The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-04-09
A MASTERPIECE OF MASONRY
WRECKERS or THE OLD CUSTOM
HOUSE ADMIRE 1T,
II Took Dynamite TO DislOdgs the Key
stones Of the Arches Of the ROtunda
and Then They Dropped TIVE Ton stones
on the wings 70 Bring Them Down.

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and Then They Dropped Two Ton stones
on the wings 70 Brlng Them Down
The old Custom House looks now like
an excavation Of an old Roman ruin. This
is not the original idea OF the reporter
who went to look at IL yesterday, but OF
some hundreds OF correspondents who
have Offices In some Of the high over
looking buildings and who have been so
impressed by the fact that they have
written those enticing, compelling letters
proving their familiarity with Rome and
the art Of letter writing.
They we're all justified, The reporter
was assured by one Of the construction
company's foremen whose speciality Is
to tear down buildings that there is not
in all New York anywhere on this con-
tinent outside Of Washington, D. C., he said
another such masterpiece Of masonry as Is
the old Custom House. Is, instead OF was,
because much Of It is to remain az part OF
the new National City Bank building.
The familiar old rotunda Of the Custom
House was supported on stone and brick
arches, and it was when the wreckers
| began 20 do away with these that they
realized how well the original work had
been done. When the material OF the
dome was being taken down the foreman
in charge who had examined those arches
told the wreckers to let all heavy material
thus dislodged fall on those arches. But
that didn't do a bit Of good or harm.
Then little charges Of dynamite we're
used, gingerly, for the sound Of dynamite
makes people nervous In Wall street. just
enough to blow out the key Of the arches.
This left the wings Of the arches unsup-
ported, but they remained solid; refused
to fold or flop. In the meantime other
wreckers had uncovered at the bottom Of
division walls what builders call foot
! stones" These were stones about eight
feet long and otherwise measuring ? by ?
feet. Each weighed a couple OF tons or
more. One Of these stones would be raised
by a derrick fifty feet In the air, poised
over a wing Of an arch and then let go.
That did the job, but the novel way OF
breaking down masonry so perpleXed the
neighborhood that more letters to the news
papers came in by every mail asking what
those stones we're being dropped for.
The old building. although it looks but
little changed on any side, and not at all
on the Wall street front. yielded much and
interesting salvage. The marble columns
which helped to support the lower gallery OF
the rotunda were bought by a builder who
wanted to use them In a Long Island country
house. He took them away on harges,an
presently came back looking for their
| capitals. There were no capitals. The story
was told that the columns came from Italy
on one ship and the capitals or another
which was lost.
Among the wreokage were a number
of wedge shaped slabs Of fine marble. They
didn't seem TO be worth much 10 the wreck
age buyers until a maker Of tombstones
looked them over. He paid a good price
for the lot.
Those footstones appealed to another
builder Of a country house who wanted
them for above ground foundation stones,
After he had hoated away on baTges as
many as he needed there were three or four
dozen left and those are being aboriously
broken up by Italians, who are very clever
in finding the grain Of the stone and max
ing Use Of IL.
As YOU stand inside the walls you see
that the brick work at the bottom OF all
window openings is in the form OF an in
ve1ed arch. That was the way the wall
was strengthened beneath an opening
where a steel girder would he imbedded
as building goes now.
NO such bricklaying is done now said
one OF the construction foremen. Il don't
know whv, but il isn't done, that's all. Look
al those four walls. II feet above the street
level. with every division wall down and
| out, but not a brace or support have we
! had 10 put in to keep them steady
While the Wall street front OF the old
building will remain untouched, the three
| other fronts have been altered. A section
about one-third Of the length Of each 'front.'
age has been taken out OF the centre OF &
! This has been done in order to replace the
SQUARE Widowed sections with large arch
windows which will extend up through
three floors in height. The design Of the
banking part Of the new building required
this change 10 be made,
As in the old building the new will have a
central rotunda, but the new can have no
light from a dome above as the old did, for
above will he added four new floors for
Offices. So the new central rotunda will be
! lighted by those three arched windows.
These windows will be the ends Of three
broad short corridors leading from the
rotunda, and in each corner Of the build
ing will be four hoored spaces for the bank
employees.
The stones which were removed II in making
spaces for these big windows were num-
bered. and to the extent that the openings
are rebuilt the same old stones will occupy
their same old places.
Over the top OF the old wall on the Han
over street side near the Exchange place
corner a few tiers Of gray stone have been
laid in place. These are samples OF several
kinds Of stone, and the kind which, in place,
and after six months exposure to the at
mosphere Of Wall street, looks most like the
original stone will be selected as the facing
for the four additional stories.
In most Of the new building sites the
basement excavations give two and some
times three additional stories, but the old
Custom House basement depth will not be
increased, except in one corner where the
power boilers are to be installed. Tn
natural foundation is hard, yellowish,
sandy clay which it is believed affords as
stable a footing as rock. To prove this
some timbers have been driven down into
the earth, a platform built on their tops
and on the platform hundreds Of tons Of
iron have been piled. Men who fuss with
such figures know that II those timber ends
under the weight Of that iron hold their
place the new building will be all hunky
dory without burrowing its feet down to
the rock.
The SeagOerN.