t44^





:^r-





RECORD   AND   GUIDB





: September 15, 1906





$1,275,400. Plans filed for new buildings, frame, 116; estimated
■,cpst, $739,610. Plans filed for alterations, 46; estimated coat,
"■$128,130.,                                                                               - .         ■.

We note M. G. Broadbent, 258 West 29th st, among the palnt-
■■Wig-tftid  decorating contractors  who   have  a  number "'of-lar^e
;Contract3  on  upper Broadway.     Although  but  twelv-e  years  es¬
tablished in business in this city,  Mr.  Eroadbent  has won  suc¬
cess in all undertakings by bis determination to execute nothing
hut creditable work and employing the best materials and labor
He  has  decorated   many   fashionable   residences   and   prominent
buildings in Edinburgh (Scotland) and London (England), where
he was in business for a, number of years before coming to this
^country.     To   this   experience   and   to   the   more   exclusive   work
' accomplished  here,   we  credit him   to  know   "what  is   what"   in
-the painting and  decorating   trade.     He recently completed the
'entire decorations in the Broadway Tabernacle,  Gould's stables,
56th   st   and   Lexington   av,   the   Nui-sery   and   Child's   Hospital,
Slst st   and   Lexington   av,   besides   a   number   of   private   resi¬
dences.    Mr. Broadbent has over fifty men in his employ at the
present time,  and if tbe same rate of increase in business con¬
tinues he claims it will necessitate an increase in the force.   The
past season has been a record breaker for him.





Callapse of a Concrete Building.

"STA,TEMENT   FROM   GEORGE    A.   VARNEY   &    CO.,    THE

CONTRACTORS.
. Two men were killed and several injured owing to the col¬
lapse of a portion of the walls of a concrete garage being built
;fbr-'Robert A. Greaves, millionaire, on Searing av, near Willi-s
av,' iri Mine'ola, L. I„ on Monday morning of this week.
- The garage was being built between two bungalows and the
entire property occupied a space of 157 ft. by 07 ft. The work
'of building the gi:-age was started a short time ago by Georgt
A. Varney & Co., of I'SG Stb av, Manhattan. John Bader was
.placed in charge of the work as superintendent. It was Mr.
_Greaves' intention to comfortably accommodate his friends who
went to Long Island to see the auto race on Oct. G, and in
view of this he decided to erect the garage in which the
auLom_obiles could be placed.    The estimated cost was $G0,O00.

The garage w^as to be two stories high and to be built of con¬
crete. At times ihere were nearly three hundred men engaged
in tbe work, and Monday morning when the accident occurred
-about fifteen were busy at the east wing. The wall collapsed
-without  tbe slightest warning.

Charles Hannigan, the contractor for the brick work, the
cliimni^-ys, etc., was at work with his men on the chimney on
-the west wing. He heard the crash, and looking ahead, saw a
mass of men, timbers and other material flying through Uie air,
and tben the entire oast wing of the building disappear. Other
.parts of the building trembled, and Hannigan and his men
descended from their lofty perch as quickly as their legs could
£arry them.                   •

George .4. Varney & Co. made the following statement for the
.Kccord and Guide:

, ."At., the, commencement of this work -^i-e had arranged wilh
the architect to give the owner $500 for the ui>e of the sand and
gravel obtained in excavating for ths purpose of using same
for the concrete ingredients.

"Our visiting superintendent, Mr. John A. Bader. when he
"arrived on the ground found that at least GG% of tbe material
could not be used, as it contained about 20% of loam. The
material was consequently removed to one side and much of
it used finally in grading and filling. He then visited the gra\-el
banks of Andrews Brothers, near Roslyn, in company with Mr.
'Varney, and after a careful examination of the gravel and
^sand, decided it was not fit to use on account of containing a
jSmall portion of loam. He then visited the sand banks on the
premises of Mr. Albertson, wbich were also rejected.
'. ."About this time we received a letter from the Glenn Engi¬
neering & Construction Co. offering us sand and gravel at
45 cents per load from their excavations on the Mineola Court
House, which they had used in making successful concrete
foundation walls. As_Mr. Bader had_already visited the _site
of this building and looked over the sand, he did not consider
lit of~ the quality desired. He then had Mr. "Albertson submit
isevei-al loadc of sand ■which were "carted from a pit near East
"Williston, and which appeared, to the ey.e._ to_ be_of . a very
superior quality as far as the grit and forniation of the in¬
gredients were concerned, although the sand seemed to have
.a slightly blackish appearance, as though there was a certain
amouni of iron m its composition. Mr. Bader bad the con-
"creJ-e foreman, Mr. Wansor. take his men ahd mix a test of
'this, which was put in a kitchen hearth, making a large slab
.at least 5 ft. square and nearly 3 ins. thick. ' This slab was
put.in place a short while before noon, and before night was
firm enough to. walk upon. The next morning it seemed lo
be aa hard as stone, and Mr. Bader considered this a very
satisfactori: test and imstructed Mr. Albertson to continue
hauling the sand at a price of SO cents per yard, or $1.20 per
load.    Two days later Mr.   Bader had another.test  made, using





McKIM, MEAD
6    WHITE





The Work of this Famous Firm
Described and  Illustrated in the

SEPTEMBER

NUMBEK      OF

Arrl?ttHtural tonrxt

Sljp National Arrljitpdural fHatitttly

Order of any Newsdealer or al
Mand    16 Vesey   Street

Twerity=five  Cents





^ff^^r^ Twelve years ago a special number of the Archi-
^^"^ tectural Record was devoted to a consideration
of the work of McKim, Mead & White at that date.
Although the magazine was published at 25 cenb, copies
subsequently commanded a premium of $10.





it in the dining-room fireplace hearth, wbich also set up very
liard and satisfactorily.

"Mr. Albertson called at the works and said that the price
of Ifl.20 per load did not pay him to cart the gravel any longer,
upon which, after carefully considering the difference ben^-een
the I>enton building sand and the sand we wei-e receiving, Mr.
Bader agreed to pay him $1.50 per load for all further sand
carted from the same pit—this in spite of the fact that the
sand from the Denton building could be procured at this time
for 33 cents per load, which with the carting brought the cost
of same delivered at SO cents a load, or about 53 cents a yard.

"Mr. Albertson finally discontinued carting smd without
any explanation. Mr. Bader called upon him to eee why he
did this, and was told that he had a lot of coal to cart, wbich
paid him better, but as soon as the coal was carted he would
continue hauling sand if we desired. In the meantime, Mr.
Campbell, our stucco contractor, who had been doing a lot of
cement work on the Denton building, had carted some uf the
Denton sand to our premises for the purpose of doing h's stucco
work. His use of the same showed Mr. Bader that the sand
made a very good concrete mortar, and he thereupon hired Mr.
Ryan's teams from Roslyn to cart sand from the Denton
building.

"From the above it is very evident that our superintendent
did not attack the sand proposition in any careless or negligent
manner; that it -was very evident all through this operation
there was a determined effort to obtain the very best sand and
gravel regardless of comparative cost.

"The concrete used in the portion of the wall which fell was
made of the sand furnished by Mr. Albertson, although higlier
priced. In every detail of the building only the very best build¬
ing materials procurable were used, which can be verified by
the architect.

"Regarding the mixture itself, there was a hopper built to
discharge the mixture directly into a steam mixer, of the most
approved make, and was superintended by a highly paid man,
whose only duty was to watch the mixer and see that it was
properly handled.                      .    ___

"Each five or six feet of the height, of the wall after being
cast was allo\\"ed to stand until it was found to be of sufficient
strength in the judgment of the superintendent, tbe stucco con¬
tractor, the genera! foreman of th^.wv"Orks and the carpenter
foreman of tbe works to warrant a continuance of further con¬
creting.

"The fact that our superintendent and others had perfect con-