
touches on the entrance pavIiions are to
be repeated ten times. the pavilion pilas-
ters thirty-two times and the Tilasters OF
the coloRnaGc lie times. According 20 the
statistics OF the modelers, the number of
TIRES q given model is repeated on a build
ing regulates to a great extent the cost OF
the staff. In every piece Of stan work the
modelling is the most expensive part of the
application. because 1t must be done by a
man of artistic Judgment and skill.
Il frequently costs as much as 900 TO
make a single model. If this model is re-
peated only twice on the building. the cost
cast. as on the Textiles Palace. 116 times.
the cost OF the loo will be less than so for
each cast.
Laying of the pump log conduit for the
throughout the site. was begun yesterday
by the electrical division of the Dspartmen:
Robert Moore. under the plans drawn BY
Chief Electrical Engineer Rustin. Work
was commenced at the Palace OF Electricity
now in process Of construction. by the
Goldie Construction Company. The conduit
will leave ths electric subway. which runs
Immediately north OF the building. and will
make a direct line to the transformer
house, which will be erected inside the court
OF the Electricity Palace.
In the transformer house, the current is
stepped Gown" from a voltage of $50 volts
to the ordinary electric Hight voltage of 10.
The current from the generator plant is
transmitted at a high voltage. because a
small wire will suffice TO carry II Under such
conditions. The 40 feet in the first car
load OF pump log conduit will equip the
Electricity Palace. There will be over 1.6p)
tons of wire beneath the level OF the site
when II Is all in place and one-fourth Of
this amount will be In pump logs. according
to the estimate of Chief Electrical Engineer
Rustin.