The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1906-12-14
THE TALLEST BUILDING.

New. York is sufficiently cursed by
tall buildings, perhaps; but the end is
not yet. One is going up that will
belittle all the rest. 1t is thus des.
cribed in the "Scientifc American :"
When the tall Office building, in the
course of its rapid evolution, had at.
tanned the heights of 800 feet, it was
freely predicted that the limit had
been reached and that future struc.
lures in New York City would be of
more reasonable vertical dimensions.
That prediction was made not much
more than decade ago.; and yet to-
day there is in course of construction
in lower New York building whose
summit will reach heavenward for
over twice 800 feet. The new build
ing, which will be in the form of a
tower and will constitute part of an
extension of the present Singer build.
ing at the corner Of Liberty Street.
and Broadway, will contain Al stories.
and the top Of its cupola will be 612
feet above street level. Not only will
the Singer tower be the loftiest in
habited building in the world, but it
will exceed in vertical height the
famous Washington Monument on the
banks of the Potomac, which, with it's
total height of 555 feet, is at present
the tallest masonry structure erected
by man. Although the Singer tower
will lack some 800 feet ofequaling the
famous Eiffel Tower, it will be more
difficult and costly strucsure to erect,
and because Of its narrow base will in.
volve more complicated and serious
engineering problems.
Although in plan the tower will
measure only IS feet square, its
total upl;ft is so great that. its floor
space added to that of the. main build
ing will be greater, with single ex-
ception, than that of..any other. build
ing in New York City, the total area
amounting to 81 acres. The elevator
will be oblong in plan, and placed in
the center Of the building. For the
service of the lower portion of the
building, there will be sixteen eleva-
tors, and, as the upper floors are
reached, they will decrease in number,
until there will remain four elevators
for the service of the topmost floors.
1t is estimated than when the build
ing is fully occupied, it will accommo-
date about $4,000 people.
The effect of this stupendous struc.
ture upon the already remarkable sky
line of New York City will be to
dwarf the immensity. of surrounding
building and deceive the eye as to
their already lofty altitude. This will
be particularly true of the stranger
who visits New York for the first
time, for he will find it difficult to
realize that the towering skyscrapers
which are dominated so completely by
this tower are many of them between
300 and 400 feet in height. The quee-
tion Of the future vertical increase in
the dimensions will depend upon the
financial success Of the Singer build
ing. Should it prove possible to realize
an adequate return upon au invest
ment of this kind, it is not likely that
corporations with whom the adver.
tisement that is given by a spectacu.
lar structure of this kind counts for
something, will, in future years at.
tempt to rival or surpass it.
1t is the confident expectation of
the engineers that, in spite of the great
height, there will be no perceptible
sway in the Singer building even in
the heaviest storm.
The lifetime of good watch, says
Amateur Work. is fifty years. In
its daily duties the balance vibrates
$4,000 times ever hour, $4,000 times
a day, or l57,6SO.0Oo times year.
The hairspring makes a similar mum.
Der Of vibrations and an equal mum.
Der of ticks from the escapement. If
it is really good watch, multiply
157.6s0,0OO by so, which gives
1884, 900, 900 pulsations in fifty years
The chances are that the watch may
even then be in serviceable condition.
This is marvellous record, consider.
ing the small quantity of food that
has been consumed by its constant
action. We say food, because what
ever labors must be fed, and the
watch 'lives" on about sixteen inches
of handspring every twenty-four hours
which furnishes the power.
"Perhaps," said the clerk, "You'd
like to look at goods little more ex.
pensive than these" "Not necessari-