Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-06
HALL TOWER SURE TO FALL
steeple on City Building Condemned
by Latenser and Withheld.
STANDS IN SPITE OF ALL LAWS
ImPerIls Passersby and Mould he Re-
moved Mt Once. say the Archi-
tect and city BuUIdinE
Inspector

City BuIding Inspector Withheld and
Architect John Latenser agree in their con-
demnation Of the tower on the city hall
and declare II ought to be torn down and
that without delay. Mr.. Withheld says
some day IL will take d tumble and will
kill seventeen persons II that number hap
pen to be on the street when the catastro-
phe occurs. ana Mr.. Latenser says he con-
demned Il twelve years ago. Both concur
in the opinion that the tower has stood and
is standing contrary 10 ali laws Of nature
and science.
But Mayor Dahlman thinks more OF the
sensitive feelings OF Dave Rowden. custo-
dian Of the city hall, than OF the imminent
danger which daily faces the psssersby on
Fsrnam and Eighteenth streets and objects
to the appropriation Of 5000 with which 10
remove the cats and dogs on the city
han. the same appropriation contemplating
the removal of the dangerous tower. The
appropriation was vetoed by the mayor be-
cause Rowden has sunted on soap, clean
towels. matches and other little things,
such as coal and new carpets, so as TO
keep his fund at high tide and be does not
want to witness the disappointment Of the
custodian AZ seeing his fund slashed deeply
with q 600 appropriation.
saw "a Twelve Years AEO.
Twelve years ago, when the city hall had
been built but four years. ! inspected the
tower for the council and declared II to be
unsafe" said Architect Latenser on Mon
day. That opinion / made when the mu-
nicipal building was practically a new
structure holds good today, only IN a
stronger sense. OF course, 1t is impossible
TO forecast when its end will come, If II lie
not torn down, but II there was the slight
est earthquake II would be the first thing
in all Omaha to collapse, and If a high
wind should strike IL a sheet Of paper would
be as strong
The architect then went on TO show what
he termed the utter foolishness' used in
its construction, giving something Of the
history Of towers to explain his position.
As he explained it. towers were originally
built in the olden days as a lookout over
the city. In them were stationed watch
men TO keep watch in case Of fire, It being
heir duty when a fire broke out to sound
the alarm on a bell stationed in the tower.
Later. when timepieces were invented, a
townclock was placed in the tower. but the
clocks were always placed under what is
known as the bell deck" The CLOCK
deck is Of solid masonry, substantial;
while the bell deck. where the watch
man was stationed. Is necessarily Of lighter
construction. being open to allow a free
outlook over the city.
This method Of construction OF having
the solid clock masonry at the base and
the "openwork" station for the Waterman
above was always carried out until the city
hail Of the city Of Omaha was built. Then
the man who built the pinnacle which sur
mounts the municipal building of this city
conceived the bright idea of turning things
upside down and placed the light watch
deck at the bottom and the heavy clock
deck on top, though no Waterman was
ever installed or no clock ever placed in
the steeple to give the people the time.
Fault in Heavy Masonry.
This placing Of the heavy masonry on
top is what makes the city hall tower so
dangerous--a danger which is enhanced
tby the character Of the stone used in its
construction. soft West Superior red sand
stone.
Architect LAtenser stimates the weight
Of the city hall tower, above the present
bell deck. at 5000 tons, while he gives the
sustaining power Of the pillars at not to
exceed eight tons. And there IL some DIFF
ference between eight and 5000. The es-
timated weight Of the tower on the fed
Z eral Dull0lnB IS gwen al AA,OO tons, but
on this building the approved order Of
architecture was adopted and the bell
deck placed At the top and the clock be-
meath and therefore the danger from that
tower cannot be compared with that of the
city hall despite the great d-isparasement
in weight.
City Building Inspector Withheld, who is
an architect, says that the city hall tower
should be razed to the basement Of the
bell deck and that a new tower could be
built from this base. The municipal build
ing would look somewhat odd without any
sort OF tower and the building Of a safs
structure would probably be ordered were
the old one removed.
Councilman Bridges said yesterday that
he will reintroduce tonight the resolution
to appropriate $1,000 TO remove the giasti-
~cutuses and attempt 10 pass 1t over the
head Of the mayor. II he succeeds then he
win ask to use a portion Of the fund for
the raEing Of the tower. L. B. johnson,
president OF the council, was the only
member who last week voted against the
appropriation and he stands with the
mzvur against the urouosftion