The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1906-07-30
'CLOUDP|ERCER"
/ Of Al STORIES
/ IN NEW YORK

New York. July 30.-"Cloudpiercer' Is
the name invented TO describe the build
Ing for which the foundations are now
being laid at the corner OF Liberty street
and Broadway. Skyscraper was too COM
monplace a term ror this History mon
ster. IL is I'm a class by Itself. class far
beyond anything ever known before In
the "slxyscraping line. Its Al stories will
tower to a height OF 612 feet, topping the
Washington monument by 81 feet.
The tallest building i'm New York city
at the present time is the Park Row
building. which is made up OF 29 stories
with a height OF 3s2 feet. This great
height was reached by a gradual evolu-
tion I'm building construction which be-
gan in 1888. when the Tower building
OF l3 stories was put up at so Broadway
under the direction OF Bradford l.. Gil
bert. This was regarded as a marvel in
It's day and everybody was skeptical
about the ability of the new wonder TO
stand alone. But the engineers and the
architect triumphed and the building
neither topplied over OF its own weight.
nor snapped off when the winds blew.
When the race skyward reached 20 sto-
ries II was thought that office buildings
had reached their limit
But now the Singer building with its
III stories! Again the old questions are
brought back with renewed force. How
can the building be put up? Will II
stand when once IL is erected? What
would happen TO the inmates OF the
building in case II should catch fire. The
architect, Ernest F1agg. answers these
so that II viii not come tumbling down
and 1t will be built so that It cannot
burn.
When II Is borne in mind that the
Singer building is TO be but go feet
square. the problem OF securing firm
foundation for the 600 feet OF steel and
masonry towering aloft grows apace.
According 10 a careful estimate by the
engineer in charge OF the building. the
steel skeleton alone will weigh 10000
tons.
Add TO this the weight Of the stone
and brick forming the exterior OF the
building. the hollow tiling surrounding
the steel skeleton. floors. walls. and the
thousand other things found In a great
office building. and a weight almost In
comprehensive is made up. Further
more. the foundations must stand the
pull and strain Of the great building as
II tugs at its anchorage when its broad
expanse OF surface is struck by a strong
wind.
With the engineering difficulties Of
getting the great Singer building up and
then making IL stay tnere. out or tne
way. the question OF the fire hazard still
remains. II any OF the great skyscrap-
ers should go UP I'm flames II would nee
essariy mean the loss OF a great many
lives, not 10 speak OF dollars and cents.
The tenant of Floor No 40 will naturally
want 10 know that his cloud perch Is un-
burnable. Consequently as little wood
and other inhammable material as pos
sible is used. But even then there Is
always enough timber In any office
building 10 create a terrible flame and
generate such heat that unless the
steel structure OF the building is protect
ed IN the most thorough fashion IL will
expand and buckle I'm manner that will
bring down the whole structure
In the really freproof building. such
as the 41-story "cloudpiercer" is TO be,
the steel skeleton Is surrounded and pro-
tected by hollow tile. In the making
these hollow brick have been subjected
TO a heat OF $500 degrees. They will
neither burn nor crumble when subjected
to any heat less than this. and as the
hottest fire temperatures rarely run over
1900 degrees. the hollow tlli1g is the
most efficient protection obtainable for
building where humsn life must be
protected.
Twenty mine stories was once declared
the limit for building construction. That
limit has now been raised TO Al Is that
the limit? II not, where is the point
at which the erection of the tall building
must stop? 1t is not in sight at present.