Design of a Steel Railroad Warehouse — Story, Setting & Ideas

Material Justification and Site Conditions

Tallyn devotes early sections to comparing wood and steel. He asserts that a steel structure can tolerate a settlement of a couple of inches without impairment, as members adjust by flexure—a critical advantage on water-saturated ground near a large river. Brick or stonework on such foundations would likely crack. He also critiques common wooden freight houses with combination roof trusses and patent roofing-felt, implying they are less fireproof than claimed. The argument is grounded in cost trends: the increase in timber prices and decrease in structural steel prices make steel the more economical choice for a stronger, better-looking building.

Wind Bracing and Rod Sizing

A representative calculation shows how Tallyn determines member sizes. For wind pressure of 4800 lbs, he multiplies by the secant of the inclination angle (1.06) to get a stress of 5100 lbs in member AD, then specifies a ¾-inch round rod. Similar steps determine members CE, EF, and FG. The method is straightforward, relying on trigonometry and allowable stress, with no mention of safety factors or code references. The excerpt gives a concrete example of the design process that runs through the thesis.

Foundation Design on Piling

For a column load of about 55 tons, Tallyn turns to soil data: experiments by F. J. Llewellyn (Engineering News, May 11, 1899) show New Orleans soil supports only about 700 lbs per square foot. He therefore designs a foundation on nine piles per column, using white oak piles at least 15 inches at the top, spaced 3 feet center to center. Pile depth is determined by the Engineering News formula (Baker’s Masonry Construction, page 245). The concrete mix uses Louisville Natural cement and sandstone broken to pass a 2½-inch ring, with a compressive strength assumed at 10 tons per square foot. The cast iron base is 30 inches square.

Floor Construction and Acknowledged Omissions

The first floor consists of 6 inches of concrete identical to the foundation mix, topped with ½ inch of neat Portland cement for an even surface. In the conclusion, Tallyn admits he has not treated details such as cornices, gutters, or window frames, citing time constraints. This honest limitation underscores the thesis’s focus on structural essentials—framing, foundations, and wind bracing—rather than architectural finish. The work ends with three plates (referenced but not reproduced in the text) that presumably contain the detailed drawings.

Readers should approach this thesis as a period document of engineering education and practice. The calculations are explicit but assume knowledge of contemporary formulas and material properties. The location-specific reasoning—soil conditions, wind loads, material costs—makes the design a case study rather than a generic template. The plates, though absent from the text, are integral to understanding the final design.

There’s something touching about a 1901 thesis—all that patient steel and calculation for a New Orleans warehouse, a building probably long gone. It made me think of quiet devotion to craft, the way an artist commits to line and color. That same unhurried care seems to live in The Spirit of Japanese Art — Background and Themes, where every brushstroke feels intentional, almost like a whispered secret between the maker and the moment.