The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-07-01
THEEXPERT REPORTS
Mr. Berle, Government Engineer, Says
State House Dome Is Safe.
TAXES ISSUE WITH MIR. WILSON
And States that the Girders Are Not
Seriously Overloaded and nIr.
Wilson's Caloulati
are Iucorreot

| Wilson's Calculate
are Incorrect.
The dome of the State capitol is safe.
This is the report of the government
expert sent here to make an investiga.
tion. Not only Is the dome safe, but
from his report it appears that the
girders are mot 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 invest cation was made
necessary by the report of MIR. G. @.
| Wilson, the we'll known engineer and
architect Of Columbia. 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 advsa.
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 tt
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.
Hayward 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. q. Marshall, chairman of the com.
mittce to make repairs.
Following Is the text OF the report
on the safety Of the construction OF
the dome, State House, Columbia,
South Carolina.
MIR. BERLE's REPORT.
Washington, D. c., June 20, 1904.
TO His Excellency the Governor o!
| South Carolina
Sir: In response to your request
contained In letter of the 18th instant
that l make an examination of the
dome OF the State House to determine
definitely whether construction Of
same is within safe limits, and there
Dy verify OF Gisprove certain alarming
statements set forth in report dateC
June 3, 1904, by Mr.. Charles G. Will
son, architect, to Chairman Marshal
of the commission for the completion
Of the State house, l have the honcl
to submit the following report, to-
gether with complete calculations oil
the principal plate girders, etc
forming the support of the dome.
AS verbally requested by you shall
endeavOr in this report not only t.
prove my statements bv technical cal
culations but also to interpret, as fal
as possible, certain technical expires
sions In popular way, that the tru,
situation might be more easily appre
ciated by all concerned and 1t Is M,
earnest hope that ii a results Of my
investigation shall We no doubt
whatever in anyone'S mind as to the
safety of the structure.
The conclusions to which / come
in regard to Mr.. Wilson's report are
that, aside from his own uncertain
standpoint, there is absolutely NJ
foundation for the statement that the
griderS are seriously overloaded"
find Oh the contrary that, while some
OF these are loaded slightly beyond The
safe limit" generally observed by en-
gineerS for the steel structure fo
buildings, correct calculations bear Out
the fact that the girders are all O.
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
ly 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 i. This means
that one fourth OF the ultimate tensile
strength of the material is counted on
In proprotioning 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.
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 It's original dimensions.
Below this limit, when the dstorting
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, arc then always pro-
portiOnal. 1t is therefore observed in
good practice as OF great Importance
to keep all working stresses well with
in the elastic limit, which is required
to be not less than one half of the ul-
innate strength OF the steel. The ulti-
mate tensile strength Of the steel here
used, If in accordance with the re-
quirementS of the specifications should
be from "a 600 pounds to 1000
pounds per square inch. This being
the Sequircment 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.
600 to 5000 pounds per square inch.
In the absence, however, of test rec
ords assume the average between the
required maximum and minimum to
be the nltmated tensile strength Of
this material, namely 5S, 900 pounds
per square inch.
On the sheets herewith submitted,