The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1903-07-15
NEW GOVERNMENT
PRINTING OFFICE
BUILDING IN WASHINGTON TO BE THE
GREATEST IN THE WORLD.
w. E. Curtis Says 1t will Have Floor
SPACE of $4,000 Feet and
1900 Windows.


ing office in the world, double the size
of any other, says William E. Curtis in
4he Chicago Record Herald. 1t Is I'M
der the management of Frank w. Pal
roer, formerly editor of the Chicago
Inter Ocean and for four years post
master at Chicago. 1t has been housed
in a dangerous and dilapidated old
barracks for many years, which was
condemned as unsafe by the building
inspectors and sanitary authorities.
Mr.. Palmer has been compelled to prop
up the walls with timbers and place
heavy beams at frequent intervals to
support the floors, but finally congress
became sensible of its requirements
and appropriated So, 100000, which has
been expended during the last four
years in the erection Of what is almost
O. perfect building for its purpose. The
work of construction is nearly COM
Dleted. New oak cases for type and
sorts" and the thousand and one lit
lie tricks essential to the printers
trade are being put in place, and be-
fore congress again assemblies this
great branch of the governments bust
ness will be well established in its new
home, with conveniences equipments
and machinery surprising everything
that was ever provided for a printing
office before.
M will hnCn q
door space of 619,7OO square feet, which
la equivalent to about fourteen acres,
or four ordinary city blocks, which is
divided into seven floors almost with
out partitions. Printers need a good
deal of light, and it is provided for
them by 1900 windows. One-third of
all the wall space is glass, and in or
der that this light may not be lost the
walls of the rooms are lined with white
enameled bricks which can be washed
ike a bathtub or the marble steps Of
The houses in Philadelphia. The build
Ing is absolutely fireproof, or as near
areproof as any building can be. 1t is
also as substantial as possible, and its
walls are built like those of the fortress,
because type is heavy and printing
presses cause considerable vibration,
and it would be unfortunate to have
the roof and the walls cave in and
bury 1857 American citizens under
material and machinery that are in
tended only for the dissemination Of
Intelligence.
The engineers provided for floors to
sustain a load of S5,OO0O00 pounds, If
any one can comprehend what that
means, and it is of course very much
In excess of any weight that could pos
,SibIy be placed upon it. The outside
walls are three feet thick, and to con-
street them 100000 bricks were re
q0ired. Enclosed within them is steel
framework weighing about 100000
pounds, which is heavier perhaps than
the frame of any other building in the
country. Every care was taken to Sc
cure 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 steel work Is
50 protected that in case Of heat being
generated by the burning of any ma
Eeriai that might be placed in the build
sng It's strength will not be affected by
Wrapping
There is no shafting. All the ma
phlEery is run by electric power, and
three of the largest Croker Wheeler
<ipnamos in the country, each of 300
harsc power, will run the 300 presses,
~ elevators, 1000 incandescent lights
and d system of ventilating fans
which are quite novel. These fans ara
placed in loft and will draw the air
From the floors through shafts and ex-
soel 1t through the roof with such force
that there will be an entire change OF
atmosphere in the building every seven
minutes. and each employee will have
5000 cubic feet of pure fresh air per
hour Another novelty will be sew
'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 of
AZ degrees in all parts of the building.
"A complete system of telephones has
been installed, so that the foreman OF
every department can communicate
WITH the chiefs of his division, and by
aifting a receiver to his ear Mr.. Pal
aEner may know instantly what is going
on in any part of his establishment.
In order to provide for all this sew
'erai miles of wire have been used,
enough, they tell, to go twice around
the city of Washington. Vaults nave
aoaep constructed at convenient places
ON the different floors for the storage
OF standing type, stereotype plates and
printed documents Of secret and con-
'Iidential character, such as messages
OF the president, reports Of his secre-
taries, treaties, conventions, reports OF
congressional committees and other
documents, until it is time to give
Them to the public.
There are enormous storerooms for
the stock Of material kept on hand.