Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-08-08

s,,ccessiyeIy erected IN New York ely
Is increasing by. leaps and bounds
The tOpmest point OF the singer nuiid
ing, recently opened. is 6l2 feet above
the Sidewalk: the final OF the lantern
that CroWas the Metropolitan Lie
tower Is 700 feet above the same lev
|"l: and recently plans were filed witI
the building department iCi IL tower
huiiding to be erected 10y the EQui,a
lie I.if" Company. al Pine street anc
broadway, from whose summit. 9M
feet aiuvo he street level. il will b.
necessary to look down some 200 Zee
to find the top OF the Singer Building
The next highest structure in the
downtown district. The question no
inircqucutly asked by the work-a da!
citizen. as he watches this modern at
tempt 10 pile P"ilon On OSsa. is:
What then is the maximum hCich
to which building can he carr:"c
subject TO the above conditions? bH
the Inl;ctCsy of Mr. o +. SemSch
chief engineer for Mr.. Ernest Flag,
the aichticCt Of lac Singer lui!dinE
We are enabled to answer this one
ing the mammoth structure two thoh
sand feet high which II would be- pos
Siilr to erect upon an area two hun
,lrcd feet square without CXc"cd.nE
the hmilding code limit of fifteen ton'
TO the square foot foundation pres
sure. Mr. Srmsch was responsible foi
The design of the steel work OF the
Singer Tower. and The weights ant
other calculations of this 2.OvJ-foo'
guppusitinnai tower We're worked Cn'
upon the same general principles a!
were used in designing the 3tee! work
of HE towering structures at Liberty
street and broadway.
The customary story height for OF
flee buildings is Is feet 4 inches from
floor 10 floor. After various trials
Mr. Semsch fonDd that building OF
$50 stCrios, 1000 feet in height. would
practically be the limit under tho
above restrictions ri the bnildint
code He assumed tnis structure on
10; 2G0 feet square. and made approx
inra!e calculations. The walls OF the
LuiliiGg would H. II inches thick n
the top. and lac inches. or almost l.
feet thick. at the bottom. Assuming
.wG thirds If the wall surface for win
dows. theSe walls would weigh,
| ult Of brick. 100000 tons: and aS
Stunning the dead weight Of the floors
and other interior construction at -"
pc undS per square foot OF hC0r ares
the weight of hat part of the building
would be- about 2l3.a00 tons. The
live" nuor l. ad to he transmitted to)
the foundations. according to the, re-
au!remerts Ct the building code.
would h.. 10000 tons. Adding these
items, We get total weight OF SIG.
ZOE tons. This distributed over the
cntilc area Of 10000 square feet
available for f0ot!Dgs. would result in
a pressure Of IL tens per square foot.
The allowance for increase OF pres
rure due to wind. and the WEIGHT OF
the f0otings themselves, would easily
bring this figure Up TO the limit Of ID
tons per square foot. This woula
mean nat there would have to be
one solid block Of concrete covering
the entire area OF the lot
The total wind-lcad on one side OF
this building. when exposed 10 al
heavy gale Cf wind, would he $685.
tons: and as the centre Of pressrr-
wCnld he i.',uo feet above the street
level. tho ov' turning moment due t0l
this pressure would - 6,60p.ooU foot
tons.
Now. nj 'lrSt thought. the layman
NIGH. be we'll excused for believing
that a pressure Of 5000 IONS applet
To the building at height oil 1909
feet above it's Ease must surely turn
Il over. but the dead weight OF the
huge mass IL 50 great that II would
require. as 4 matter Of fact, over eight
{ ines a. much pressure upon the side
Of the bGiIaing before ovcr.urning mo-
meat commenced. For. opposed tcl
the nvrrtErn;ng moment CT 6 4451,vool
foot tens. there would = moment 81
stab lily Of II asa. e00 foattOns; that
Is TO say. the wind moment would
equal not quite l. Fer cent. Of thni
stability moment. IL IL evident THAI
inis structure fer all its 2.6o0 feet at
height. would re perfectly secu:eI
against being blown down.
Gr. Sen oh states that II good
re tx Bottom were 50 near the snr:ac"
NJ the ground that il would BE- unnc- |
cesar &c sink a ca:ssoE. steel
srillacc or other form Of spread foun- |
ia,ion coGld he used. in which case