Evening star., 1948-04-16
Senators Weigh Funds
TO End White House
'Firetrap' Conditions
BY Harold B. Rogers

q warning that the White House
Is a firetrap and so structurally
unsafe 1t should be rebuilt inside
for the safety of the President
and his family.
Spurred by the sensational dis
closure by w. E. Reynolds, COM
missioner of public buildings, a
Senate Appropriations subcommittee
began consideration Of funds to cor
rect the hazard. For plans and
specifications $4,000 was asked.
The White House, Mr.. Reynolds
declared, would not pass the build
ing code Of any city in the country.
Truman Aware Of Conditions.
Press Secretary Charles G.. Ross
commented this morning that Presi-
dent Truman is fully aware of con-
ditions.
A constant watch has been kept
by Secret Service men and White
House police as q measure OF pro-
lection.
Mr.. Reynolds said he "shuddered"
to think what would happen if a
fire broke out among the wooden
timbers, while big crowd Of guests
filled the historic mansion.
He told the subcommittee the
the second floor is so weak that part
of it is holding together purely
from habit" Another section al
ready has been strengthened by
steel rods holding 1t to the third
floor, he said.
recommending that the second
floor should be rebuilt and the en-
tire mansion protected more ade-
quately against the fire hazard, Mr..
Reynolds said the President and his
family would have to vacate the
6lace for at least six months. They
could move to the Government
owned Blair House on Pennsylvania
avenue across the street from the
White House, he said.
One Of the most dangerous places
found in the investigation OF the
second floor, Mr.. Reynolds said, was
In the family living quarters. A
bearing wall" had been removed
many years ago, he said, but made
quate measures were taken to rein
force the second floor.
Mr.. Reynolds appeared before the
Senate Appropriations Subcommit-
tee on deficiencies to ask for $4,000
for preparation of plans and speci-
flcations to do the remodeling job.
II approved, the item would go into
the first Deficiency Appropriations
bill, already passed by the House
and now before the Senate unit.
MIR. Reynolds said there are no
fire escapes and that the third floor
has no safe exits in case Of danger,
so that people trapped there prob
ably would be cut off, unless they
jumped out windows to the top OF
the portico on the South side OF the
building
On the second floor, he said. there
is a possible escape via the new
balcony on the South front. Firemen
could raise ladders to this, he said.
Early in January this year, the
commissioner said, the President be-
came nervous" about the struc-
tural strength of his study on the
second floor. An immediate investi-
CATION was made by experts Of the
Public Buildings Administration,
Mr.. Reynolds said. This study dis
closed that timbers supporting the
floor were "overstressed" to the
point that, when too many people
we're in the room, their weight
sometimes started rhythmic"
motion in the floor which caused
the chandeliers hanging from the
ceiling below to Jingle"
The President was warned to limit
the number of people admitted to
the study at any one time, Mr..
Reynolds said.
In another part of the second
floor, the commissioner said, some
of the greatest weakness was found
This was in the living quarters of
the family, over the state dining
room.
Traces Building History.
Fifteen holes were cut in the floor,
he said, to inspect the supports.
Tracing the history of construction,
he said, it was found that in 1902
when the state dining room was
enlarged and a stairway removed, a
bearing WALL supporting the sec
ond floor had been taken out.
To strengthen the floor. he ex-
planned, steel beams were installed.
But to fit these into the structure,
timbers supporting the second floor
were cut, so that they would fit on
the steel beams From the original
18 inches in width, he explained,
they were cut to about 5 inches in
some places. 1t was discovered
there were some cracks in the
wooden beams" Mr.. Reynolds said.
Emergency action was taken as
pon as possible to strengthen this
part of the floor, the commissioner
explained. Steel rods were installed
running from the second floor to the
third floor. Some of these were hid
den inside the partitions, but others
had to be run through the living
quarters, not far from the inside
walls. The third floor was rebuilt
in 1927.
Recommendations for substantial
reconstruction inside the White
House, Mr.. Reynolds said, grew out
Of the personal request Of President
Truman. A special committee of
three supervised scientific survey
of the mansion and proposed radical
changes in the interest Of safety.
The special committee consisted
of Mr.. Reynolds, the president Of the
American Society of Civil Engineers,
and the president of the American
Society of Architects.
unarinn Nnlauod for Wank