The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-17
HOW FOUNDATIONS FOR ....-
TALL BUILDINGS ARE LAID

the weight which the interior columns
put on the interior piers, in which the
inside end of the beams are tied, coun-
teracting the weight of the western
wall on the other end of the beam or
lever. Those beams or levers also tie
down a series of beams which are run
along on a 12-inch bed of concrete, this
bed being of the same thickness and
at the same level as the first layer of
concrete in all the piers, parallel to the
western wall of the building, nearly
the length of the adjoining buildings
wall, and forming practically one large
pier covering the space between five
piers and including those piers.
Just north of that. another CAN'T
lever system of levers is run from the
northwest corner pier of the building
to the next pier east, of it and tied into
that pier, which is on the Congress
street line, the levers running as the
others. at right angles to the western
wall line. with the exception of five of
the most southerly levers first mention
ed, which lead from the interior pier
to the wall in a slightly oblique direc-
ton, diverging toward the south.
Made Fire Proof.
Another feature of the construction
of the building which will be inter-
esting is the method of making the
structure fire proof, effected by en-
casing the steel columns in fire proof
clay instead of a combustible material,
by filling the spaces between the floor
beams with hollow fire proof clay upon
which concrete will be laid and wood
en- strips imbeded to receive the floor
ing, and by filling between the walls
with fire proof material. The floors
will be of hard maple, except in the
corridors which flooring will be mo-
sale, or in other words, broken marble
imbeded in portland cement.
The building will be entirely fire
proof" said Mr.. H. A. Bell, the su-
perintendent of construction. yester-
day. 1T will be impossible to burn it
down. Nothing but the flooring and
doors will burn. Enough furniture
. could not be put into the rooms to
create enough heat to cause any other
damage. No There is no probability
of the steel frame work expanding
enough to break the rivets with which
every joint will be fastened That
only happens in the so-called fire proof
buildings in which the steel work is
not sufficiently projected by fire proof
material. 1t will not be possible to
burn this building down.
Mr.. Grant Wilkins of Atlanta is the
contractor of the building. Mr.. H w.
Witcover of this city is the Supervising
architect. Mr.. H A Bell is Mr.. VIII
kin's superintendent in charge of con-
struction.
Unions Cause Trouble.
Another labor union incident of lit
tie Importance occurred yesterday
morning at the building. request
was made of Superintendent Bell by
the agent of the Savannah Building
Trades Union. that four non-union
laborers, at work on the excavat ting.
be discharged and their places filled
by union men, The agent of the union
offered to make good in cash to the
superintendent the time lost by the
discharge of the men if they were dis
charged Immediately. he promising to
furnish union men this morning to fill
the places. Mr.. Bell replied that the
union fight was not his affair What
he wants. he said, is men who can
perform their duties satisfactorily and
that is all he will require of them. If
the union can settle the matter of its
own accord he is satisfied Mr. Bell
says, however, that he has ten men
who, will arrive here in day or two.
who are not members of the union, but
who have been with him for years.
who are absolutely necessary to him
in special work they perform, and he
VIII not discharge them for anybody.