Omaha daily bee., 1908-06-28

nv occur TO you that &c one of
~ New York's modern ssyscrsp-
- ers, say the Metropolitan Life
I9QtEES4 or the Singer building with Its
Sa9 cloud piercing tower, could be
picked up bodily and dropped ON some
prairie there would be practically every
thing needed to start a little city, including
the population? II fact. when Il came 60
building materials there might, In some
Instances. be stuff LETT over for use in
ueighbOring towns.
Take the Singer building, for instance.
1t contains 1856 miles % various kinds OF
metal piping. The telephones, elevators,
electric lights, fans and clocks require 3.i15
miles Of wire, which, If stretched out,
would extend from the top OF the Singer
building to the top Of Eiffel tower in
Paris, with 300 miles left over.
The steel used in the construction Of the
Singer building, II made into three-quar,er-
inch wire cable, would reach from New
York to Buenos Ayres, a distance OF 100
miles. The total length Of the steel bear
ing columns in the building is about ten
miles.
The terra Gotta floor blocks in the build
ing, II spread out on a plaiE, would cover
$50 acres. Placed end to end they would
extend ninety-seven miles, or further than
from New York to Philadelphia. The fire
proof blocks in the partitions placed end
to end would reach from New York to
Saratoga.
The new skyscraper contains 5,035 500
bricks, and these laid end to end would
reach S5 miles, from New York to Detroit.
They would pave a foot path twelve inches
wide from New York to Boston,
This modern skyscraper contains 101 cons
OF sheet copper. enough to cover AGA acres.
The copper combined with the statuary
bronze In the building aOuld yield a metal
similar to that used by the United states
government in making cents, and that
prairie town would certainly have money
to lend to its Eeighbors If the combined
metals were put to that use. 1t would
be possible to turn out 46,2O6, 90 cents, or
$462OSO.
II the concrete in the Foundations Of the
building were all loaded on two-horse
trucks It would make a continuous line of
1O,1SO trucks, thIrty-eight miles long. or
twice the distance from the Singer building
to Yonkers.
The steel in the building would make 1s5
large type mogul locomotives; that IS, a
continuous line of engines for a mile and
a half. 1t would make a seventy-four-mie
stretch of heavy modern track, rails, spikes
and tie pieces. Made into elevator cables
It would extend 100 miles. and if the total
lengths Of all the strands OF wire in the
cable were put together they would reach
from the earth to the moon three and one
third times, or 800, 400 miles.
II the steel were rolled out into a plate
a quarter of an inch thick It would cover
an area of fifty acres. In other words
Broadway from Liberty street to Seventy
second street could be paved with s.eeI
plate Of that thickness
There is 1873 miles of picture moulding In
the building. II all the mouldings for the
doors, pictures and windows were put in q
straight line they would reach sixty miles
1r from New York to Bridgeport, Conn.
More than 5,541 tons of mortar was used
h the masonry. This would make a path
fourteen inches wide and one Inch thick
rom New York to Washington, a distance
Of 2O miles. About 1877 tons Of paint was
used on the various surfaces. That Il
enough paint to cover ninety and a hall
acres with one coat. 1t would cover &
board fence six feet high from New Yorl
TO Springfield. 126 miles, with one coat
There are &.4 acres of wall area In tn,
new skyscraper. This is plaster enough
for about 200 good-sized dwelling houses
1t would a a line of plaster twelv,
inches wide from New York to Boston.
The glass in the building, s., 23 suuar
feet, would make a continuous show win
dow six feet high on one side of Broadwa,
from Liberty street to Thirty-fourth street
There are 256, 900 square feet OF metal lath
or SO acres. To support these laths 40.
miles OF structural angle irons were re
quired. together with 100 miles of tyin.
wire and ITO, 900 bolts.
There are S.S5 miles of elevator cable
In the building and nine fans capable o