The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-06-09
Unique Feat in cored Granite MOnOIiths

Not the least among the feats in the
rebuilding Of San Francisco. IS piece
Of granite construction believed to be
the only one in this country in which
q granite monolith Is feet long was
cored out through its entire length, and
erected with steel reinforcing beam
in the centre. Four Of these columns
two feet in diameter were recently
placed ait the entrance to the First Fed
eral Trust Co., Post and Montgomery
streets, San Francisco.
To MIR. Willis Polk, the architect in
charge for d. H. Burnham Il Co. be-.
longs the credit OF the idea and the
persistence Of insisting on its being
carried out in spite Of the objections
Of contractors who feared to take the
risk OF breaking the columns at some
stage Of the work
Nearly every contractor who was ap.
preached advised against the plan and
some who were asked to bid on the
work demanded as much as $4,000 bonus
handling the monoIiths.
The McGilvray- Raymond Granite Co.,
however, finally agreed to undertake
the work without bonus, and carried
out every detail OF the task from the
quarrYing Of the columns upright IN
their beds in the company's quarry in
MADEIRA county, Cal, 10 the setting In
place without a mishap or flaw Of any
kind
It was made condition of the con
tract that the columns should be quar-
fied vertically, and two sections over 20
feet deep and wide enough for two
columns, were removed from the quarry.
and stand now In position as IN their
natural bed.
After shaping and turning, before
being drilled for the removal of the
core it weighed eight tons.
All the drilling was done at The com
pany's quarry, with ordinary lIb In.
steel drills BY hand. Each hole was
drilled down to half the length Of the
column aud a hole drilled from the
other end to meet it. The process was
repeated all around the core. Naturally
it required highly skilled workmen for
this particular work but SO acurate was
the drilling done that each hole met
midway Of the pillar exactly, without
the least siog." When all the holes
were drilled around the core, d fiat drill
was used to cut out the pieces Of stone
between the holes.
When all these connections were re-
moved, the hugh s.ton pillar was care
fully hoisted BY derrick leaving the
ragged core standing in its place.
Including all of the drilling required
there were 800 lineal feet drilled in each
OF the monoliths, or 200 feet for the
four columns
In placing them in position each pillar
was hoisted and carefully lowered over
#" beam Of structural steel placed
in position to receive it. The columns
were raised from horizontal to a ver-
tical position with rope swings. In the
bottom of each column, shoulders had
been cut. and into these iron bars, to
which were attached the elevises. The
columns were hnisted to height of
more than fifty feet and slipped over
the steel columns. After the weight had
been released from the cable the clevises
detached themselves and the cables
were hauled aut. All this was ticklish
work
AT both top and bottom, The steel
columns were bolted to the iron work
Of the building, and the space about
them within the core was filed with
cement,
1t is claimed that these are the largest
and longest monoliths in the world. to
receive this treatment successfully.
Every precaution was taken to guard
accidents, even in the transportation
The columns were brought from the
quarry at Raymond to San Francisco
on special train. the crew Of which |
had received instructions from the
Southern Pacific Railroad to proceed at
slow speed and with great care.
Standing further inside the vestibule
Of the building are eight other granite |
columns--exact duplicates Of the four
mentioned, except that they are com
posed of short sections each about Is /
inches high, which are bored out and /
fitted over the steel support one at
time after the usual method OF erecting +
cored columns.