The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-06-29
THE EXPERT REPORTS
M1 Berle, Government Engineer, Says
State House Dome Is Safe.
TAXES ISSUE WITH MR. WILSON
And States that the Girders Are Not
Seriously Overloaded and MT.
Wilson's Calculate ons
are Incorrect.

This is the report Of the government
expert sent here to make an lnVestlga,
tion. Not only is the dome safe. but
from his report it appears that the
girders are not called upon to bear
any unreasonable load. The issue was
settled Friday BY the report OF Mr..
kort Berle, chief structural engineer
in the office OF the supervising archi-
tect Of the treasury department..
This expert investigation was made
necessary by the report OF Mr.. c. G..
Wilson. the well-known engineer and
architect Of Colum bia. Mr.. Wilson
had been engaged by the committee
to repair the building, and he reported
that the dome OF the capitol is unsafe
and therefore it would not be adviSa
BILE to construct the heavy steel CELL
ing for the main lobby.
AS so much surprise was created by
this report, which was accompanied
by calculations, Gov. Hayward decid-
ed to get the best talent available to
investigate Mr. Wilson's charges.
Upon applying to the secretary of the
treasury, who has charge Of all the
federal buildings in this country, Gov.
Heyward was given Mr.. Berle as the
examining expert.
The report which he submitted Fri.
day is entirely in opposition to the
statements of Mr.. Wilson. Mr.. Berle,
in addition to his official position, is a
member of the American Society Of
Civil Engineers. Gov. Hayward for
warded the report together with all
correspondence in the matter to Col.
J. @. Marshall, chairman Of the com
mituee to make repairs.
Following is the text OF the report
on the safety of the construction of
the dome, State House, Columb' a,
South Carolina.
MR.. BERLE'S REPORT.
Washington, D. c., June 20, 1904.
To His Excellency the Governor OF
South Carolina.
Sir: In response to your request
contained in letter Of the l4th instant,
that I make an examination OF the
dome of the State House to determine
definitely whether construction OF
same is within safe limits, and there
by verify OF disprove certain alarming
statements set forth in report dated
June 3, 1904, by Mr.. Charles G. Will
son, architect, to Chairman Marshall
of the commission for the completion
of the State house, I have the homer
to submit the following report, to-
gether with complete Calculations OF
the principal plate girders, ETC.,
forming the support Of the dome.
AS verbally requested by you, shall
endeavor in this report not only to
prove my statements bV technical cal
culations, but also to interpret, as far
as possible, certain technical express
sions in a popular way, that the true
situation might be more easily appre-
ciated by all concerned, and it is my
earnest hope that the results OF my
investigation shall leave no doubt
whatever in anyore's mind as to the
safety Of the structure.
The conclusions to which | come
ln regard to Mr.. Wilson'S report are
that, aside from his own uncertain
standpoint, there is absolutely no
foundation for the statement that the
griders are seriously overloaded" l
ind on the contrary that, while some
OF these are loaded slightly beyond the
safe limit" generally observed by en-
gineers for the steel structure for
buildings, correct calculations bear out
the fact that the girderS are all OF
ample strength.
Being loaded slightly beyond the
usual safe limit" must not be under
stood to mean what persons unfamiliar
with engineering rules would natural
" infer from the expression, namely,
that once beyond this safe limit" the
structure becomes unsafe. 1t simply
means that the factor Of safety" has
been more or less reduced, or, in other
words, the large margin unusually given
to the members has been encroached
upon. The factor of safety used for
steel in buildings is 1. This means
that one fourth of the ultimate tensile
strength of the material is counted on
in prcprotioning the different mem
bers OF the structure, or that these
have to be loaded with four times the
calculated load before they would COL
lapse.
1.-THE elastic limit of the steel is
the point above which the external
forces will strain or distort the metal
permanently, SO that after the exter-
nal forces cease to act the body does
not return to its original dimensions.
Below this limit, when the diStorting
force ceases to act, the body does not
return to It's original shape, and the
train, or distortion, and the stress, or
external force, are then always pro-
portional. 1t is therefore observed ID
good practice as Of great Importance
to keep all working stresses we'll with
in tie elastic limit, which is required
to be not less than one-half Of the ul.
innate strength Of the steel. The ultl-
mate teDsile strength of the steel here
used, if in accordance with the re-
ouirements Of the specifications should
be from 81, 900 pounds to $1,000
pounds per square inch. This being
the seuuirement for SOFT steel it is
quite possible that tests have shown
the ultimate strength to be nearer the
maximum than the minimum figure,
as medium steal is more commonly
used for this kind Of work, and the
tensile strength Of such is from co.
300 to IS, 900 pounds per square inch.
In the absence, however, Of test rec
ords l assume the average between the
required maximum and minimum to
De the nltimated tensile strength OF
Ibis material, namely $4,000 pounds
per square inch.
On the sheets herewith submitted,
showing calculations, | have in large
igures given the actual stress per