The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-01-29
, 0 O O O 0 O 0 C G 0 G @ 0 0
saAlNLess WORKING CLASS.
Nowhere ie Its BrainIetsness Better
Shown Than In Big Building
Construction.

Socialists who 20 about talking of
how much brains the working class
has. and pretending that the working
men could carry on the industry of the
world without the capitalists 10 guide
and direct them. should spend few
days watching those same working
men In the act of building a modern
skyscrapcf
Nowhere, Il Is safe 10 say, does the
brainlessness Of the worklngclass ap-
pear In stronger light than just here
a study OF the involved and compli-
Gated processes necessary for the
completion q big building. from the
breaking OF the ground up TO the final
polishing OF the big door knob. and
the precision and dispatch with which
they are done, viii convince any one
that the workingmcn or all occupa'
tions-shovellers. ironworkers, paint.
ers. craftsmen. Superintendents, etc
could never complete such stupen-
dous work without the guiding hand
of capitalist over them.
To begin with II all the material
that goes into modern skyscraDer
were translated into truck loads
the number OF them would he sur
prislng If man could build on
prairie with vacant lots all around
him for storage and could pile UP all
the materials he needed beforehand
II would take a ten acre lot TO hold
them all A city building is con-
structed from hand to mouth; little
can be stored on the premises, The
narrow, crowded streets OF city Ike
for
outside. even II the building workers
do take up one-third Of the street, as
the law allows. Inside there Is too
much going on all the time 10 permit
cumbering up the ground floor or any
OF the upper floors with waiting ma
terials.
No Babel Here.
Here is where the necessity for
clear thinking and accurate knowledge
on the part OF the building workers
comes In. To the old craft of the ar
tisau must be added the knowledge OF
the bridge builder The building of
a modern skvscraper requires ability
In CONSTITUTIONAL engineering, sanitary
engineering and complete mastery
OF excavation, caison sinking concrete
laying bricklaying, tiling stair build
Ing. floor laying. lathing and plaster
ing, wiring, painting aud decorating,
and a host OF other crafts and trades.
The grent construction company oil
today Is au organized body. IL has
developed gradually in answer TO the
modern demand that all the different
operations involved in the construc-
tion Of a single building shall be
brought under one industrial control
The executive head covers seven
departments, including construction,
purchasing, drafting. civil engineering.
mechanical engineering. selling and
estimating Each OF these depart
ments has its branches and sub-divl
sions, the workingmen In which cover
the smallest practical detail
The men In the construction depart
ment, for instance. are divided Into
two main branches. The frat branch
is the superintendent's division. II In
cludes payroll work or work done 10y
mechanics employed directly by the
company, and sub-contract work, l. e.
work done by sub contractors The
second branch of the construction de.
partment includes the civil, mechani-
cal. electrical and sanitarS engineer
ing branches. The workmen In these
branches arc concerned with building
the foundations and the steel skeleton,
the heating and ycntllating systems,
me electric lighting plants and the
sanitary systems.
One OF Many.
On the uppoT west side Ia a new
apartment house OF steel skeleton con-
slruction Just completed and ready for
tenants, II is thirteen stories high
and occupies an entire city block. The
area II covers includes 10000 square
feet. The total floor space Of the
apartment house le about eleven and
one'half acres Its cubical contents
about 100000 cubic feet The struc-
ture would give standing room for
about 100000 persons-nearly the to-
tal population OF North Dakota or of
Cincinnati. Not bit of work In con.
nection with II either clerical or mal,.
uai. that was not done By the working
class.
The columns and beams OF this
building. IL laid end to end would
reach distance OF TWENTY-FIVE miles
Tho structural steel alone la worth
ABOUT 3l25.OO0. II made into tele.
graph wires IL would reach twice
around the world.
The modern Office building is first
and last tower, as glimpse OF lower
New York from distance will testifv.
TAKE for example, the Singer build.
Ing. the highest OF skysorapers in the
iowor Broadway district Although the
top Of the tower rises 6l2 feet above
the sidewalk It's base measures only
slxty-fYe feet on either side. II was
built by worklngmen upon thirty.four
eaissons sunk by other workingmen 10
bedrock ninety feet below the street
level