Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1919-01-24
1t Costs $4,000 To Wash The
Windows Just Once.
BY THOMAS G. ALvoRD.

between curbs Q60 feet). from the Capitol
to Aqueduct Bridge, in Georgetown, and
back to Twenty-sixth street-a distance Of
four and half miles.
The first time the windows were washed
the bill was $4,000.
There were more than 10000 windows,
but that number have shades that cost
$4,000. The electric call bell system took
$50 miles of insulated wire and with its
5000 push buttons cost $2,000,000 The
cost of linoleum for Office floors was $4,-
100000. In the buildings are carloads
of nails, 3l4 carloads of lumber. or u.s.
100000 feet, IS carloads of glass, three
of putty. more than "a miles of heating
piping, 895 miles of electric wiring, 49,
900 lighting fixtures and eight and a half
acres of steel sash.
There are nine wings in the Navy build
ing and eight in the Army each wing is
go feet wide and 500 feet long. The
height of the first story is IL feet inches.
and Of the other two IL feet each. The
total cubic contents of the building is u.s.
100000 cubic feet 1t took 100000
square feet of roofing to cover it all and
a 40-inch storm sewer one-half mile long
had to be built to cary off the rain.
At present there are about 10000 per-
sons at work in these buildings, many of
them girls. For them. principally, 1925
rest rooms have been provided where there
is an occasional piano that the girls may
dance in the rest periods prescribed for all.
In the Navy building there is first-aid
station and in the Army section dispen-
sary.
There are two cafeterias which can seat
1900 at one time and serve 5000 meals a
day Electric carriers running along the
walls bring all dishes back to the kitchen
in the center of each dining room, which
is 400 feet long The new features in the
Navy building make vastly for the quicker
transaction of business One is a trans
atlantic radio central Office from which
may be operated by remote control all
naval high-power radio transmitting sta
tons. By operating key in this office a
message may be sent direct to Europe.
from which distance messages may be
received. Ships at sea may communicate
direct by wireless with the department
and receive an instant reply.
Another outstanding feature Is post
office established In the building, where
the department mail is pouched for the
navy yards and naval stations, wherever
they may be, and also for the postmaster
of cities on the Eastern and Western
coasts. for delivery to ships on station near
them without repouching.
The Navy and War buildings are rein
forced concrete throughout, with steel sash,
and are on pile foundations. The amount
of concrete used was $4,000 yards. and
of steel reinforcing bars, 4,500 tons Never
before has a building to be made Of poured
concrete with so large floor area been
attempted in one operation. The main
problem lay in the difficulty of distributing
concrete over so extended ground area.
A trestle of exceptionally heavy timber,
4 1900 feet long had TO be constructed II
| feet above the ground. Five-ton motor
trucks brought sand and gravel from the
river dredgines and cement in bags from
the railroad siding. The cement was thrown
on top Of cars and moved to eight mixing
plants, each driven by 40-horse- power
motor. with capacity Of 5000 yards
day The concrete was delivered to the
place Of pouring in "buggies" along plank
walks. AS each storage unit held only a
limited amount steady supply had to be
maintained by constant delivery by the
trucks.
The pouring the concrete framework has
established a record for this kind Of con-
struction. The maximum yardage in one
day was l.750 cubic yards, equivalent to
a section of the building 400 feet long,
three stories high and so feet wide.
1t was not expected that piles would be
needed, but the location proved to be a
part of the old river bed. and 5,048 con.
crete and composite piles. some Of them
So feet long had to be driven. These diff
ficulties and the greater ones Of increasing
cost and constant replacement Of labor
swelled the estimated cost, as did the adj
dition Of items not originally contemplated
As IL was. the buildings we're begun or
March rs last year and the moving in be
gan on August 18th. All wings we're &C.
cupied by October 7th The total cost wal
$7.285.OOO.
The manager of the project was Com
mander A. L. Parsons. Civil Engineer Corps
U. S. N. and the officer in charge, Lieut.
o. A. Mechline, of the Civil Engineer Corps
Of the Naval Reserve
The Navy and War buildings. said Com
mander Parsons, are constructed by endur-
, ing materials and are on foundations Of the
} most permanent character. In respect t
I their arrangements for light and air TO
office purposes they are equal, II not su
T perior, 10 any Of the permanent building
5 in Washington. They stand as an illustra
) ton of what can be don't at reasonable
expense TO take care Of the expansion
needed here in Office buildings Of a fire
3 proof character and Of an appearance which
= does not make them an eyesore to tn
community.
D Representative Sherley, Of Kentucky
S who has much to say on the Himsy con
8 struction Of some Of the buildings rushed u
s for war workers, had this to say about tn
4 Navy and War buildings II know Of n
D buildings Of similar character that hav
been built elsewhere. They represent
/ very low cost, considering the price O
labor And believe they represent. per
I haps. the best type Of Office building to b
found anywhere in the world"
0 Chevy Chase Items,