Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-12-22
NEW INF FIRMARY
At FORT BAYARD
I IS ABANDONED
Floors Sag and Walls Crack
and Patients Are Removed
to Other Quarters; viii
Be Investigated

Fort Bayard. n. NJ. Dec. FL
Officials of the United states Vet
Grams hospital here were forced 10
evacuate the new Whitledge IN
Urinary OF its 900 bed-ridden pa
tients today because OF sagglns
floors and cracking walls. The
handsome infirmary building was
completed last June and cost ap-
proximately s750,000 to erect.
Whether the trouble is due to
defects in construction. use OF in
ferior construction material blast
ing at the Santa Rita copper mine
or to the vagaries of geological for
nations, is decision that will be
be made by q. board of inspectors
from the treasury department who
are probably now on their way to
Fort Bayard to investigate. Hos
pital authorities and contractors
from nelghboring towns are at a
loss for an explanation.
Floors Began to Sag
The building is three stories and
of concrete construction. Weeks
ago floors began to sas and. walls
to crack so that MANY doors could
Ilbl bb NlOStht AINdNJ bthlll0 WA I
used as props to remedy the con-
dition but the deterioration con-
tinued until this morning glass was
broken in door transoms and win
dows, and one nurse says that the
floor in her ward has sagged so
that she stumped her toe as she
walked about.
No parts of the building have
fallen except q little plastering and
the hospital authorities are of the
opinion that the damage may be
repaired.
In a statement to relative OF
patients, DIR. w. r. Leverton, the
medical officer in charge, assured
them that the patients are safe,
The statement follows:
1T is regretted that many peo-
pie have the impression that the
new infirmary building has been
condemned. The facts are that il
has become necessary to make
rather extensive alterations in each
of the wings Because Of the noise
necessarily involved it was deemed
advisable to remove the patients
temporarily. This has been done
Alb ONGtN ael NAoll VI bOLl1 hAlI66 "dS
completed Thursday.
at is unfortunate that this move
had to be made during the holidays
but it Is with pleasure that the rel
atiVes and friends of the patients
here can be informed that the
move has been completed and that
all patients are properly and COM
fortably located, and that there is
no danger to any one"
Prior to the completion of the
Whitledge infirmary the hospital
had capacity of 1900 beds, and
as there are only about $50 pa
tients now in the hospital, there is
ample room for all patients to be
housed very comfortably,
The abandoned building has tive
wings of three stroies each, ant
q central building of one story
where IS located a large mess hall
The mess hall is still being used.
Various Theories
various theories are being ad,
ranced as to the cause of the sag
ging Of floors and the cracking Of
walls. The building plans were
drawn up by the architects of the
treasury department, and in pat,
tern as said to be identical with
the uniform plan for the infirmar.
les of old soldier homes. Some con.
tractors of this section say that
concrete buildings arc never sue.
cessful, while others claim that
fhale formations underly the in.
Urinary and that q slipping of this
upper crust, which is not percepti.
Bile, causes the damage.
In Silver City, which is ten mile:
southwest of Fort Bayard, large
cracks are noticed in nearly al
large buildings within q few
months after their completion
Just now the Silver City Nationa
bank is tearing down q handsome
building amply sufficient for q
town Of that size, because Of crack.
in the brick walls. In all large