Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-05

Der had been shipped from Louisiana,
while the steel for the temporary
| trusses was made up by the Chicago
plant of McKeown Bros. and designed
and put together there. When the time
came they sent down their mechanics
| and capable foreman, picking up To-
cal labor here as needed, and in ga
| days, or very little over half the
| time that had been allowed them, per-
| formed their part of the job.
This fast work in the early stages
of the game was a big help, and dur
ing the time that the trusSes were be-
ing constructed the wrecking of the
interior was going on. AS soon as a
portion of the temporary roof was
completed, the workmen started right
in to wreck the old roof underneath
it. The bottom chords of the trusses
are a few feet higher than the old
roof. with about IA feet from the bot
tom chord to the roof, so that there
is ample space to work in.
The acknowledgements Co. of
Washington, D. c., was given the
steel erection and installed a huge
hosting pole opposite the north por.
tico, which assisted with the erection
of temporary roof materials. Elec-
tricity to run the hoist was run into
the grounds by special cables from
outside. AS soon as the wrecking
had progressed somewhat the struc.
tural steel was hoisted through a
large hatchway provided for the pur-
pose in the temporary roof, flood
lights being used for the night SHIFT.
The Government officials decided to
preserve some of the long timbers
and the trusses intact, probably for the
Smithsonian Institution, but all that
remained of the rest of the lumber
was carted off to distant dump and
carefully burned under guard of Fed
eral officials in order to prevent the
chance of its falling into the hands Of
souvenir seekers.
During the wrecking of the second
floor ceiling the cornice, numerous
samples of the existing plaster and
ornamental work were preserved in
order faithfully to duplicate them in
the reconstruction. After sufficient
steel had been erected, the hollow tile
and roof arches and the fire proofing
with tile and concrete of the exposed
structural steel was commenced, and
this. in turn, was followed by the
plumbers, steamfitterS and electri-
clans.
Several of the rooms on the third
floor are already lathed and about to
be plastered, and practically all the
plastering is done on the second floor.
Thus the heaviest part of the job may
be said to be over, with the goal
finally in sight we'll ahead Of the time
limit.
X X
1T was our first President who
selected the site for the White
House with Maj. Pierre Charles Len
FAINT in 1871, and who thereafter an
a competition with a prize
of $500 to be allotted to the winner.
Maj. James Hoban, an Irish architect
of Charleston, s. c., but recently ar.
rived in America, was fortunate
enough to secure the prize, though
some accounts differ as to the fee,
which may have been only a medal
valued at 10 guineas.
However, the plans were adopted
on July II, 1872, and day or SO later
Hoban looked over the site of the
palace" and started work which
so favorably that 1t was
possible to lay the cornerstone three
months later, on October IS, 1892.
A great ceremony was held that
included the presence of President
Continued on Second Page.I