The Bismarck tribune., 1934-09-29

tricity for the motors, the water
cooling machine, two big water
tanks, which provide pressure
throughout the building, and a part
of the heat control system.
Heat Control Is Marvel
The latter is one of the marvels of
the building. The engineer, sitting
in his office in the basement, can
tell the approximate temperature of
each room in the building by glanc-
ing at panel devised for that pur-
pose. This is connected by electric
ity with master thermostat, six
feet high, located on the roof, and
with eight other zone thermostats,
four on the 18th floor and four in
the legislative wing.
The roof thermostat gives the out
side temperature and is the master
control. AS the temperature re-
corded by it drops, electrical contacts
are made with the valves on the 10th
floor and more steam is permitted to
flow into the heating system. If, as
sometimes happens because of the
wind direction, one part of the
building becomes cold, the 18th floor
thermostat controlling that zone
automatically signals to the mech
anical sentinel in the basement and
the valves in that zone are opened
up until the desired temperature is
reached.
The amazing thing about it is
that it is all automatic. The en-
gineer can, If he wishes, make ad-
justments from the central control
station by hand, but he doesn't need
to. The electrical impulses take
care of that.
The steam, which goes first to the
room under the roof and then comes
downward to the radiators, is gen.
Grated by three boilers in the base
ment. They are operated by me-
chanical stokers and burn Ignite
coal. This arrangement is OF the
latest and most efficient design, all
coal being weighed before it is
brought to the boilers. On an aver
age cold day at this season between
five and six tons are burned. On
cold winter day it is estimated
about 20 tons will be required.
Basement 36 Feet Deep
The boilers are set in the deepest
part Of the basement, 36 feet below
the ground level, and are surround
ed by the maze of pumps and other
equipment. There are. for example,
two pumps which send the water to
tanks on the Goth floor, a pump to
lift some of the sewage up to the
level Of the city sewer system, and
the fire pressure pumps, along with
the necessary motors.
Electrical current is brought into
the building by an underground con-
duit, as are telephone wires. The
power lines run first into a trans
former vault, located under the en-
trance plaza, and thence into
switchboard In the basement. From
here, power and lighting current may
be turned on or off in any part Of
the building. A notable section of
this switchboard Is an emergency
panel in its center This can be
made to supply power, via separate
wires, to the elevator motors and
to light the elevator lobbies and the
exit lights.
An interesting gadget is one which
can be used to control the flood
lights, located on the 18th floor, so
as to light the top of the building.
1t can be set to turn these lights on
and off at any given time on any
day during the year and can be ad-
justed to turn them on at dusk and
off at daylight throughout the year.
Once it is set, it needs no further
attention. The flood lights are used
very little now as matter of econ
omy.
Plenty Of Storage Vaults
In the basement also are located
the storage vaults for the various
state departments, all fireproof with
metal doors. Here, also is the
master clock which keeps all clocks
throughout the building exactly on
time by means of electrical connec-
tions, together with rooms for the
custodian, the janitors and the scrub
women. One large room, which it
had been intended to use for another
purpose, serves as carpenter shop
Housed here, too, Is the mechan-
ical ventilating apparatus for the
first three floors and the restaur-
ant. These provide filtered al, for
those parts Of the structure but nc
means of humidifying it. Consider
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