The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-05-06

many workmen who are untitled to
meet every problem squarely; who can
not masteri it lin a masterful way; who
do not know how to build well, safelysll
The inspector has also got onto this
fact, and lit is. evidently his purposesto
protect the public from the evils result
ing from poor work. That is what he is
here fors, in hiss forts to curb and
control the workman who does not 1
also thrown restrict ons AROUND the man
who does, the LATTER must. suffer equally
| with the former, and the punishment of
| each is going to be material. Past good
! behavior does not smitigate the >pun-
! ishment ,sOf the man who knows how,
and intends to do right, and it is right
that it should be so. Like all new
! things, the concrete work has run d
! bit dafy and someone has to play po-
| lieeman and do a little shaking up, and
| those who prove to be lax and unfit will
be winnowed out. It is not q pleasant
duty for the inspector. & :t.s .. ..5 III
In September of last year. Had built a
store building; "a feet inches wide, 76
feet II inches long and .26 feet high above
ground, on a Foundations rs feet high--18
i inches high, 2 feet wide of large prairie
stone and all cement mortar-next tier
l. foot 6 inches high and 16, inches thick
Of same round and all shape higgerheads
or prairie stone; with cement mortar;
above this cement blocks, $ size. . 6x12x24
inches: also IN first story of same size
cement blocks--and 6x8x24 sinches in sec
ond story. All blocks were made siout Of
gravel and sand and Marquette cement,
1 to 5, by tamping. with a machine man
[ufactured at Minneapolis. I have a good
looking, building = Now, what T. want to
ask you about this. Some short time
}ticed a crack extending in the basement
wall to the top Of the building nearly
straight, SO that some blocks are cracked
in two--on one side--(no opening on this
side) about four. feet from a.. the, front.
| | There is also a crack on the other side,
. running irregular by the joints, starting
above a door and going UP as high as the
building Theres,are two other cracks.
but small, below a window in the first
| story, and one two bricks from the top of
| wall. but only at Joints. Would you in
form me what the causes of these cracks
are and how to remedy the same? Yours
truly, &C. M. III.
, Hosmer, s. D.
Answer--In, the absence of definite
:, information as to how this foundation
was put in, 1t is safe to assume that
the failure was caused by the absence
Of proper footings. Foundations laid
up of prairie stone >as masonry could
, not be depenaed upon unless solid con
t crete footings were first provided: Ever
y with this provision, such wall viii
p fail under bad methods of construction
! and uneven loading. In the use Of flat
u stone, the mason, will keep his wal
T. approximately level In masonry the
q tendency of a wall to slide when loaded
\, is overcome. The workman is prone
a when laying up q wall composed Of
4 round stones, to perform his work il
4 what, for want of better term, l will
considerable Height and perhaps slopt
! it off little in the direction in which
? he is building. This is a.. >dangerou
j practice, and such wall will not stant
. a severe, test. The only safe way il
which> to" employ round smooth prairi
\ stone is to set forms and bed the stone
! in plaster mortar, using them for tn
| coarse aggregate as in concrete. Blu
! there is still; another condition unde
| which this wall would prove weak.~~sI
i the first and, second courses, each cal
| were kept in J. Vertical plane on on
! side, the wall would have tendenc
| to. tip to- that side; when loaded an
! cause the4cfacka9tps open more on on
i side than on I'll other, and .Sthis tel
/ dency would be greatly Increased b
/ the height of the first course. Ha
! this first course been laid in trenc
2! as concrete, three feet wide and twelv
! Ei ipp&fhh thicks eegtainiilng the same ses
+ ftional area, and the second cours
/ Estarted n,3this With the CENTER Of eth
Evan coindcidings WIFI WIFE the center Of til
i footing course on. the. transverse SCI
i stien, the probabilities are it woubds ne
7 have failed The minor fractures mel
! toned would occur from the sam
! cause which produced the greater ru7
4 ture Nothing can be done to resto1
! the building; it can only be torn dow
4 and given something to stand on. :,
! only emphasizes the fact that age ger; !!
81 Eecon omy in building consists in obta f i
or. ing expert advice before beginning II 8 +
az work Of construction and not after 5
,un1 rious faults have BEEN developed. A
It's expenditure Of $40 :; at the ,beginnair
t.zz4z.;il aftor so We hundreds IN the end.