The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-31
MARVEL OF ITS KIND
NEW PRINTING OFFICE THE
 GREATEST, IN WORLD.
Uncle sam's Tremendous Building s and Its Arrange
 ments.
Curtis's Washington Special to Chicago

HeCOrQ-f1eTdlQ.
 The government of the United States i has in Washington the greatest printing l office in the world, double the size of any f other. It is under the management of i Frank W. Palmer. formerly editor of The Inter Ocean and for four years postmaste1 at Chicago. It has been housed in a dan gerous and dillapidated old barracks for many years, which was condemned as un- safe by the building inspectors and sani- ' tary authorities. MT. Palmer has been compelled to prop up the walls with tim bers and place heavy beams at frequent intervals to support the floors. but finally Congress became sensible of it's requie- ments and appropriated $2.400.00o. which has been expended during the last four years fin the erection of what is almost perfect building for its purpose. The work of construction is nearly complet- ed. New oak cases for type and sorts" 1 and the th&usand and-one little tricks es- sential to kbe printers trade are being put in place, and before Congress again assemblies this great branch of the gov ernment's business will be well estab- lished in its new home, with conveniences equipments and machinery ,surpassing, ev- terything that was ever provided for a ! printing office before.
 The work has been done under the di- rection of MT. Palmer. James c. Hill of this city is the architect, Capt J. S. Sewell of the Engineer Corus has been superintendent of construction and Homer K. Collins. chief engineer of the public printing office, and W. H. Tapley, chief l electrician, have had immediate charge. To them MT. Palmer ascribed the largest degree of credit for the perfection of the new plant. They have been assisted by Capt. H. T. Brian, formerly foreman of printing and now chief clerk; P. J. Bryne, i foreman of the binding department, and D. J. O'Leary, foreman of press work, all of whom have made eminent regulations in their line of business. .
 The high efficiency of the office is large ly due to the executive ability, tact and high sense of the fitness of things on the part of the public printer. The office used to be center of scandal and corruption, but it has been one of the cleanest and most economical and satisfactory branches of the government since Mir. Palmer took hold. He unselfshly gives the credit to the gentlemen I have named and others equally loyal and efficient who might also be mentioned.
 The new printing office will have a floor space of 6f9. 100 square feet, which is equiv alent to about fourteen acres, or four ordinary city Blocks, which is divided into seven floors almost without partitions. Printers need a good deal of light, and
 
 One-third of all the wall space is glass. and, in order that this light may not be lost. the walls of the rooms are lined with white enameled bricks which can be wash ed like a bath tub or the marble steps of the houses in Philadelphia. The build ing is absolutely fireproof, or as near fire proof as any building can be. It is is also as substantial as possible, and its walls are built like those of the fortress be- cause type Is heavy and printing presses cause considerable vibration, and it would be unfortunate to have the room and the walls cave in and bury 3,957 American citizens under material and machinery that is intended only for the dissemina- tion of intelligence.
 The engineers provided. for floors to sus- tain load of S5Q0O,0Oe pounds, if anyone can comprehend what that means, and 1t is of course very much in excess of any weight that could possibly be placed upon it. The outside walls are three feet thick and to construct them 10 O00, 600 brick were required. Inclosed within them is a steel framework weighing about 12,O00, 900 pounds, which is heavier perhaps than the frame of any other building in the coun- try. Every care was taken to secure the greatest possible solidity of construction. The columns, beams, girders, channels and plates were not made of ordinary stock steel, but were forged to order, and the SIeol WOTk IS so protected that In case of heat being generated by the burn ing of any material that might be placed in the building, it's strength will not be af- fected by warping.
 There is no shafting. All the machinery is run by electric power and three of the largest Crocker-Wheeler dynamos in the country, each of 300 horse power, will run the 3O0 presses, eleven elevators, 1000 in candescent lights and system of venti- lating fans which are quite novel. These fans are placed in a loft. and will draw the air from the floors through the roof with such force that there will be an en- tire change of atmosphere in the building every seven minutes, and each employe will have 5000 cubic feet of pure fresh air per hour. Another novelty will be sev- enty-five drinking fountains placed at convenient locations. fed from pumps in the basement, and the water passes through an ammonia freezing plant which reduces it to a temperature oe 45 degres in all parts of the building A complete system of telephones has been installed so that he forman of every department can communicate with the chiefs of Ris division, and by lifting a receiver to his ear MT. Palmer may know instantly what is going on in any part of his establish ment. In order to provide for all this several miles of wire have been used. enough. they tell, to go twice around the city of Washington. Vaults have been