The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-07
That Is All That Could Be
Found at Auditorium.
1t Has Been There From Time
of Erection.
REPAIRS BEGIN PROMPTLY
When Completed Building Will
Be Safe as Ever.
A Thorough Inspection Was
Made This Morning.

There is apparently just one weak
place in the construction of the Audi
forum. just one defect that could
cause a catastrophe, and some one
workman. hammering away alone,
twenty years ago was responsible for
that
J. G. Holland. the architect who
drew the plans for the auditorium;
Commissioner w. l. Porter, Joseph
Weidelich, assistant fire chief. and A.
r. Young. city engineer. inspected the
building this mor1ing from tcp to bot
tom. They were under the balcony
and under the main floor with search
lights and old toys They inspected
the joints end the piers upon which
the weight from she balcony and main
floor falls.
Everything appears % be in ship
shape except the point Loted. The
steel or iron piers rest on thirty six
inch stone piers and hey appear to
be as solid rs the day they were built
While some OF tie steel or iron piers
are off center on the stone piers they
have not slipped since they were placed
there That was the opinion express
ed by the men who made the inspec-
ton trip. The BEARING surfa ce, under
the iron piers, is sufficient to hold up
mere of a load than has ever been
placed upon 1t.
The one defect is on the north side
Of the balcony where heavy timbers
converge. The architects plans show
ed a heavy timber coming from the
outer wall which. spiked to the con-
verging tim bcrs would have tied the
whole together. But some workman,
fixing up that corner, decided that the
timber coming in from the cutter wall
was too long and 100 thick So he
sawed off the end Of it ana not salts
tied with that chopped the remaining
end so thin that its holding power IS
nil
\ Gap in the Floor.
And it was discovered that owing
to that one piece of work the balcony
ut that point had pulled away from
the brick wall ar inch or So There
Yves a gap in the floor and the steps
no longer touched the wall. While
tho insp actors could see no great dan
ger because of the gap it was admitted
that il constituted a weakness and it
will be remedied at once. This after
noon Commissioner W. l. Porter mas
a carpenter on the job, working under
the direction Of J. G. Holland, archi-
tect. When this on place has been
repaired. unless the !ns2t ctoTs I'M, I'M
something else wong, the Auditorium
vii, be as safe IS it was the day II
was built
Il feel a lot better after looking the
thing over said Commissioners Por-
ter ''Since I saw the cracked plaster
ing and the floor pulled away from the
wall. l have been nervous every time
the auditorium became crowded But
after looking into the detallS OF us
construction, l don't see how it would
be possible to load it sufficiently to
endanger the audience
No Giaring Defect.
Chief Weidelich and Engineer Young
were not skeptical but they wanted to
know all about everything. They look
ed into every nook and Granny. They
conversed with the architect but they
also Investigated for themselves. They
figured out the load each pier would
have to carry with a full house. They
figured on the carrying power of the
stone bases. They looked at the con-
dition of the walls in the basement. at
the cracked plastering and gaping
floors. But they found no glaring
weaknesses such as would justify any
fears as to the condition of the audi
torium
with a balcony constructed in the
shape of this one" said Architect Hol-
land. Il don't see how it is possible for
it to develop any weakness. The sides
support the end and the end supports
the sides. There appears to have been
careless work done by the contractor
in that one place but that can be
remedied easily"
Firemen tore up the floor where it