The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-08-25

THHE steel of the first skyscraper Of
Richmond Va, was up only few
i stories when the contractor noticed
boy scrutinizing the building rather
sharply. The boy would go to the far
side of the street. hold a pencil before
his eye for a minute or two as IL he
were taking sights, and then would frown
and come closer to the structure. Once
or twice he climbed UP on the steel work,
walked along the beams with sure tread
end looked at the workmen as they placed
beams in positions or drove in rivets.
For two or three days the boy was
around the building acting queerly. He
asked no questions, but occasionally
frowned and shook his head. After a
time the contractor. the foreman and the
workmen began to wonder what the lad
was doing No one In the neighborhood
knew him Regularly three or four times
day he took his sights, and every time
he too khs sight he seemed more dis
pleased than he had before Finally,
after the lad had made one of his OBJ
servations and had returned to the build
ing, the contractor went up to him.
Say. boy" he said, what's the matter
with your
The boy looked him in the eye unsmil-
ingly.
There is nothing the matter with me-"
he replied. "but there is a good deal the
matter with your building. It's out of
plumb
What exclaimed the contractor.
II say" repeated the boy. steadily ana
evenly, that this building is out OF
plumb Somebody has Numbered"
TIE contractor gasped. He did not know
for a moment whether to be angry or
alarmed. He decided TO be amused
1T is too bad you don't build the
thing" he said.
IF did Id build 1t right replied the
boy.
The contractor lost his temper then
and said some harsh things. But this
did not feaze the boy.
u am sorry 20 have offended YOU he
said. '.but you are going to have serious
trouble if you donr correct the errors you
ere making. Some of the steel that has
been put in here does not belong where
you are placing il. The further you go
the worse mess you are going to find
yourself in. II you will let me see your
blue prints I'll be able to tell you in a
Minute WHO al Il.
If the boy had not been so serious the
contractor might have considered him i'm
pudent But there was reason for the
contractor being doubtful of his own abil-
lily. This was his first job in the con-
struction of a skyscraper. He had been
bridge builder In North Carolina There
Is a radical difference between putting to-
gether horizontal structure and a ver-
teal one. In bridge building latitude is
given TOR expansion and contraction, but
In the skyscraper, which is perfectly
rigid structure. there is nothing of that
sort. The contractor realized in a hazy
way that he did not have enough expe-
rience 10 know whether he had done ex-
actly right Reluctantly he permitted
the boy to take him to the other side of
the street and illustrate to him by sights
that the building was getting out Of
plumb. Even then he was only half con-
WINGED that something was wrong, but he
got his blue prints and went over them
with the youth.
The boy showed such familiarity with
The blue prints that the contractor was
Impressed The impression grew stronger
when the boy proved to him that some of
the I-beams. angle-beams and channel
beams were being misplaced.
1t was not pleasant for the contractor
to do so. but he had to give orders to
take some of the steel out and put in the
steel the boy designated in its place.
That afternoon the boy went on the
contractors payroll First the contractor
ara whaf experience he had received in
The steel business.
TIE hoy was stranger Ia Richmond.