The herald., 1918-06-27

story tor attlcD never was OHIpIttSu
as originally intended, and can only
be used for storage purposes.
The main, or what is known as
the second floor of the building, is
| formed with groined brick arches
supported on walls and piers, the
space above the arches being filled
with concrete. A part of the third
| floor is also constructed in this
manner. The other floors of the
building are constructed with iron
| beams having brick arches between
and levelled with concrete. At the
| time this work was done, the present
I-beam was not being manufactured,
and all beams in the building are
built up of channels, plates, and
angles over short spans the ordinary
railroad rail was used. The floor
construction throughout, is of great
strength, nearly all floors having
been intended for Customs storage
purposes and designed to carry heavy
loads.
June 25, 1860 an appropriation of
$4,000 was made to fit up a part
of the first story to accommodate
the Postoffice, which at that time
was located on Royal Street Cor Rue
Royal as it was then known about
midway between Canal Street and
Custom House Street. AS soon as
quarters were prepared, the Post Of
flee moved into the Custom House
building, where it remained until
the new Post Office and Court House
was completed in 1915.
The architecture of the building
is a modified Egyptian, heavy fluted
columns with typical capitals sup
porting heavy pediments over the en-
! frances on the four sides OF the
building. The exterior walls are
faced with Quincy granite, S-cut, and
this granite work is far superior to
granite-work as done at this late
day. The cornice is designed in
harmony with the granite work, but
| is of cast iron.
The roof of the building is formed
with wood and iron trusses, covered
with wood sheathing, this sheathing
being covered with copper. The
present woodworking is the second
one to be put on the building, and
was put on in 1890, the copper be-
ing laid in standing seams, riveted
together. This copper was laid in
lengths up to ninety feet, with no
provision made for expansion or
contraction, and has given trouble
| ever since put on. There are nu-
merous breaks in the copper, espec-
tally along the long riveted stand
ing seams, and to keep the roof
water tight, these breaks are patched
every time a leak develops, using
canvas and a specially prepared as
phaltums paint. This copper roof
covering cost s31,500.
Another source of trouble in con-
nection with this copper roof-cov-
ering has been where cast iron or
} wrought iron has been covered with
the copper. Through the electroly.
, tic action set up by dampness and
! the contact of the two metals, the
: iron has been distintegrated. This
has occurred where cast-iron CUTTERS
) have been lined with the copper
2 and where the copper roof-coverins
7 has been locked on to sheet-iron a
the outer edge of the cornice.
From the main entrance on Cana
street, a large marble stairway lead
5 to the upper floors, and just in from
: of the stairs landing, on the secont
a floor, in the center of the building
b is located the Architectural fea
a ture" of the building, called 9TH
v Marble Hall" Originally this spac
!, was not intended for office use, blu
n owing to lack of space in the build
I ing, glass screen partitions hav
been installed between the marbl
s columns and the collection of Gus
n toms duties are made here.
t The Marble Hall" measures 81
: feet $50 feet, and is so feet il
height. The ceiling of this larg
room is composed of an iron fran
with heavy plates of colored glass
/ and is supported on fourteen marbl
4 corinthian columns, Al feet long,
6 feet in diameter These shafts ar
n made up in sections about s feet il
!. length, the joints between the sec
a tions being so close and so well mad
e that it requires a close examination
6 in many instances to detect that tn
= columns are not one piece of marble
j. Inc capitals OIL THESE COiuuuuo di
a typical corinthian, but have adde
a at the top of each capital bas-re
a lief of Juno and another of Mercur
S (God of Commerce), on top of thes
e columns rest fifteen-foot marbl
e beams or lintels supporting the iro
: ceiling frame.
At one end of this hall are panel
t with life size bas-relief figures G
b Bienville the founder of New o.
S leans, and of Jackson, its defender
: between these figures is placed tn
s coat-of-arms of the State of Loui:
x lana, the Pelican feeding its youns
n The floors of the Marble Hall
: and corridors of the buildings are @
: white and black marble tiles.
I Elevators were not included in tn
q original plans of the building, tn
0 intention at that time being to hois
the goods to be stored, throug
r hoist-ways in the floors, by mean
e of block-and-tackle. These hoist
: ways through the floors of the corr
g doris are now used for ventilation an
light wells. In 1882 a hydrauli
n elevator was installed to handle tn
: goods to be stored on the fourt