The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1912-12-21
HEAT OF The sun
Gid Sol Has a Strong Pull al the
Capitol In Washington.
SWAPS THE MAMMOTH DOME.
On a Hot Day His Torrid Rays Will
Drag the Massive iron Structure
Way Out of Plumb-Turns the Same
Trick With Washington Monument.

Drag the Massive iron Structure
Way Out of Plumh-Turns the Same
Trick With Washington Monument.
Not many people have ans idea rs to |
the enormous amount of heat that the |
sun sends off into space The earth |
gets only very small portion of Il |
'rhe head of pin placed twenty feet /
away from an electric light gets
In proportion to the light on the sur
rounding walls of room about what
tie earth gets OF the suns light and
heat radiated into space. Yet that nor
ton the earth does get Is great enough
to cause great structures to move.
In fact all stone or metal buildings
are constantly changing their positions
under the hot rays of the sun. The
great dome of the capitol building AT
| Washington is the lars fHt surface of
cast iron in the world. ana the effect OF
| the continuous heat OF hot summer
/ day can best be appreciated. says Hair
per's Weekly. when ii is known that
this mammoth mass really sways back
and forth under the scorching rays un
Ill the top feather in the cap of the
statue of Freedom describes nm ellipse
the diameter of which on hot day
varies from four to eight inches.
The giant pinth base of the dome.
resting on the roof OF the old sand
stone building, measures 1876 feet on II
side. The greatest diameter of the
. Ia M
whole iron structure is 21S feet high
from the old capit0ls roof to the base
OF Freedom on the apex. The east iron
covering this surface is made In thin
sheets offering Il good conductor for
the heat. which swels even the bolts
and beams Of the inside before the sun
has made its circuit
The southern side of the dome suf.
fcrs most from the heat, being expos
ed longer To the sun, which passes
south of the zenith while on its jour
ney from the cas-, to the west. II the
metal were exposed to n constant
heating The result of the continuation
OF such expansion as that received on
very hot days might prove disastrous
: but as it is little If any permanent in
jury is DONE since the iron returns
regularly to it's normal position as the
: cool night comes on.
4 But what seems more remarkable il
: the fact that marble is also changed il
4 volume so perceptibly by the sunigh
$ that the mammoth shaft Of the Wash
g ington monument sways back am
h forth in the sun on Il hot day. TIL
Q outer surface being OF hard marble til
Il expansion is much greater than
{. would be had granite instead of maj
bic been used. On IL hot summer da
It the sharp aluminium apex that crown
/, the obelist points to position Mt leas
II four inches north of normal. but a
ways returns TO its proper position
II the cool of the night
A From the extreme top of the nom
u ment inside 4 long pipe line runs pc
d pendicularly to the bottom. leading
I. a small closet behind the elevate
q This contains long pendulum, who's
f. bob hangs In q vessel of mercur
IS which prevents its oscillation Tu
* stationary transits with highly ma
10 nifying lenses are focused direct
TO upon the suspended wire, and throui
n these each CULVER of the monument
in detected. being magnfied OH d
scale graduated to thousandths of ;
inch
Every morning ut 10 O'Clock stat
no ment OF this plummet line is tak
!, and reported to the war departures
ON and Ii was by this means that the
a.. feet which the suns rays have on t
-, huge white SHAFT was discovered. I'll
80 plumb bob of course. was placed
the monument for the purpose Of
W tecting any settling II might underi
~ and. although the great weight of
~ mass has pressed the ground for MA
"u decades. it has settled only a slil
y" fraction OF an inch in one corner
"e This seems extraordinary when 1t
" realized that its weight OF Sl.720 t
NJ rests on foundation only l26H I
{" square and 80 feet deep from a hci'
almost fifteen times that OF the DEF
The whole rests on the sandy hnnk
the Potomac river. with the enorm'
pressure of five tons no the SuIi
'or- foot. Not only does the suns b
1t sway the big obelisk. but ut tin
My when stiff winter gale was hlowi
'ov- II has been reported as much as
uSe inches out of plumb.
ore -
ire Misery Ahead.
ded More tough luck, whispered