Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, June 19, 1889, Page 1

IR 6 BT PAGE THE OMAHA DAILY BE?) T @: — THE BEE BUILDING. A Magnificent Structure Dedicated to the Art Preservative. PALATIAL AND SUBSTANTIAL. The Largest Fire Proof Newspaper Office in America. A COURT OF RARE BEAUTY. Maesive Monument of Granite, Marble, Brick and Iron. ACRES OF ELEGANT ROOMS., A Masterly Architectural Design, Brilllant in Conception and Per- fect in Execution—Modern Equipments. Eighteen years ago to-day Tne Bre made its ndvent in Omaha. The anniversary of 1ts birth is made the occasion of the formal opening of its new and permanent home. The completion of this grand structure,which has been in process of erection for nearly two years, is o memorable event, not only in the cureer of Tuw Bre, but in the history of Omaha, . The building occupies two full Jots each ©60x132 fect with n frontage of 132 fect on Farnam, the principal business street of Omaha, and 132 feet on Seventeenth street, being a wlat of ground one-fourth of the entire squarc which fronts the Douglas county court house and adjoins immediately the new city ball building now in process of of construction. The project of erccting this structure had long been contemplated by the editor of Tue k It took a tangivle form two years ago this month, when S. S. Beman, the eminent office architeet of Chicago, who has made a national reputation by designing and carrying to completion the great Pullman building of that city, and the superb life in- surance building in Milwaukee, was engaged to prepare the desigo and plans, Excavation was bogun in September, 1887, and work upon the foundations commenced on October 10. The ivstructions given to Mr. Beman these: T'he building was to be 1 and 1mposing, without ginger- bread ornamentation. It was required to be fireproof, with perfect light and ventilation secured through a central court under a glass dome above the building. This building, now about completed, may well take its pluce in the foremost rank of the best business structures of this age of boundless resources, and from its solidity of construction and severity of outline and de- tail and generai massive effect, bids fair to stand as an example for the future. In the designs the architect seems not to have been trammeled by any arbjtrary architectural style, but has adopted the early Italian Ro- manasque forms and spirit with a happy re- sult to the manifold requirements of a mo- dern business building, at once maintaining the simple, massive dignity which character- izes this style, along with the maximum of light 0 essential to a structure designed for office purposes. No expense has been spared to make the building, in pointof convenicnce, strength, fire proof quality, perfect plumb- ing, heating and sanitary features, the best obtainable, The basement, ‘which is entirely above ground, and the first floor are buwilt of a jas- per-like brilliant red granite, from Waupaco, ‘Wis., which in its texture and color is pro- nounced equal to the Scottish granite. s is treated in rock faced ffinish for the ruost part with a strong buttressed effect at cor- ners, with bee-hives carved in the granite pilasters above each corner, Tho eleven pol- ished massive pillars of this mat 1 which adorn the main fronts aro conceded by peo- ple who have traveled abroad to excoi in beauty and variegation of colors any marblo or granite used in the Buropean capitals. The superstructure above is of brown obsedian pressed brick, trimmed with terra coua to correspond in color, and brown _ stone, moulded brick and carved terra cotta embellishments are used with good cffect, To brealk the effect of the long lines of win- dows. the central portion of the Farnam street front is surmounted by an eighth story, extending sixty feet; and above this two smaller turrets rise to a height of 115 feet above the sidewalk. Between the tur- rets a terra cotta panel, in plain Roman let- ters, bears the inscription, *“I'he Bee Build- fng” A frieze of obsidian brick, with tracery hand-carved in graceful lines sur- mounts the completed walls. The six wrrets aro tiled with terra cotta. The substantial exterior appearance of the building is sustained throughout by its g eral construction, ‘The foundation walls laid in Portland cement runge from three to five feet in thickness with asiisting piers eight feet thick. At tue paravet, above the eighth story, they u(nuu tyventy inches in thick- ness, The midn wricl piers above the gran- ite walls are built around iron columns which @ve auxihary strength independent of the walls themselves, The main en*rance is on Farnam street, by & granite arched portal of noble dimensions, flanked on either side by lesser arches, ‘which form the windows of the landings of the marble staircase. On entering the build- g one is at once struck with the beauty and thoroughness of every detail. The grand marble staircase at the main entrance leads to the first or principal story where the counting room of Tuk Bee is located. The beautiful wrought iron screen work of the elevator systom and the handsome electro- bronze stair case surrounding the elevator; the richly tiled halls and marble wainscoting; and, beyond all this, the glimpse through the great arches of the imposing central court, which diffuses light through the central part of the building, all combine to impress the beholder most favorably, A beautiful as well as useful feature, in fact the feature of the building, is this great central court, with its colonades, arcades and highly monumental effect. Every de- tail of ornament has been carefully designed and the ricn ornamentation of the stucco work of arches, caps and columus, produces anexwremely agreeable effect, The interior of this building is rendered so attractive by the court that one is ivclined to linger there and stro'l through its wide and well-ighted corridors, always finding something pleasant to tke eye and iuspiring to the mind. Phie court starts from the ground floor at street level and rises to a height of 120 feet. Iv is covered at the top with a clear plate glass skylight, supported by graceful wroughtiron trusses. From the court at the basdment access is obtained to the sev: ofices have entrance from the strects as well. The court, forty-three feet square, is di- vided on cach side into three bays by pilasters extending to the third floor. The the basement story have simuvle, moulded, classic caps on which lies an entablature comvosed of architrave, frieze and cornice, tre frieze being paneled with circular and diamond shaped pancls, while the cornice is ornamented with a dentil ornament. Tinme- diately on top of this entablature rises an- other pilaster which extonds through the first and second stories, while on the top ot the same appears a semicircular arch around the third story, the whole being crowned by a richly molded modillion cornice, the spand- rels on top of the arches having an interlaced Moorish fretwork. The arches again rest on capitals molded with great delicacy, with French detail ornament. T'he fourth and fifth stories are somewhat plainer, but have very effective lines of molded cornices and sill-courses carried around the court. The upper, or sixth, story has a double row of pilasters, one set being wide and forming a continuation of the main pilasters from below, while the other set forms a mullion between the windows. The pilas- ters in this story have capitals moulded and ornamented in the same feeling as are the lower ones, Over these openings are semi- circuiar arched heads with a label moulding, The label moulding is rich n effect, with a dentil or tooth moulding. ‘The whole court is crowned with a deep fricze and dentil cornice, while in this fricze are some circular openings, Over the court is an won frame of the plate glass grate which, assisted by the cross lights of the different stories, affords sufiicient and ample light. Jo the second and third storics a corridor passes around the court behind the main pilasters. Betweeu the latter are hand- some balconies, outlined with bronze and iron balusters, The bronze balusters are in the second, with a beautiful design of wrought iron scroll work in the third story. Night light is supphed by elcctriciers placed at convenient distances, the effect of which will be to greatly enhance the detail ornament of the plaster work., The court is unique in itself, forming a most pleasing feature of the handsome buld- ing, and giving a cross light to every portion of it, there being no dark corner in any part of the interior, Ventilation has been given a most careful consideration, and although the glass cover- ing has & tendency to promote heat, the in- terior of the court is cool and pleasant, owing to the free current of air created by the large ventilator in the glass roof, and which passes from the top to the bottom of the court, The general architectural feeling of the court is truly French, There are displayed great delicacy of moulding and great refiue- ment of tinish and general execution, Tuere can be no doubt that this court will compare ‘most favorably with any similar pices of work wn this country and that it is a credit, both to the originator and designer, while the work has lost nothing of refilnement in its execu. tion, It is designed 1n the future to further em- bellish the court with an artistic fountain, and while the court now presents the snow- white and chaste color of the stucco work, its general tone will be softened and im- proved by a judicious tinting of the walls in eral ofices i tho basement, but theso | soft warm colors in the near future, when the building and work has become perfectly settled and soned. Krom the court at the bascment floor is a fine, broal flight of marble steps leading to o series of offices fronting west in the 1irst story. All of the halls of the building are laid with the best encaustic tiles, of pleasing color and patterns, and the bases of the hal walls are of marble. The building is finished thioughout in an- tique oalk, highly polished. The hard is unique mn desien and of Bower Balff iron. Crystalized plate glass is used for the doors and transoms opening on the corridors, Allthe window glass through- out the building is the best heavy plate, and all floors are laid with selected narrow yel- low pine, and a large number of ofices have hardwood border of walnut. The plumbing system 1s the bost that mod- ern skillcan make it, particular attention having been given the sanitary aspect of this important branch of the building. All the offices are supplied with running water and Italian marble basi Every floor has its separate toilet rooms for ladies and gentle- men, all well hghted and ventilated, The building 1s heated by steam and light- ed by clectricity, and provided with beanti- ful combination fixtures for either gas or elec- uric light, All the partitions, furring, floors, arches, te., are of fire clay, tiled, and all the structural work, such as girders, floor beams, columns, ete,, are of the heaviest iron, There is not » dark room in the building, every office being perfectly lighted and ventilated, While the construction makes every room, practically a fire proof vault, there are seventy-four separate vaults in various parts of the building. The roof is notonly absolutely water proof, but impregnable to fire from within or with~ out. ‘The steel beams which support it cross cach other transversely, twelve inches apart, In the spaces between these rails are in- serted hollow book tile, three inches and a half in diameter, which in turn are covered with a layer of concrete an inch and a half thick, and five thicknesses of sheet as- phaltum, On top of these half an inch of Portland cement 18 spread, and in this cement are bedded glazed vitrified paving bricks, laid flat, with cement between the joints. The weight of the roof is computed at 875 tons, It resembles a paved roadway and would make a safe drive for a score of loaded drays, Two fast-running passenger elevators, sup- plied with the most wodern avplian for safoty and convenience, are provided, be- sides a large freight elevator at the rear, Surrounding the passenger elevators is a beautiful electro-bronze staircase, and there is an additional stairway in connection with the freight elevator, THE BEE ESTABLISHMENT, Detailed Description of Its New Quar- ters, The sub-basement of the building furnishes ample room for the vast machivery required to run the printing presses, and to furnish heat, light and elevator power for the build- ing. The sub-basement is the full size of the building, 120 feet square within the man walls and extends under the sidewalks on the Seventecuth street side. The space is divided into three parts for the accommodaa~ tion of tho engine, boilor and electric dyna- wo rooms The boiler room adjoins the dynawo roow aud the engwes and ele- N AN LI vator machinery. The boiler room is floored with cement, the engine room with stone til- ing and the electric light department with hard wood. The boiler room is 38 feet wide, 41 feet long with a 19 foot ceiling, affording ample light and ventilation. On the east of tho beiler room and extending under the sidewalks are vaults with a capacity of 100 tons for the storing of coal. The boilers, are three in number, of the Baker & Smith make, each 18 feet in length aud 6) inches in diameter, and have capacity for supplying an engme of 200-horse power, a third more than is needed for the heating, elevator and elec- trie appliances in the entire building. Bach boiler is supplied with a Kirkwood rocking and dumping grate, a convenience in the matter of tending a furnace and an econo- mizer of fuel. The boilers are so arranged that any one or all of them can be used for any purpose. Connected with them are two drums, one high pressure for power pur- poses, and one low pressure for heating, the drums being connected by a T-inch pipe and a Davis automatic pres- sure regulator by which any awmount of sweam from one pound to boiler pressure may be used for the heating system., The exhaust pipes from the engine are connected with the low pressure drum with a back pressure valye which allows the vressure to escape when the exhaust is greater than is required for the heating of the building. Thero are 16,000 square feet of radiation in the buildin%, supplied from this low p-essure drum. The steam heating is accomplished by the one pipe system,with the latest improvements, by which the re- turns are carried direct to a receiving tank, or returned to the tank by a system of traps. From the receiving tank the water is sent by two Worthington duplex boiler feed pumps, direct to the boilers or to the supply tanks in the pent housein the top of the building, The heat for the building 1s taken from the low pressure drum through the building by forty steam risers all with direct connections with the source of supply so that any risercan be shut off without affecting the supply in the other pipes. The power for the heating, printing, and electric lighting is furmshed by two magnifi- cent Corliss engines mavnufactured by the Hoffman & Billings company of Milwaukee. ‘The smaller engine has a 12x36 inch cylinder and is rated av 80-horse power, The drive wheel is 10 feet in dlameter, has a 22 inch face and weighs 11,000 pounds. ‘'his supplies the power for the pressos, stereotyping apparatus, paper wet- ting machine, plate elevator and day dyna- mo. ‘Bhe larger engind has a 10x4i-inch cylinder, and is rated at 150 horse power. The driver is 11 feet in diameter, has a 25. inch face, and weighs 17,000 pounds. This monster machine is used only for the opera- tion of the electric machinery, although the engines are’ 8o arranged that both or either of them can be used for any of the purposes required, A hot water supply tank fur. nishes hot water for all of the plumbing fix- tures throughout the building, The exhaust from this tank is s0 piped that it runs direct or s pumped into a Colles patent feed water beater, 80 inches in diameter and 10 feet in leugth, from which it is sent direct to the boilers, The engine fixtures and properties are of the most approved patterns, The belts are endless and rivetiess and reguluted with the Eclivse Pulley company's iriction cluteh pulley and belt fasteners. The eutire bullding is lighted by incan. descent electric lights furnished by oac of the most complete plants of its size in exis- tence. The power i power each for supplying 600 16-candle power. lamps, and the small one supplies 309 lamps. The larger aynamos run at 800 revolutions per minute, while the small one executes 1,050 revolutions per minute, 'The machines are self-regulating, so that eoy number of lights may be turned off with- out affecting the bLalance. The switchboard, from which the lghts are operated is a model of mechanical inge_ nuity. It is supplied with an ampere mete by which the number of lights in use is reg- istered ; an iudicator for registering the can- dle power of lamps in uso through the build- ing; a balance to make each circuit bear the same power; a potential indicator to register the eandle power of cach lamp and a ground detector to locate ground on any part of the system, Connected with the system isa plug switch, the use of which is to keepa proper voltage on each circuit. The building is wired upand down from a central dis- tributing point on the third floor and is divided into eight main branch circuits. By this arrangement in case of aceident to one part of the circuit, only one-eighth of the number of lamps in the building would ve disturbed. Separate cut outs are also supplied for each room in the building. The building is wired with braided oconite wire, with proper cut outs for all damp places. h dynamo is subplied with a pilot light, hich burns only when the dynamo is run- ning, and they are arranged to run smgly or together. The plant furnishes over fifteen hundred lights for the building, and this number can easily be increased. To the credit of the company puttingfin the plant it may be stated that with all the thousands of feet of wire necessary for supplying the building with lamps, and the various ap- pliances for their protection and regulation, every detail was so carofully observed in the construction of the plant that when the power was turned on everything worked perfectly. Connected with the dy- namo and operated from it is a pony motor uged for running the blower of the pneuma- tic tubes that connect the editorial roows with thie various dej artments of the paper. The machinery used for the operation of the elevator service is on a parin point of completeness with that used for other pur- poses in the building, For the passenger service, two Crane passenger elevators are used, each having & cylinder 80 inches in diameter and 11 feet in length, These are supplied with water from a tauk in the pent house on the top of the puilding. This tank is ten feet wide, six- teen feet long and sixteen feet deep, and is discharged by the operation of the elevator into & tank of similar size in the sub-base- ment from which the water is pumped back to the upper tank by a Worthington com- pound duplex pump and is governed auto: matically by & float in the tank. Onthe north side of the building an immense Crane freight elevator is furnished power by a cylinder thirty-six inches in diameter and wel ve feet in length, and 18 operated in the same manner as the passenger elevators. ‘These elevators are speedy, noiseless and absolutely safe. A one horse power elevator, used to carry the stereotyping plates from the sixth floor to the press rooms in the basement, is a8 Orane’s patent screw elevator and is run by rope Wanswission, Press and Mailing Room. The location of the press room is a new leparture from usage in metropotitan dai | Tustead of setting the presses nader [ne has ULeen customary, a space foct wns set apart on northwest corner of the ground floor divided by a partition, Inone of these rooms the tning presses of Tur Bes are in full fon, while the other room, with access on on the 20-foot al- ley, is used us the mailing room. The ground floor, on which the press roomn is located, rests on 1%inch steel beams, arched with brick and covered with a bed of concrete. This support would have been | ample, but in order to render the vibration incidental to the rotation of presscs harmless to the walls of the buildings, separate walls, resting upon the ground in thesub-basement, and running transversely between the steel beams, up to a level of eight inches above the first fioor, were constructed, Upon these walls the frames of the presses rest und sup- port the entire weight. ‘Tne result is that the presses are comparatively noiseless and run without the least contact with the main walls of the building. With its five windows on one side and three transoms looking dircetly into the court, the press room is as light as the com- posing room, and will require no artificial lighting between day treak and sundown, Another feature of this press room is that there is no overhead shafting or belting. The belts that connect with the main shaft come up from the engine room in the sub-bas Two large vaults, connected directly w the press room, furnish ample facili- ties for tho storage of inks, lubricating 0ils and tools needed in the press room, Direetly in the rear of the press room is a broad passageway leading to the freight and plate elevators—the former, down to the paper storage vaults in the sub-basement; the latter, up to the stercotyping room. The freight elevator also can be utilized for sending up large numbers of plates from the press room whenever they accumulate, Tvo Scott web-perfecting presses are em- ployed. These magnificent machines each have a capacity of 12,000 eight-page and 24, 000 four-page papers per hour, They were built expressly for Tine Bee by C. Potter] r & Co. at their factory at Plainfieid, N, J. These two presses have a capacity of 24,- 000 eight-page or 48,000 four-page papers per hour, printed, folded, pasted and counted, The press room is in charge of Kred Youngs, who commenced his carcer as pressman ot Tue Bez ofiice about teu years 8g0. ‘As has been stated above, the mailing room is practically an annex of the press room, 1t is well lighted by windows on two sides and transoms on a thurd side. “Yhe mailing clerk is in position to throw the pa- pers uponthe wagons inthe alley. A new feature has also been introduced in this de- partment. Ordinarily mailing tables are merely planks nailea to woodon frames. Iu this room the tables are polished marble slabs resting upon frames of wrought iron, The advantage of these1s that the tables are indestructible by fire and their perfect smoothness greatly faciliates the work of wrapping. Besides this, such mailing tables can be cleared of all paste which adheres to wood. Ihe magnitude of the work performed in the mailing-room will be readily appreciated when it is stated that nearly 110,000 copies lnt Tus Bea are stawped and wailed there PAGES 18, 3 MBER 1. every week. This does not include the apers delivered in Omaha, South Omaha, Council Bluffs and Lincoln, nor the papers 80ld at the news stands throughout the city and upon all out-going trains, Every morning 10,000 copies of the paper aro stamped, wrapped and mailed, and on Sunday morning 12,000 copies go through that process. ve Wednesday the weekly edition has to be looked y Which numbers 83,000 to 40,000 papers. On week days about 2,000 copies are oxpressed to the various nowss dealers in this and surrounding states, and 6,000 on Sunday. Mr. Cliss Butler is the foreman of this de- partment and is an expert in the business, a8 are the men under him. ‘They have wrapped as many as 100 Bres in one minute, and one of the boys (Somers) has wrapped 1,000 in an hour, fucluding pasting and changing the wail sacks. The Conunting Room, The ascent of the graud staircase leading to the banking story clevator landing, and a passage through the east corridor ending at the entrance to the counting room is the niethod of ganing access to the business quarters. The counting room doors are of antigue oak, the upper panels of which con- sist of beveled plate glass, swinging under a large plate glass transom. This room and the private ofice south of it occupy the en- tire spuce embraced in tho east side of the banking floor with the exception of about wwenty-five, feet in the rear. 1ts extreme width including the public lovby adjoinicg the counter on the east and reaching to the inner court, is thirty-cight feet. The count- ing room proper, excluding the private room in front, is more than cighty fect in length sa minimum width of twenny-four mum breadth of thirty-eight S ceiling is supperted by four grand pillars, with Tonic capitals, that spring from about the center lineof the room. Five maenificent chandeliors support an artificial light v of thirty incandescent and a like number of while ten auxiliary double light e ont brackets are dis- tributed about the sides of the room. Nine generously dimensioned windows on the Seventeenth street side of the building and ree vast glazed openings on the court, with arge transoms on the north and south admit ylight. The fioor of the counting room of oak ornamentally bordered by trips of black walnut and oak und the wainscot and other finish is of antique oak, A fifty-foo counter runs from the private room on the south to a junction with the east wall, where 1t contracts the widith of the office enough to meet the counter at It is crected on a base of rble, supporting the rnsset Tennessce marble pilusters that are sur- mounted by a quarter round section of mar- ble of the me color as that of the base lying immediately below the marble crown. Between tho pilasters and the upper and lower courses of russet marble which run along the side of the counter arepanels of very d: mottled I entine rble. Above the marble is a very artistically shaped screen worked Bower Balfl iron, and at various intervals in it appear openings for the advertising, subscription and divers other departments. The lobby or public portion of the counting room outside the counter is floored with a mosaic pattern of marble im= ported from Bergamo, Italy, and wainscoted with very dark mottled Florentine marble, touched off at the edges by the russet colored marble. A pnetmatic tube carries copy bes tween the composing room and the ss departwent. Entrance to the of the room n be ecffected an castand west corridor reached by the grand stairy at the north ena of the court, of this rear entrance are two 1ts standing on cach side of a pas- goway leading to a dressing room The e ofiice or directors’ room is 20 feet and fronts on Farnam and Seven. teenth streets. Jtis well lightea, floored with quarter suwed ouk, the extromities of which are ornate in cak and walnut, and fin- ished in antique oak. This room is without doubt one of the handsowest in the city. The Editorial Rooms. Abroud tiled corridor, running cast and west in front of the elevator landing of the seventh floor, leads to the entrance of the cditorial department. The words *Iiditorial Rooms" are painted in large gilded letters upon the glass vanel of the door which opens into the ante-room immediately east of the elevator, This is a spacious chamber supplied with chars, tables, files of the paper and telephone. Through this room every visitor and every member of the edi- torial staff is obliged to puss before cntering any of the rooms set apart for editors and reporters. A door on the eastv opens into the editorial corridor, on either side of which are located the working rooms of the staff. The rooms were designed with special reference to the purposes to which they are now devoted, and, as a conscquence, are well lighted and ventilated and supplied with all the conven~ iences of modern journalism. They are fin= ished 1n antique oak and supplied with furnis ture which harmonizes with the wood work, Turning to the right and crossing the hall, which extends north and south, the visitor enters the suite of the editor in chief. These apartments consist of two rooms, the larger plainly, but tustefully furnished, commands ing u magnificent view on both Farnam and Seventeenth streets of two sides of the city. The smaller is the hbrarv room. To the north is the suite of the managing editor, consisting of a working room, to which a private consultation room adjoins, North of the managing editor's room 18 that of the city editor, This room is con- nected with that of the managing editor, and beyond it is the reporters’ room, where at almost any hour of the day or night some mem- ber of the local ferce may be found at work, Kach reporter 18 provided with an autique oak table provided with gas jet and electro- lier. From this room there isan opening into the composing room by means of which copy may be dropped into the hands of the foreman, both by day and mght. Crossing the hall, is found a spacious room: used by the night editor and telegraph editors, Mhis room is occupied by the day proof readers also, It is jomed on the south by the room of the mews and exchange editors, and between this and the ante-room are other rooms for the editorial writers, The rooms are supplied with gas and elac- tric bulbs for illuminating purposes, and nearly all of them have wmarble lavatories of the most modern d There are no fluer editorial rocms in the worid. The west tier of editorial rooms overlook the magnificent court, The Composing Room, The composing and steraotyping rooms are located on the seventh floor of tue building, They extend over the entire space of 44x128 feet emb gco | in the area between the Bev- enteenth sireet front and the city hall alley. The composiug roow covers an area of 33,916 fect, beiug 44 feet in width and 69 feet in length, with a beight varying from 17 to 19 fect. Il may be reached by asccuding the back stulrway or the rear clevator through &