The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-09-13
OPERA HOUSE MOVED
Wonderful Engineering Feat
/ in PittSburg.
FOUR MILLION POUNDS
Was Moved twenty-five Feet
Without Accident.
MILLION POUNDS


pounds a distance of twenty-five feet.
More than that. they have picked up what
might be compared 70 a Dig basket of
eggs. taken the bottom out of the basket
and set the eggs down without 50 much
as Earring a single shell. To be more
exact, they have lifted the massive Grand
Opera House building off its foundation,
showed IL forward twenty-five feet and
planted il on a new base.
1t required less than thIrty-six hours to
accomplish the job ana it was all done
so nicely that you couldn't see the struc-
ture moving In this colossal building
We're the largest theatre in Pittsburg,
the largest billiard and pool room in the
United States, bowling alley, a barber
shop and various other establishments.
yet the whole massive fabric has been
transplanted without accident, without jar
and without even the slightest injury to
any part of il
1t IS the biggest contract of the de-
scription ever executed in Pittsburg, and
perhaps the most important undertaking
OF its kind in the history of moving. The
Chicago contractor who superintended the
work. viewing it in the light of eighteen
years experience. expresses the opinion
that it is the second greatest job ever
accomplished in the house moving line
He places ahead of it the movement of
q Baptist church in the Windy City in
1885 This building occupied a ground
space Of l61 by 80 feet, and carried a stone
tower 225 feet high. The Grand Opera
House in Pittsburg, sits on 12S by so feet
and reaches an attitude around its four
sides of ninety feet. While larger build
ings have been moved the weight of the
theatre and the character Of the work
give il its important place among house
moving projects, says the New York
Herald.
Its massive walls and great beams weigh
approximately between ten and twelve
tons per running foot, which is an aggre-
gate weight Of ? 496 tons. To move such
an enormous shell of brick and mortar
was no child 5 play. for it should be re-
membered that the Grand Opera House
was built three decades ago; but, having
had her stiffened sinews limbered and her
youth renewed, she moved forward with
the smoothness and steadiness of a be-
Gained yacht on an inland sea.
The moving of the Grand Opera House
was necessitated by a street improvement,
the widening of Diamond street The the
atre actually fronts on this thorougrfare,
but that fact is not generally known TO the
average Pittsburger. for the entrance to
the house IS from Fifth avenue. The City
Fathers years ago determined to widen
Diamond street in order that Pittsburg's
business streets might be relieved in part
Of their congestion
Property owners, however, fought the
Improvement tooth and nail and carried
the city through all the courts Of the
rtate and even into the United States ju-
dietary. for they realized that it was TO
he a costly improvement. Ultimately the
municipality triumphed, and in last April
the tenants were notified to get out, SO
that the cut might be made.
The Grand Opera House was given time
TO finish its season, but agreed to have
the building moved before the beginning
Of the fall season. Twenty feet was cut
of the buildings on one side of the street
Fortunately for the Grand. it is so stu
ated that the cut would not injure the
structure Between this theatre and its
sister playhouse, the Avenue Theatre was
a vacant space of twenty feet. SO that all
that was necessary was to move the
Grand forward until it came cheek by
FOWL with the Avenue. This is what has
been done.
The men employed in the moving pro
feet were four weeks in preparing for it.
thitry hours in actually moving it forward
h.
finishing touches.
No work done in the open in Pittsburg
in recent years has attracted so much at
tentior or ELECTED so much comment
There is always a crowd on Diamond
street in the vicinity Of the theatre watch
ing the work. and at noon, when the
law Offices and counting rooms empty
their army Of toilers the thoroughfare is
almost impossible with the curious. The
native tendency TO investigate is strong.
and men and women are seen climbing {
over sirders and steel beams. the better
to obsrve the work the methods en- /
p3oyed in lifting the building from its old 4
moving it backward and 4
planting it on its new resting place. Many /
are amazed at the thickness and strength I
structure and remembering that the build /
ing was erected three decades ago. when /
''veneering" and the many other modern +
methods Of money saving were unknown. +
shake their heads and with an expression /
q bout the artifciality of the present and /
the stability Of the past pass on.
The process Of moving this great struct- /
ure was the same as is employed in un- F.
dertakings OF minor Importance but Of the 4
same character. The contractor employed /
nine hundred jacks. and by this multitude .
Of devices screwed up the building. thrs0d 4
by thread. until it WAS raised 10 the re- .
ouired height Then supports and rollers 1
were placed beneath the structure, ready .
for the movement backward
Then jackscrews We're planted horizon
tally against the sidewalk and screwed up /
slowly. thus pushing the building along 4
on the six hundred steel rollers. The 4
thirty men were al their posts OF duty in I
various parts of the building. A single /
whistle blew, and each man gave the /
screw over which he presided a single +
twist. II was scarcely possible 70 detect 4
e movement. but by these means alone !
the mass Of brick and mortar was pushed I
along.
No power other than that OF human
strength was utilized The men merely +
operated the Jacks and they in turn set
The steel spheres rolling. The rise in the .
building was only half an inch
When the theatre stood over fits new
the stone masons and brick
layers besan their work. The building
was not allowed to rest on the foundation.