The project continued like clockwork. Floor after floor was completed without a hitch. That was the strange part. Most construction projects were (and are) contentious. Change orders are requested and then denied. The project slows down at each of these change order stumbling blocks and then it has to accelerate to get back on schedule. But not this project. Every change order request was approved immediately and the project never faltered.
After a couple of months, I learned why this project was so different. I overheard a couple of conversations and put two and two together. All of the costs for this project would be submitted to the Public Utilities Commission in a request for a rate increase. That rate increase would more than pay for any costs incurred in building the new switching station. The costs were going to become evidence that Pacific Telephone was diligent in their efforts to be a responsible utility and to constantly look for ways to better serve their customers. So, the more this project cost…the better! And everyone was in on the game. Except for the PUC, of course. (Who knows? Maybe they were as well.)
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
Moving
It wasn’t long before we were ready to move up to the second floor and so I called the scaffold company and told them to build another set of rolling scaffolds on that floor, just like the ones on the first floor. We were leaving the ones on the first floor until the tapers finished their work.
But, before we moved, I had to come up with an idea as to how I would finish the inside of the Vertical Cable Room. “Room” was probably not the best word to use, as it was actually a shaft that ran for 300 feet horizontally against the outside wall and was only 3 feet wide, though 28 feet tall on each floor. Framing this shaft was easy, as it could be done from outside the shaft space. But getting a crew up to the 20 foot height while inside the shaft was going to be difficult. We came up with the idea of rolling a scaffold alongside the wall and then using outriggers and a plank that extended through the studs and into the shaft. Being very careful, we started installing the drywall at the top and worked our way down, 4 feet at a time. It was slow but it worked perfectly.
We began our work on the second floor and I quickly discovered a new problem, “burnout”. The second floor looked exactly like the first floor; those crew members that had worked so hard to fireproof those first beams were now faced with doing the same repetitive, boring work again. Nothing had changed. Where was the challenge?
I should add that the construction industry attracts personality types that love change! A steady job holds little appeal. Oh, they like a steady paycheck; they just want to work at lot of different of places to earn it. I’ve had people quit because they felt like they had been on a job far too long; 3 months. I certainly understood it. I’m one of those “types” as well.
To stop production loss, I had to start rotating the crew; those working on the scaffolds would come down and work on the walls for a week and vice versa. And I had to ask our superintendent to start rotating crews from other projects as well. That worked and production rose again.
But, before we moved, I had to come up with an idea as to how I would finish the inside of the Vertical Cable Room. “Room” was probably not the best word to use, as it was actually a shaft that ran for 300 feet horizontally against the outside wall and was only 3 feet wide, though 28 feet tall on each floor. Framing this shaft was easy, as it could be done from outside the shaft space. But getting a crew up to the 20 foot height while inside the shaft was going to be difficult. We came up with the idea of rolling a scaffold alongside the wall and then using outriggers and a plank that extended through the studs and into the shaft. Being very careful, we started installing the drywall at the top and worked our way down, 4 feet at a time. It was slow but it worked perfectly.
We began our work on the second floor and I quickly discovered a new problem, “burnout”. The second floor looked exactly like the first floor; those crew members that had worked so hard to fireproof those first beams were now faced with doing the same repetitive, boring work again. Nothing had changed. Where was the challenge?
I should add that the construction industry attracts personality types that love change! A steady job holds little appeal. Oh, they like a steady paycheck; they just want to work at lot of different of places to earn it. I’ve had people quit because they felt like they had been on a job far too long; 3 months. I certainly understood it. I’m one of those “types” as well.
To stop production loss, I had to start rotating the crew; those working on the scaffolds would come down and work on the walls for a week and vice versa. And I had to ask our superintendent to start rotating crews from other projects as well. That worked and production rose again.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Getting Up in the World
After about 3 months, the first of the steel frame made its appearance above ground and we were able to start in a small way. But before we started, I was told that the contract we had signed was for “Time and Material”. The general contractor would pay for all costs, plus our profit. And that special arrangement had been made with a scaffold contractor to supply us with any scaffold we desired, all for one price.
At the time we started, the general contractor had a workforce of over 200 men, 134 carpenters and the rest were laborers; the most carpenters I had ever seen on one job. And although we started with a small crew, maybe half a dozen men; the GC told me that he was going to “give me” two laborers and that I could have them do anything I needed. Not to worry…they would remain on his payroll. He indicated that having a clean worksite was more important than a few dollars for labor and he was glad to spend it! To top off his generosity, he gave me the keys to a forklift and said it was mine to use. He had rented it for the duration of the job anyway and it was just sitting there. Better that I should use it than for it to get rusty.
We started our work in the lower levels, building fireproof cable runs, while the iron workers kept adding to the height of the building. My two laborers were there every day, brooms in hand, just waiting for one of us to drop a piece of scrap metal or drywall. And they were diligent. At the end of the day there was no evidence of our having been there except for the completed work.
After a couple of weeks, the second floor was decked over and the concrete was poured. A special Robertson decking was being used that allowed for cable runs beneath the floors and these required a great deal of fireproofing. Our plan was to use rolling scaffolds, linked together in groups of four and in enough quantity to do half of the floor space at one time. And since the working height was over 20’, these scaffolds were huge. It would take about 8 men, including the two laborers, to move them about the floor.
Now I had a use for “my” forklift! I would take full units of framing material and lift them to the top of the scaffold. And do the same with the drywall when we were ready to install it.
My crew increased till I had about 36 men working on top of the scaffolds. My job was to drive the forklift and supply them with material. That way I could monitor progress quite easily. And since I was right there, I could answer any questions that the crew had concerning what kind of fireproofing was needed for their portion of the work that day. Of course I couldn’t help but organize some competition and pretty soon the scaffold teams had names and were doing their best to outdo one another.
At the time we started, the general contractor had a workforce of over 200 men, 134 carpenters and the rest were laborers; the most carpenters I had ever seen on one job. And although we started with a small crew, maybe half a dozen men; the GC told me that he was going to “give me” two laborers and that I could have them do anything I needed. Not to worry…they would remain on his payroll. He indicated that having a clean worksite was more important than a few dollars for labor and he was glad to spend it! To top off his generosity, he gave me the keys to a forklift and said it was mine to use. He had rented it for the duration of the job anyway and it was just sitting there. Better that I should use it than for it to get rusty.
We started our work in the lower levels, building fireproof cable runs, while the iron workers kept adding to the height of the building. My two laborers were there every day, brooms in hand, just waiting for one of us to drop a piece of scrap metal or drywall. And they were diligent. At the end of the day there was no evidence of our having been there except for the completed work.
After a couple of weeks, the second floor was decked over and the concrete was poured. A special Robertson decking was being used that allowed for cable runs beneath the floors and these required a great deal of fireproofing. Our plan was to use rolling scaffolds, linked together in groups of four and in enough quantity to do half of the floor space at one time. And since the working height was over 20’, these scaffolds were huge. It would take about 8 men, including the two laborers, to move them about the floor.
Now I had a use for “my” forklift! I would take full units of framing material and lift them to the top of the scaffold. And do the same with the drywall when we were ready to install it.
My crew increased till I had about 36 men working on top of the scaffolds. My job was to drive the forklift and supply them with material. That way I could monitor progress quite easily. And since I was right there, I could answer any questions that the crew had concerning what kind of fireproofing was needed for their portion of the work that day. Of course I couldn’t help but organize some competition and pretty soon the scaffold teams had names and were doing their best to outdo one another.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Flash!
Probably not in calendar order…but after receiving my utility bill, I remembered this project.
It was in the mid 1970’s and I had just taken a foreman’s job with R&B Plastering. I knew their superintendent from a previous job and he had called me one night, offering me a $1 over foreman’s scale and a large bonus if I would take on a project that they had just secured. Sure! I liked the money and I was told that the project would last close to a year.
I was told to meet with the owner of R&B at the jobsite and that he would tell me more about it. Bob LaVerne was his name and “flash” was his style. He drove a bright red Cadillac El Dorado convertible, dressed in flashy leisure suits and had long and wavy silver hair. Even his teeth were flashy…all perfectly white and dazzling! (He was also the Commodore of the Long Beach Yacht Club…another story.)
We introduced each other and then took a look at the project. It was a switching station for Pacific Telephone, in Long Beach. It was going to be a concrete and steel building with 3 floors underground and 4 above ground. When we met, we were standing on the edge of a large excavation, probably 60 feet deep. Far below us there were hundreds of carpenters and huge piles of timber shoring, formply and 2x4’s. And this was when I first got a hint that it was going to be a “different” kind of job. An assistant superintendent for the general contractor interrupted our meeting with the project manager, to ask if he should order a forklift to be lowered into the hole so that the carpenters could more easily move all of the stacks of wood? No. The project manager told him to call the union hall and order more carpenters instead. Order 24 more. Whoa! That was different…and where were they all going to stand? The excavation looked like it was already filled with more people than it should have to be safe.
OK, it was obvious that the project wasn’t going to ready for drywall for quite awhile. The project would have to be above ground level before we could start and even then it would be slow going as our job was to provide fireproofing for all of the steel by wrapping it in 3 and 4 layers of drywall; a uniquely expensive method of fireproofing. I was told that the phone company had selected this method because it didn’t create as much dust as other fireproofing schemes.
Bob LaVerne also told me that the estimate called for over a million square feet of drywall…a number that staggered my imagination at the time. Especially when it was only on 4 floors of this building. Quick figuring; a journeyman could install about 900 square feet of drywall a day. That was over 1100 man-days just in drywall work, not including all of the framing, taping and general labor. Perhaps 4,000 man-days all together? (More later…)
It was in the mid 1970’s and I had just taken a foreman’s job with R&B Plastering. I knew their superintendent from a previous job and he had called me one night, offering me a $1 over foreman’s scale and a large bonus if I would take on a project that they had just secured. Sure! I liked the money and I was told that the project would last close to a year.
I was told to meet with the owner of R&B at the jobsite and that he would tell me more about it. Bob LaVerne was his name and “flash” was his style. He drove a bright red Cadillac El Dorado convertible, dressed in flashy leisure suits and had long and wavy silver hair. Even his teeth were flashy…all perfectly white and dazzling! (He was also the Commodore of the Long Beach Yacht Club…another story.)
We introduced each other and then took a look at the project. It was a switching station for Pacific Telephone, in Long Beach. It was going to be a concrete and steel building with 3 floors underground and 4 above ground. When we met, we were standing on the edge of a large excavation, probably 60 feet deep. Far below us there were hundreds of carpenters and huge piles of timber shoring, formply and 2x4’s. And this was when I first got a hint that it was going to be a “different” kind of job. An assistant superintendent for the general contractor interrupted our meeting with the project manager, to ask if he should order a forklift to be lowered into the hole so that the carpenters could more easily move all of the stacks of wood? No. The project manager told him to call the union hall and order more carpenters instead. Order 24 more. Whoa! That was different…and where were they all going to stand? The excavation looked like it was already filled with more people than it should have to be safe.
OK, it was obvious that the project wasn’t going to ready for drywall for quite awhile. The project would have to be above ground level before we could start and even then it would be slow going as our job was to provide fireproofing for all of the steel by wrapping it in 3 and 4 layers of drywall; a uniquely expensive method of fireproofing. I was told that the phone company had selected this method because it didn’t create as much dust as other fireproofing schemes.
Bob LaVerne also told me that the estimate called for over a million square feet of drywall…a number that staggered my imagination at the time. Especially when it was only on 4 floors of this building. Quick figuring; a journeyman could install about 900 square feet of drywall a day. That was over 1100 man-days just in drywall work, not including all of the framing, taping and general labor. Perhaps 4,000 man-days all together? (More later…)
Friday, July 21, 2006
Legal?
I suppose I could say something here about immigrants, legal and otherwise. They do have a place in the story of my life.
In the late 1960’s, we had a large project to do in Waterbury, Connecticut and we were having a terrible time finding competent help…then someone suggested that we explore the idea of hiring some French Canadians. We did and they were great workers! Yes, they were union members as well, but the other carpenters wouldn’t have anything to do with them. At lunchtime, we would sit on a stack of drywall with our Canuck crew, while the rest of the crew ate elsewhere…with their backs to us.
In the early to mid 1970’s, we saw a lot of immigrants coming into the drywall trade. Argentine immigrants with a few Uruguayans thrown in. And by 1973 I had a framing crew that was 80% Argentinean. Why? Because they worked the hardest and they were smart! I had no idea as to whether or not they were legal. It simply didn’t occur to me to care. They happened to be my friends and my fellow workers. Sure, I was the foreman, but that didn’t mean that I wasn’t their friend as well. I remember that most of them were 7th Day Adventists and the only problem I had with that was the fact that they couldn’t work overtime on Friday nights. They had interesting surnames, Müller, Buchhammer…Germanic names and quite common in Argentina. And most were college graduates, but without the US credentials to get them jobs in their normal professions. Francisco Müller, a good and dear friend, was a Mechanical engineer in Uruguay. In Los Angeles he was a drywaller.
In the late 1970’s, it changed again as the immigrants were now coming from Mexico and they were desperate for work. The contractors obliged by lowering the piece work rate until the union workers left. Then it was a race to the bottom as the contractors tried to see how cheaply they could hire the labor. In the tracts it was common to come to work in the morning and find “Claim sheets” nailed up in every house in the tract. Claim sheets used to be used to secure a house for yourself when you knew you were about to finish one house and needed to start another in the middle of the next day. You would find a house and nail up one sheet on the wall with your name on it. Now, every house had a claim sheet overnight.
Most of the pieceworkers just moved on to hourly work and without much regret. Piecework wasn’t the most desirable work and if someone else wanted to fight with the contractors over money…more power to them. Legal? Illegal? In the construction trades you were only known and respected by your skills. As it should be.
In the late 1960’s, we had a large project to do in Waterbury, Connecticut and we were having a terrible time finding competent help…then someone suggested that we explore the idea of hiring some French Canadians. We did and they were great workers! Yes, they were union members as well, but the other carpenters wouldn’t have anything to do with them. At lunchtime, we would sit on a stack of drywall with our Canuck crew, while the rest of the crew ate elsewhere…with their backs to us.
In the early to mid 1970’s, we saw a lot of immigrants coming into the drywall trade. Argentine immigrants with a few Uruguayans thrown in. And by 1973 I had a framing crew that was 80% Argentinean. Why? Because they worked the hardest and they were smart! I had no idea as to whether or not they were legal. It simply didn’t occur to me to care. They happened to be my friends and my fellow workers. Sure, I was the foreman, but that didn’t mean that I wasn’t their friend as well. I remember that most of them were 7th Day Adventists and the only problem I had with that was the fact that they couldn’t work overtime on Friday nights. They had interesting surnames, Müller, Buchhammer…Germanic names and quite common in Argentina. And most were college graduates, but without the US credentials to get them jobs in their normal professions. Francisco Müller, a good and dear friend, was a Mechanical engineer in Uruguay. In Los Angeles he was a drywaller.
In the late 1970’s, it changed again as the immigrants were now coming from Mexico and they were desperate for work. The contractors obliged by lowering the piece work rate until the union workers left. Then it was a race to the bottom as the contractors tried to see how cheaply they could hire the labor. In the tracts it was common to come to work in the morning and find “Claim sheets” nailed up in every house in the tract. Claim sheets used to be used to secure a house for yourself when you knew you were about to finish one house and needed to start another in the middle of the next day. You would find a house and nail up one sheet on the wall with your name on it. Now, every house had a claim sheet overnight.
Most of the pieceworkers just moved on to hourly work and without much regret. Piecework wasn’t the most desirable work and if someone else wanted to fight with the contractors over money…more power to them. Legal? Illegal? In the construction trades you were only known and respected by your skills. As it should be.
And then we're through...
One last story from the May Company remodel...One day as we were working in the Women's Shoe department, we had a chance to see a master thief at work. We were set up to work on a low scaffold at the back of the department. From our vantage point, about 6' off of the ground, we could see the entire department. Suddenly, Dick Celmer, my partner, nudges me and whispers..."Hey, look at the lady in the raincoat over there." We both watched as she talked to a salesclerk, while at the same time she was dropping boxes of shoes into her bag. She kept the clerks attention elsewhere while her hands were flying along the shelf. She and the clerk were almost shoulder to shoulder, but the clerk was only looking where the thief wanted her to. It was amazing to watch! Then she spotted us...and she quickly broke off her conversation and headed for the escalators. We jumped off of the scaffold and tried to follow but it was useless.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Another Day Downtown
On another hard day of work at the May Co. remodel, we were asked to remove an existing wall and prepare the area in the Gift department for remodeling. That seemed simple enough and so we went down to the Hardware department and “borrowed” some hammers to use in our task; they were almost large enough to qualify as sledge hammers.
We then attacked the designated wall. Old plaster and dust flew. As the wall came down, we were expecting to see the outer wall of the building; that was what the plans told us to expect, but what we saw was another plaster wall and a door. Surprise!
After clearing away some of the debris, the May Co. representative was called and while we waited for his arrival, we decided to open the door and see what was there. The door had a frosted glass pane in it and it was obvious that some sort of light could be seen behind it. The door had been nailed closed before it had been covered over so it took some effort for us to open it.
Once opened, we saw the light source; this was an old exit stairway and there were windows to the outside in it. These stairs hadn’t been used in many years and somewhere in the stairway, a window must have been open or broken, because city pigeons had obviously been living in it…for a very long time! On the stairs there was a mountain of pigeon poop that followed the trail of the sprinkler line above. The pigeons had been roosting and nesting here in comfort for who knows how long.
Avoiding the obvious, we explored a little bit of the stairs and found the broken window on the floor above us. And we discovered that at each landing and above each door there were old-fashioned gas lamp fixtures. There was no trace of electrical power, so this stairway had to have been abandoned quite early in the history of the building.
After the May Co. representative arrived, he determined that a crew of cleaning people should tackle the mess and the pigeons were to be chased out permanently. Then we were to seal up the stairway once more.
Plans were then revised and eventually we built a new wall in the Gift department. Now I have to wonder if that hidden stairway still exists, or did some future remodeling expose it to scrutiny again?
We then attacked the designated wall. Old plaster and dust flew. As the wall came down, we were expecting to see the outer wall of the building; that was what the plans told us to expect, but what we saw was another plaster wall and a door. Surprise!
After clearing away some of the debris, the May Co. representative was called and while we waited for his arrival, we decided to open the door and see what was there. The door had a frosted glass pane in it and it was obvious that some sort of light could be seen behind it. The door had been nailed closed before it had been covered over so it took some effort for us to open it.
Once opened, we saw the light source; this was an old exit stairway and there were windows to the outside in it. These stairs hadn’t been used in many years and somewhere in the stairway, a window must have been open or broken, because city pigeons had obviously been living in it…for a very long time! On the stairs there was a mountain of pigeon poop that followed the trail of the sprinkler line above. The pigeons had been roosting and nesting here in comfort for who knows how long.
Avoiding the obvious, we explored a little bit of the stairs and found the broken window on the floor above us. And we discovered that at each landing and above each door there were old-fashioned gas lamp fixtures. There was no trace of electrical power, so this stairway had to have been abandoned quite early in the history of the building.
After the May Co. representative arrived, he determined that a crew of cleaning people should tackle the mess and the pigeons were to be chased out permanently. Then we were to seal up the stairway once more.
Plans were then revised and eventually we built a new wall in the Gift department. Now I have to wonder if that hidden stairway still exists, or did some future remodeling expose it to scrutiny again?
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Hard Work! Or Hardly Working?
The remodel of the May Company store was an altogether unique project. Our boss had secured the contract for the work on a “time and material” basis. This was great for us…and bad for the accountants at the May Company.
A typical day began this way; we would arrive at the downtown store about 6:45 and after knocking on the entry door, a security guard would let us in and we would make our way up the silent escalators to the 4th floor where our gang box was located, right behind the China department. Here we would make coffee in a nice coffee maker (From Housewares), using only the best coffee. (From the Gourmet department) Coffee was always served in the finest china cups! We would even use the saucers… After coffee, we would browse the Hardware department for any tools or supplies we might need for the day ahead.
Odd, but the May Company encouraged us to use any of their products. But…nothing was to be taken from the store. Stealing was forbidden.
Officially, we began our day at 7 AM. Well, let’s say that our pay began at 7. We didn’t actually go to work until 8 because that was when the May Company representative showed up and we weren’t allowed to do anything unless he was present. (We had insisted on an early starting time because it was so difficult to find parking nearby unless you arrived early.)
Once the May Company representative had given us a task for the day, we would set out to do it. And everything he ever gave us to do could be done in an hour or two. But he insisted that we take our time and do it “right”. Which we did. No matter how long it took.
I should point out that this project was also a place for the injured to get a little bit of rest. Since our company had other, more difficult projects, someone was always getting hurt. And as long as they could walk…they were sent to the May Company to recuperate. I was sent there because I had hurt my back. And there I joined other convalescing workers.
OK, I enjoyed it. But in my defense, I must point out that within two weeks I was calling my foreman and begging to be put on a “real” job!
A typical day began this way; we would arrive at the downtown store about 6:45 and after knocking on the entry door, a security guard would let us in and we would make our way up the silent escalators to the 4th floor where our gang box was located, right behind the China department. Here we would make coffee in a nice coffee maker (From Housewares), using only the best coffee. (From the Gourmet department) Coffee was always served in the finest china cups! We would even use the saucers… After coffee, we would browse the Hardware department for any tools or supplies we might need for the day ahead.
Odd, but the May Company encouraged us to use any of their products. But…nothing was to be taken from the store. Stealing was forbidden.
Officially, we began our day at 7 AM. Well, let’s say that our pay began at 7. We didn’t actually go to work until 8 because that was when the May Company representative showed up and we weren’t allowed to do anything unless he was present. (We had insisted on an early starting time because it was so difficult to find parking nearby unless you arrived early.)
Once the May Company representative had given us a task for the day, we would set out to do it. And everything he ever gave us to do could be done in an hour or two. But he insisted that we take our time and do it “right”. Which we did. No matter how long it took.
I should point out that this project was also a place for the injured to get a little bit of rest. Since our company had other, more difficult projects, someone was always getting hurt. And as long as they could walk…they were sent to the May Company to recuperate. I was sent there because I had hurt my back. And there I joined other convalescing workers.
OK, I enjoyed it. But in my defense, I must point out that within two weeks I was calling my foreman and begging to be put on a “real” job!
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Hamburger
There were many memorable projects during my years of working in Los Angeles and not all of them were filled with the thrill of doing something dangerous. Sometimes they were funny…
One of those times was when we were involved in the remodeling of the May Company Department Store in downtown Los Angeles. This store was located in what was called the Hamburger's Building. (Nothing to do with beef sandwiches…) Hamburger was the surname of the man who had built the structure in the early 1900’s. It was a 7 story building, with a steel framework and wooden plank floors. The exterior walls were of stone and terra cotta, while the interior walls were made of plaster. And since the building was already 60+ years old, it had been remodeled many times.
One day, we were working on the ground floor and back in a stock room area. We were building some new walls around the elevator and to do that work, we had to stop the elevator from being used that morning and open the doors to the hoist way.
Now elevator hoist ways are probably the very last things to be cleaned in a building and this one was no exception. A very thin film of oil from the elevator cables covered the walls of the shaft and over the years, a lacy covering of dust had attached itself to the walls. Imagine a shaft that was about twelve feet square and about one hundred feet tall, all covered with “dust bunnies”.
I remember standing near the open door to the hoist way when our foreman decided to do a little bit of welding. He struck the “stinger” to a piece of steel and the sparks flew. And some of those sparks rolled across the floor and into the shaft. There was a loud “whoosh!” A blaze of light followed as the hoist way erupted into flames. Then, just as suddenly, the flames were gone and only a small haze of smoke remained. We had just cleaned the entire elevator shaft of its 60 year accumulation of dirt and dust and had done it in less than a minute!
We waited expectantly for someone, anyone…to come running to see what had happened. But nothing happened. No sirens, no panic…apparently it had happened so fast that no one besides ourselves had any idea that we had just come within seconds of burning down a historic building. And we certainly didn’t tell anyone!
One of those times was when we were involved in the remodeling of the May Company Department Store in downtown Los Angeles. This store was located in what was called the Hamburger's Building. (Nothing to do with beef sandwiches…) Hamburger was the surname of the man who had built the structure in the early 1900’s. It was a 7 story building, with a steel framework and wooden plank floors. The exterior walls were of stone and terra cotta, while the interior walls were made of plaster. And since the building was already 60+ years old, it had been remodeled many times.
One day, we were working on the ground floor and back in a stock room area. We were building some new walls around the elevator and to do that work, we had to stop the elevator from being used that morning and open the doors to the hoist way.
Now elevator hoist ways are probably the very last things to be cleaned in a building and this one was no exception. A very thin film of oil from the elevator cables covered the walls of the shaft and over the years, a lacy covering of dust had attached itself to the walls. Imagine a shaft that was about twelve feet square and about one hundred feet tall, all covered with “dust bunnies”.
I remember standing near the open door to the hoist way when our foreman decided to do a little bit of welding. He struck the “stinger” to a piece of steel and the sparks flew. And some of those sparks rolled across the floor and into the shaft. There was a loud “whoosh!” A blaze of light followed as the hoist way erupted into flames. Then, just as suddenly, the flames were gone and only a small haze of smoke remained. We had just cleaned the entire elevator shaft of its 60 year accumulation of dirt and dust and had done it in less than a minute!
We waited expectantly for someone, anyone…to come running to see what had happened. But nothing happened. No sirens, no panic…apparently it had happened so fast that no one besides ourselves had any idea that we had just come within seconds of burning down a historic building. And we certainly didn’t tell anyone!
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