The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1907-03-05


Exactly. We work by floors. For
each floor we make a ground plan
showing the position OF every bit of
irOnwork, with each bit numbered.
Now, when that beam comes to us
numbered n 4. ia, we look at the NJ
ground plan, ind member LA. and
that's where the beam goes"
"And M'-how about MP"
'That shows the floor. We number
the members and letter the floors, 90
that NJ means the thirteenth floor"
The reporter was about to comment
frivolously on the regrettably small
humber Of letters In the alphabet and
its effect on the future of tall build
ings, but the superintendent continued:
$50 far the system seems perhaps
comparatively simple, but 1t is when
we come to consider the aesthetic va
carries in the way Of outside stonework
which the architects sensitive soul
demands that many complex problems
have to be solved. It is when we are
confronted with turrets, towers, bal
comics and bow windows and gargoyles
and ponderous copings and cornices
that delicate figuring must come into
play. While it is easy enough to cal
culate the weight of the sheer walls
the uniform blocks of stone between
storles-the carved stones forming or
nate projections must be considered
individually, SO that each will rest up
on ironwork Of proper strength to sus-
tain it and Of proper construction to
hold it in place, and this, too, must en-
ter into the computation Of the load to
be carried on its particular floor. In
this way many iron members will en-
ter into the support Of a single stone
whose only use is to satisfy the artistic
cravings Of the architect"
''Why is it that one often sees the
| stonewOrk going forward on, say, the
fourth story, while the floors below
show only the iron skeleton?"
There are various reasons for that.
Nearly always there are huge boilers,
engines, pumps and the like which
must be put in before the ground floor
stonework begins. Sometimes there is
delay In the delivery, so we start the
stonemasons In at some story above.
This is easy enough, as all the loads
have been computed long before. Then,
| again, the floor beams of one story
may reach us sooner than those of an
other, so we put the masons on that
story, or perhaps there is much carv-
ing to be done on a third story stone
coping and little on the second. So as
not to delay this we jump the stone
masons from the first to the third
story
"You see," pursued the expert, ''the
plan, idealized, is to keep the stonema-
sons, housesmiths and plumbers one
floor behind the ironworkers, the car
penters one floor behind these, the
plasterers one floor behind the car
penters, and so on till the top story is
finished"
would it be possible to erect a
twenty-four story building In the old
way of brick and stone construction p
asked the reporter.
Possible, yes, but it would take 80
long that in these days of quick for
tune building the proposition would be
commercially absurd. You can't as
|
You've got to start at your foundations
and raise your walls to your first floor
before you can put in your Orders and
beams, and so on to the top. Now, lay
ing stone Is a slow process, and by the
old method everything had to wait for
the masons and bricklayers. Today we
don't have to wait for anything after
the caissons are sunk. We can keep all
hands busy, no matter how slowly an
individual part of the work may be
forced to progress. We can put on a
stone tower before we touch the stone
work of the sidewalk floor"
SIS an iron construction building
safer than one of stoneY'
EMO, simply cheaper, but just as safe.
Another thing, too, saves time in mod
ern building, and that is the abundance
of available labor. An ironworker who
is capable of helping to rlyet big bat
tleship together or assisting in tunnel
or subway or bridge construction Is
quite as much in his element when he
takes part in the assembling of
1 great building. This fact Of inter
changeable labor makes it possible to
work at the very top limit of speed
when occasion requires. At the pres
ent time we have one building under
way on which we employ 1,600 men
simultaneously.
"As said before, putting up build
ing today is just like making a mod
ern watch. The various parts are made
separately, but to fit into each other to
a hairs breadth. These are turned
over to the skilled mechanic, who sim
ply puts them together ASSEMBLIES
them."-New York Herald.