Moving and Raising the Columns

The columns arrived in New York aboard the barge towed by the ocean tug Clara Clarita. The short but complicated trip overland to the cathedral began. The tug made eight trips from the quarry at Vinalhaven in Penobscot Bay, Maine to the 135th street pier on the Hudson River. It was first intended to roll the columns onto a special truck and haul them using some 30 horses. It was later decided to haul the columns by means of a hoisting engine. The entire operation of moving and raising the columns is chronicled here.

The general contractor constructed the special wagon. The wheels are built-up of seven thicknesses of 3 inch oak plank. The steel axle bears directly on the ends of the wood fibers. Thus assuming an even distribution of weight of a 90 ton column, there should be a unit pressure of nearly 2,000 lbs. per sq. inch on the ends of the oak fibers. The wheels proved sufficiently strong. The weight of the truck without a load was about 8 tons.

The Hoisting Engine and Traction Engine

A hoisting engine pulls the wagon ahead by means of 3/4 inch wire cable reeved through two triple blocks. The wagon is hauled ahead about 90 ft. then a tail rope from the second drum of the engine is used to pull the movable triple block back 90 feet. There are two 100 ft. lengths 1 3/4 inch wire cable which can be coupled together so that the wagon can be moved ahead 270 ft. at one setting of the hoisting engine.

One of the lengths of 1 3/4 in. cable is unhooked and moved to one side after moving the first 90 ft. The movable triple-block is hooked on to the second length of cable. This in turn is thrown to one side when the wagon has been drawn ahead 90 ft. more. Finally the movable triple-block is hooked direct to the tongue of the wagon advancing the last 90 ft.

From Dock to Cathedral Completed

Most noteworthy, it was necessary to anchor the hoisting engine every 270 ft. of forward movement. as a result there were 26 separate operations along the way. Therefore it t00k about six days to make the trip with the load and to unload the column. In contrast it takes two hours for the empty wagon to return to the dock. In three or four hours the wagon has received a new column.

Certainly the number of men and equipment had an impact on the time frame. The crew consisted of four laborers, one engine man and one foreman. The equipment consisted of a 40-HP, Buffalo-Pitts traction engine and a 7.5 x 10 inch double-cylinder hoisting engine. They are fed with steam from the traction engine.

Raising the Columns

After the moving of the columns, the raising was ready to take place. The gallows frame used in raising the columns consists simply of two legs or masts 96 ft. long. It is furthermore well guyed from the top, and tackle blocks give 24 “parts” to the hoisting cable. The cable is 3/4-in. wire rope. This cable is reeved through the blocks and its two free ends pass to the drums of two hoisting engines. The longer column section weighs 90,000 lbs. As a result each leg of the gallows frame has to support this weight plus the weight of the guy lines. The timber is Washington fir. From Seattle it shipped overland; the diameter was approximately 24″.

The Raising Sequence and Rigging

Fig. 1 shows the method of securing the necessary hold on the column. There was a 3 in. projecting ledge of rough granite left at the upper end of the column. A yoke consisting of 14 in. x 14 in. timbers securely bolted together at this end is provided with two large U-bolts. Short loops of wire cable fastened the yoke to three single blocks. Additionally, a lewis positioned in the center of the end of the column attaches to a single block.

Fig. 2 shows a runway of heavy timbers upon which the column rests before the lifting begins. The lower end of the column is provided with two large iron dowel pins which rest upon a rough carriage. A runway of rollers carries the carriage and column. By wrapping a rope around the lower end of the column it prevents it moving by jerks. As a result a hand winch controls the free end of the rope.

Fig. 3 shows the column in position to be lowered to its base. Workers remove the yokes and using plugs and feathers remove the rough top of the column. Finally they dress the area to receive the upper section of the column.

Similarly the process (shown below) to raise the upper section and seat it on top of the lower section is repeated. Jones Bros. of Boston, Mass. had the subcontract for delivering and erecting the granite columns. The work of moving and raising the columns was under the direction of Superintendent Willis F. Howland.

It took over five years from the first order to the quarry, to the moving and raising of all the columns.

• Engineering News, Vol. 50, No. 23, December 3, 1903
• Engineering News, Vol 51, No. 9, September 1, 1904