Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1914-10-08
The New School Building.
An Outline OF The Structure
Now Being Erected At
ThurmOnt.


The new school building being erected
at Thurmont. will be model. modern
structure, designed along the latest and
most approved ideas in school building
construction.
For materials, only non-combustible
and slow burning materials were consid-
cred, and as result, the structural ele-
ments are brick, steel, concrete and slate.
Every precaution against dampness, wa
ter and fire, both within and without the
building, has been taken, and for per-
manency, few buildings in the county are
it's equal.
Upon heavy concrete footings, contain
ing 1900 cubic feet C75 tons) of stone,
sand and cement and damp-proofed with
asphaltum against moisture, rests the
brick walls for the support of the build
ing. To height of 10 feet the exterior
basement walls are 8inches in thickness
and contain IS, 900 brick. An idea of the
size of the building is gained from this
fact, that it takes 2, 700 brick to lay one
course around the foundation, or car
load of $4,000 bricks will lay only five
courses of basement wall. All partitions
are, of brick throughout the building, a
few being of metal lath on iron angle
studs.
Above the basement the walls drop
back to 10 inches thickness of brick.
At each corner of the building heavy
pilasters 80 inches wide and rs feet high
give strength and beauty to the building,
with white terra Gotta bases and caps
A metal cornce of deep projection ex
tends around the entire building, as does
the cement coping on the brick firewall.
From the grade to the first floor level,
every fifth course Of brick Is set back
living a massive effect to the whole and
What is termed "rustication'. The tran
ition between this 'stretcher- rusticated'
work to that above is marked by heavy
)elt course of special design and of brick.
The pilasters are of stretcher band and
and project 4a inches beyond the face of
the wall proper. The spaces of wall be-
tween pilasters is of Flemish band, that
is, stretcher, then head, stretcher,
ETC., with the headers in the next course
conferred over the stretcher in the lower
course. The sis to the basement win
dows are of brick, as a re also the lintels
over all the windows.
The other item of Importance on the
exterior is the architectural terra Gotta.
AS stated above, all pilasters have bases
and caps of it and the window stills thru
out are of that material. The entrance
is of terra Gotta and consists of an arch
ed opening with 26-nch pilasters sup
porting the heavy moulded cornice, and
entablature bearing the title of the build
ing ''Thurmont High School" in raised
letters. This entrance is l6 feet in width
and % feet high. over all.
Cement and concrete enter largely in
the construction of the interior. The
basement floor is of concrete five inches
thick and in the corridors and toilets fin
ished with one inch of cement top dress
ing. The four rooms in basement will
have maple wood floors as the upper
rooms. The steps from the grade to YES
tibules are of cement and concrete, rein
forced.
A notable feature in this building is
the use of reinforced concrete for the
floors and roof. The floors have clear
span between walls of "a feet and are
carried by means of 8-inch steel ''hore-
lyle" set rs Inches on centers laid across
the span and covered with "a inches of
concrete, concrete of course filling the
4-inch space between rows of "tyles',
forming small concrete beams. Metal
lath is secured by wires in the concrete
to the under side of the floor and plaster
ed for the ceiling of the lower room.
The remarkable part is the fact that the
floor is only lOa inches thick and spans
width of "a feet Steel reinforcement is
used, of course.
The roof is of concrete three inches
thick reinforced, and carried on steel
beams, channels and angles. The span
of 80 feet over the large Assembly Hall
is carried on four graceful steel trusses.
Stag roofing protects it from the weather
and adds to the fire resisting qualities of
the building.
Concrete lintels span all windows and
other openings for the proper support of
the floors.
Excellent Maple floors laid on 2x4's
placed over the concrete are used thru
out the upper floors.
The stairways are of slate set in steel
angle irons, and so placed in the build
ing-one set on each side-that should it
be necessary to quickly empty the build
ing, it could be done in few seconds.
Such an emergency is however impossi-
BILE as absolutely no wood or any other
combustible material is used in its con-
struction. The only wood in the building
are door and window frames, doors and
floors. Should fire develop in any part
of the building it could reach no other
part and would necessarily burn itself
out for want of combustibe material.
Entrances to the building are as fol-
lows: The main front entrance leads to
the first floor up five steps to platform
extending under the arched terra Gotta
entrance short distance into the build
ing, then up few more steps to the floor
| Lowell All of thasa stems are of concrete