Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-09
BUREAU STANDARDS
Two New Buildings to Be
Begun at Once.
ONE CONTRACT is LET
THAT FOR MECHANICAL LABoRA-
TORY AWARDED TO LOCAL FIRM.
Description of the Proposed Structures
and How the Different Rooms
Are to Be Used.
ONE CONTRACT is LET

The work of erecting the two new build
ings for the national bureau of standards
will be begun at once. The contract for the
mechanical laboratory was let yesterday
to Pavarini & Greer of this city, and the
contract for the larger building to be used
for a physical labora tory will be let short
ly. The contract calls for the completion
of the work in fourteen months, but Prof.
Stratton, chief of the bureau, believes that
he will be able to move into the new quar-
tiers by July L of next year.
A beautiful hillside site near Cleveland
Park was selected last year for the bureau
of standards, account of it's atmospheric
conditions and remoteness from electrical
disturbances and it is on the seven and
half acres of this rather secluded part OF
the District that this new feature of gov
ernmental work will be given a permanent
home. The two buildings authorized are
to cost together S32J,0O0. The completed
scheme contemplates several other build
fEgS but the bureau will be allowed to
grow to this need before they are supplied.
Besides the expenditure of the $323,0OO for
buildings, the amount of $4,000 for equip
ment has been authorized.
The work of the bureau of standards has
increased to such an extent since it was
first organized under authority of the act
of March /, 1901. that it has been found
necessary to increase the temporary labor
atory quarters beyond the space available
in the Butler building, and to this end
building has been leased on New Jersey
avenue, near the Butler building, in which
latter place the offices of the bureau will
remain until the new buildings are COM
pleted. An increased clerical and scientific
force has also just been added to the num-
Der of fifteen people altogether.
The Mechanical Laboratory.
The mechanical laboratory will be
three-story building 135 feet long and so
feet wide. and will contain the power and
lighting plant, storage batteries, special al
ternating current machines for expert
mental and testing purposes. the refriger
ating plant, the heating and ventilating
plant, auxiliary apparatus, the machine
shop and carpenter shop, as well as labora-
tories for heavy electrical testing, photom-
etry, gas and water-meter testing.
In the boiler room two 125-horse power
boilers are to be installed, space being pro-
vided for doubling this capacity.
Dlnamo and engine room.-Two SO-horse
power high-speed engines, each direct-con-
nected to two 25-kw. direct-current gener
ators, will be installed Additional space
will be provided for unit of double this
size as well as for the special alternators
referred to below.
The heating and ventilating plant-In the
combined heating and ventilating system
~ be adopted the air will be supplied to the
various rooms by means of ducts with the
aid of electrically driven fans, the tenn
perature of any room in either building be-
ing independently contrOllable by Their
mostatic damper at the bottom of the re-
spective fues where the heated or arti-
ficially cooled air will be mixed with the
air from without. The ducts are pro-
pOrtioned as to permit complete renewal
of air every fifteen minutes. In winter the
air to be heated will be passed over coils
fed with exhaust steam, and in summer
the air will be cooled by coils through
which cooled brine is circulated.
Refrigerating PLAINTIFF cool the air and
to provide artificial ice a refrigerating
plant of thirty tons ice melting capacity
will be Installed Although the building will
be used only a portion of the twenty-four
hours. provision will be made for fully
utilizing the refrigerating capacity.
An instrument shop will also be contained
in this building. This equipment is a most
useful adjunct to a modern laboratory and
will be equipped with the latest types of
motor-driven precision and engine athes,
milling machines, shapers, drills, pressers,
etc liquid air plant will also be INSTALL
ed. with capacity for all experimental
purposes likely to arise. An electric stor-
age room is to be fitted up for heavy cur
rent testing. The work on the whole Of
the mechanical laboratory will deal with
power and instrument tests and it is pre-
dicted that the additional buildings planned
for will be needed within a very short time
after the new buildings are occupied.
Money Appropriated.
The first law appropriated 100000 for a
| building. the cost of which was limited to
$3.50 600 To meet the demands of manu-
featuring and technical interests for heavy
testing work, and for experimental work
| recurring extraordinary facilities, a large
and well-eduipped power plant Is required
and this makes necessary the erection Of a
separate power house at some distance
from the main building. The elaboration
of the numerous details Of construction Of
the two buildings occupied a great deal Of
time. and as the work progresses its scope
broadened with 1t, so that when the pre-
liminarv estimates of the cost Of erection
OF buildings of the necessary size had been
made by the supervising architect Of the
treasury, under whom the buildings are to
be erected ii was found impossible to con-
struct them for the sum specified. An ad-
ditional appropriation of $75. 600 was there
fore asked for. and granted by Congress
at the session Just closed.
The main building will be four stories
in height. approximately $50 feet long and
30 feet wide. and will contain about 80
rooms. all equipped with apparatus for
verification work and for special investiga-
| tions. and provided with gas, electric light,
compressed air. suction, hot and cold wa
! ter. as we'll as with a number Of indie
| pendent electrical circuits, so that cleo
| trical currents of any desired character
| NAV be obtained.
| The importance of temperature control in
| a physical labora tory has long been appre-
! ciated. and 1t is especially desirable in an
| institution where StandardiZing work is to
| be done. as nearly every result depends at
| least to some extent upon the temperature
| at which the measurements are made. Ac-
cordingly, means will be provided for close
| ly regulating the temperature of any room
| at any desired temperature, both in sum-
| mer and in winter.
Distribution of Rooms.
| In most laboratories the basement, which,
or, general principles, would really be most
suitable for precise measurements requir-
ing the greatest stability and freedom from
| vibration, has to be devoted to the heating,
| Lighting yentilafin1 and nouar nlant and