The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-10-27
THE SINGER SKYsCRAPER.
Facts About the Tailest Building ia
the World


the World.
Tie new Singer building in lower
New York will be the taileSt building
i'm the word-furty-sey stories in
height. rising Gl2 feet above the street
When completed this office building
will have Il floor space equivalent to Il
one story binding covering twenty
city blocks To concentrate such an
immense space upon Il total area OF
but %. 600 square feet presents ii once
the serious question of sufficient light
and air. Usually high building is de-
signed to cover as much area of the
lot as possible, thereby cutting off the
light of surrounding buildings. For
this reason dark offices are multiply
ing in the largest American cities. and
many buildings that are now well
lighted must soon depend wholly or in
part upon artificial light as adjacent
buildings are extended upward. All
the offices Of the Singer building will
be we'll lighted, but the building ad-
Joining it will not suffer The part OF
the building that will be carried up
forty-seyen stories will occupy but one
sixth of the lot The remainder will
be only fourteen stories in height,
This high portion will also be in APP
proXimately the center OF the new
building Thus every Office will be
we'll lighted without Il sacrifice of real
estate values that would be CONNER
cially impracticable. The location of
the high tower near the center of the
lot also makes it possible for nearby
offices 10 share the SUNLIGHT.
1t is claimed that the safest parts OF
this building i'll time Of earthquake
will be the highest stories. The les
son OF the San Francisco earthquake
is that the steel frame structure is
the best earthquake resister.' The
steel frame building is constructed
very much like bird cage. while an
ordinary building of brick is Il house
of cards in comparison. The only pos
sihility of danger to the tenants in this
high building will be the disodgment
Of masonry. This of course. would
affect Only the lower floors.
The danger of fire has been elninat-
ed for intlammable material has been
entirely omitted. Even SO called fire
proof" wood has been barred. Moth
ing but metal, stone and baked clay
enters into its construction. Even the
small plugs Of wood usually inserted
into the wall to receive nails used i'll
hanging pictures have been excluded
The fires in Baltimore and San Fran
cisco proved that the alleged fire
proof" building is not fireproof. for
wooden floors. window frames and
trimmings of such building amount
to millions of feet of lumber.-Charie1
NJ. Ripley in Worlds Work.
Gilbert Parker and John Of Gsunt.
The home of Sir Gilbert Parker.
member of the house of commons. man
of wealth and of affairs. of clubs and
of social life. is a splendid house in
Carlton House terrace. the most exclu
sive section of fashionable London
But for three days of every week-for
Friday. Saturday and Sunday-the
home of Gilbert Parker. author. is in
one Of the most charming of all Eng
fish country houses. an ancient stone
cottage. surrounded with flowers anu
shrubs and trees. and although only
an hours ride from London. having
all the effect of isolation. SO hidden
away it is even from the nearest
houses. 1t is at Homesta!l. near Grin
stead. in Sussex.
But it is not only that this house
of accessible seclusion is fine in itself
and its surroundings, but that there is
also the magic charm of association.
for it was built by John of Gaunt.
he who was immortaliZed by that
sonorouS line in King Richard IL:
"Old John of Gaunt, time honored
Lancaster"
John of Gaunt built this stone cot
tage for use as a hunting lodge and
country house. The staircases are the
original ones. and so are the fine OLD
mullioned windows, and the iron backs
behind the tireplaces bear the ancient
Lancaster arms.