March 11. 1905.
THE OMAHA ILLUSTRATED BEE.
House Moving Has
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RERinPTNCB OF 8ENATOR MILLARD AT
AT SEVENTEENTH AND FARNAld.
HE moving of big buildings hai
become an art and ought to be
recognized an audi, declare those
who have made a life study of
the matter. To pick up a huge
T
brick structure, hoist It high in the air and
let It down again at the desired spot with
out so much aa disturbing the people who
are living In It requires something more
nearly approaching natural talent than the
mere application of scientific rules and
formulae.
So the connoisseur in the handling of
buildings will maintain that it Is tiot every
man who can reach anywhere near per
fection. Those who attain that high stand
ard must be born with certain characteris
tics that cannot be educated Into a man.
For the art of house moving has reached
auch a high state of development that very
nice distinctions are drawn between a suc
cessful job and a bungling failure.
II after you have hoisted your building
up on stilts In midair, pushed it hundreds
of feet and then lowered it to the point
you want it to occupy, the fastidious
housewlfo should And so much as a dust
panful of plastering knocked off the ceiling
or If It should be discovered the heavy
brick chimney had settled a fraction of an
Inch, you, might aa well go out of the
house moving business, for you have made
a failure of a comparatively easy Job. A
decade ago you might have been able to
maintain a reputation, but not In this day
when house moving hs ksaclied ao near a
state of perfection.
UmltatioBi Slowly Giving Way.
,Of course there are limitations to the pos
sibilities of even a born house mover, but
they are being enlarged all the time and
even now it la largely a Question of the
alse and strength of the tools they use.
When factories are able to give them big
ger and more powerful jack screws and
heavier beama they will be able to increase
in proportion to the else of the buildings
they can handle. It Is a fact that house
movers are able to transport large buildings
great dlatancea with practically no danger
to the structures that has 'given Importance
to the work.. Years ago when to move a
house a fow blocks practically meant that
It -would be wrenched and strained until
it -was of almost no value to the owner
without the expense of reinforcing the
studding and Joists, it waa about aa pro
fitable to tear the building down and sell
It for old Junk and construct a new on
on the new' site.
' Today a large number of landlords make
it a practice to buy up old houses occupy
ing sites that have to be cleared, move
them to lots In the suburbs and fit them up
to rent. One man recently bought eight
of these buildings, had them transported to
as many lots In the suburbs and Is now get
ting from $12 to $14 a month out of them,
and the cost waa so small these rentals
yield him a big interest on the money in
Wolf Hunting on
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PI of the ranchman's life, and an
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In the way of damage done to
small stock. During recent years
the wolves and coyotes have multiplied un
til they have become a serious proposition
even among tha older settled communities
of the west. Bounties offered for their de
struction have not had tha desired effect.
Indeed, It has more than once been proven
that wolf-raising waa practiced aa a source
of income. But the farmer whose chickens,
lambs, calves and pigs have been raided
again and again, that the hunger of a pack
of prairie wolves or coyotes might be ap
peased, soon loses eight of the humor of
the' situation, and. goes after the pesky
critters in real earnest. The cunning of
these animals has not been exaggerated
In the stories told of them by magazine
wrttera and naturalists credit them with
being exceedingly shrewd. The farmer who
hat, tried to exterminate them by ordinary
means knows bow wise the beasts become.
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TWENTY-FOURTH AND HARNEY. THAT ONCE STOOD
vested. The houses are practically as
good aa new and the purchase price and the
expense of moving them was much less
than the cost of building new houses would
be at the present prices of lumber. The
houses are frequently bought at sacrifice
prices because the sites they are occupying
have to be cleared for building operations
within a limited time.
House Movers Work Wonders.
So the very perfection of the house
mover's art brings him more and mora
business as people realize what he is able
to do. It Is now a rare thing to see a
house torn down. Instead it Is sold aa it
standa and a part at least of the original
cost of the labor Is secured. The Irish
man who replied in answer to a question
as to how he liked his new Job: "Foino;
I'm teartn' down a Protestant church and
gettln' paid for It," will find his pleasure
spoiled. Nowadays the trustees would find
It more profitable to sell the church and
have it moved.
"The business of house moving has
reached such a perfection that we can move
buildings long distances and keep them on
a foundation as firm and rigid as their
permanent resting place," said H. F. Petrle
of Petrle Bros., who move several hundred
houses from one part of Omaha to another
every year. "In Fremont we moved fifty
houses off the Great Northern right-of-way
and scattered them all over town, and
after we got through you couldn't find a
scoop shovel full of loose plastering In
the whole fifty."
It is one of the Indications of the de
velopment of the craft that large con
tracts are frequently handled by single
firms. The same Arm is now moving 100
housea from the Great Western right-of-way
in Omaha. Railroads let contracts
for the clearing of buildings from their
right-of-way through the country also.
This goes to show how well organized the
business is getting to be. This same Arm
keeps about twenty-five buildings on the
move all the time.
Samples of Their Work.
One of the most interesting exploits In
this line was accomplished several years
ago when what was known aa the old Sharp
building at Eighteenth and Douglas on the
site now occupied by the telephone building
waa lowered thirty-eight feet. The reduc
tion of the adjacent streets to grade left
the building way up out of reach. It was
a large brick building, but it was decided
to be feasible to lower it without injury.
The building was Jacked up and the hill
cut away under it, the graders with their
teams working constantly under the crib
bing that supported the house. As the
earth under It was excavated and carried
aw. house was lowered until at the
end of the job It was left thirty-eight feet
below Its former position and In as good
condition aa It waa originally. It must be
and Is moved at times to resort to herolo
means to achieve the results he seeks. The
ancient battue or tlnchel la one of the plans
that has been adapted to the war on wolves
and Is popular, for It affords some sport as
well aa serving a useful end. One of these
wolf drives was recently held In Hall
county, Nebraska, and has been described
by a correspondent for The Bee.
Central Nebraska Well lloit.
During the last few years and especially
the last fall and present winter coyotes
and prairie wolvea have become very num
erous throughout central Nebraska. Not
many of them are seen, but soon after night
full their hideous "ki-hl-youl-l-la," repeated
at Intervals through the night, is enough
to make one unacquainted with them, think
some lost soul has returned from Hades
to. warn his fellow men. I have known peo
ple Just from the east to declare that "a
lot of children are screaming, shrieking,
Just down the road a bit," when the wise
westerner knew it was only a lone coyote
Become
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remembered that In
order to do. thle
precautions must be
taken to prevent
the chimneys and
those parts of tha
juildlng bearing
specially heavy
weights from set
tling. The firm men
tioned is' about to
begin the moving
of a house from
Thlrty-seevnth and
Dewey, avenue to
Thirty-sixth and
Dewey. Tha . spe
cial difficulty to be
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MEN WHO
encountered In the building la the fact it la
two and a halt storlea high, 66x36 feet In
dimensions and contains, Ave heavy chim
neys and seven Are places. Unusually
heavy supports will have to be placed
under the chimneys and fire places, for if
they should settle a half an inch in the
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the Nebraska Plains an Exciting Winter Sport
calling to hla mate. It Is not their horrible
noise that the people most dread. Many,
chickens, turkeys, little pigs and sheep dis
appear every night. Sometimes the big
prairie wolves attack calves and small
children. Hundreds of dollars worth of
small stock have been taken from the farm
ers by these sneaking night thieves.
Two varieties are known here. The coy
ote la about" the size of a small shepherd
dog, rusty, grey-brown In color, very sly,
and a coward. The prairie wolf Is larger,
a cleaner grey color, with long, bushy tall.
Nose and ears something like a fox and
much bolder than the coyote. Both are
about the iunt color aa dry grass, there
fore only an experienced eye can detect
them, even when running.
The coyotes are usually tha more numer
ous. They are very difficult to trap, espe
cially the big wolves, and almost Impossi
ble to shoot, aa one cannot get near enough
with a gun. They seem to be able to smell
danger In the gun, for a man with only a
stick can sometimes get within a few yards
a Fine Art of Boundless Possibilities
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MOVJS BUILDINGS OF ANY SORT AJMXWITEIUi
MOUNTED AND READY FOR A CROSS-TOWN
moving the plastering would be badly
cracked and loosened, in addition to the
strain that would be put on the front of
the house.
Hardly less remarkable than the moving
of the Dewey avenue house was a Job done
by the Arm at Woodbine, la., not long
of them. Their hair Is very thick, so that
only coarse shot at close range will kill
them. Only one effective way of hunting
them is known, and that is by rounding
them up In the manner I will now attempt
to describe.
Planning; a Wolf Drive.
During the first part of February some of
the leading farmers near St. Libory, Neb.,
planned a big wolf hunt. It was to cover
from twenty-five to thirty square miles.
Near the center of the area a level, close
cut meadow land was selected for the meet.
Then every man and boy for miles around
was notified of the time and place selected
for the hunt. About fifteen men were
mounted on tough horses. There were the
captains, whose duty it was to poBt the
men at regular Intervals of several rods
and see that they advanced evenly when
the time to start arrived. Wagonloads of
hunters were taken- to each corner of the
area to be hunted and there given.over to
the orders of the captains. At a certain
time agreed upon the men on and nearest
the corners start, for they have the far
thest to go. About ten or fifteen minutes
later the men on the sides start, thus
forming a huge circle of advancing armed
man. Now it's "Hurrah, boys! The hunt
is on."
The men steadily advance, beating the
brush and tall grassy places, the captains
shouting their orders. Occasionally some
one shoots a rabbit or a bird. Hawks and
owls are driven from their hiding places;
some are shot, others get out of range only
to be shot at by the hnuters on the opposite
line. Most of the game killed at the be
ginning of the hunt is left where it falls,
as the men have to walk from two to
miles and get tired carrying It. A big
jackrabblt weighs from eight to ten pounds
and seems to weigh more than twice as
much at the end of two or three n-.'.les of
rough walking. When a wolf is sighted
much excitement and yelling ensues. Es
pecially If he tries to break through thu
line. More often he tries to hide in tha
thick guss. If he keeps perfectly still the
men often pass by him. as It takes an extra
sharp eye to distinguish him from the grass
so near his own color.
Finish of the Hunt.
When the opposite lines of men coins In
eight of (uch otlui txiilruieiil i una high.
Men run, yelling and shooting at the fright
ened wolf or coyote whenever any of them
come near enough The wagons coma rat
tling behind. Nearby haystacks and knolls
Are occupied by sightseers. Belated one
are running at the top of their speed, over
oft-plowed ground, through cornfields,
patches of aaodburs, "beggars' Uoe" and
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BESTDENCTC
STREETS,
OF GEORGE
OMAHA.
ago. A large hotel
building standing
on a side hill was
pushed out J0O icet
on cribbing and left
standing fourteen
feet In the air. A
basement was then
built up under It
Chinese fashion.
All this was done
without disturbing
the occupants of
the building. Dur
ing the time work
was In progress the
hotel was In opera
tion, and as it hap.
pened to be a bu&r
n
TRIP.
season all of the rooms were occupied.
At Nineteenth and Douglas streets there
are three residence houses which were left
thlrty-Ave feet up in the air by the reduc
tion of the street to grade. All three of
them were lowered without so much as
loosening a brick In the chimneys. The
muddy places. Here Is a woman over 70
years old, and two small grandchildren,
running and puffing, trying to gain the top
of a knoll In time to see the "finish." Over
there Is a couple running the woman clad
in rich furs the man looks delicate and
Is nearly winded. They are evidently from
the city and have left their horse In safety,
tied to a pole In the depths of a straw calf
shed back at the nearest farmhouse. Farm
ers' wives and daughters appear from vari
ous directions. A crowd of rosy-cheeked
girls have come to a slough with water and
Ice in it. They have to hunt a place to get
safely over. An old man goes hurriedly
on, leaning heavily on a stout stick to aid
his tired legs. He started with the other
hunters, but had not the strength to keep
up, though he is determined to be at the
"finish." Suddenly a gap Is noticed in the
line of hunter. and a wolf Is seen sneaking
through It. Men shout and point and the
nearest ones fire at the slinking wolf. The
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GROUP OF HUNTERS WHO TOOK
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A. IIOAGLA ND, DUNDEE, MOVED FROM SIXTEENTH AND HARNET
houses were pushed out on false work and
then lowered to the street and after the
hill on which they had formerly stood was
dug nway war pushed back to positions
Just beneath that they had occupied. The
highest part of the roofs of the houses are
now about on a level with the lower art
of their basement as they originally stood.
During the moving process and while the
buildings were on stilts they were oc
cupied by families aa If nothing unusual
were happening to them.
Brick and Wood Look Alike.
It does not matter much to the house
mover whether his building Is made of
brick or la a frame structure or Is .art
brick and part frame. A fine brlok barn
belonging to W. H. McCord, which had
been damaged by fire, was hoisted up ten
feet In the air, shunted over to one side
sixty feet and placed on a firm founda
tion. The building was made entirely of
brick and had a floor of flagstone. In
order to move It 100 jack screws had to be
used and elaborate timber work placed
under the walls to keep then from strain
ing. At Seventeenth and Jones street a
three-story house, two of wood and one of
brick, waa lowered twenty-four feet so
carefully that even the brick basement
was not disturbed.
Houses Turned End for End.
Another part of the work of the house
mover that requires special care Is turn.
Ing building's around In small spaces. The
twisting motion Is likely to Injure the
walls unless great precautions are taken.
One of the feats of this kind accomplished
, was a Job In which a frame building with
a brick basement waa turned so that It
faced Seventeenth avenue Instead of Eight
eenth F'-eet and all of this accomplished
within the space of -one lot. At Forty
first and Dewey avenue a church measuring
41x115 feet waa turned around, though the
length of the building added considerably
to the difficulty of the Job.
Distance is no longer a hindrance to
the moving of buildings. Housea ' can be
carted for milea without injury, though of
course, in the case of heavy structures the
progress la slow. Buildings are frequently
moved .rom the business part of the city
to the suburbs. In one Instance a slxteen
room Aat was moved seven blocks without
damage.
In line with house moving, but still of
an entirely different nature, was a Job
recently completed at the electric light
plant in Omaha. The roof of the plant,
tiled . and trussed with steel beams and
estimated to weigh 300 tons, was raised ten
feet and the walls of the building built
up under it waa raised foot by foot. All
the time the men were at work the plant
continued to run and the men clambered
around among the wires and over the
machinery. This is held to be one of the
captains wheel their tired ponies and mnke
a dash after him, firing' as they go. But he
Is getting away In spite of them. It is as
tonishing how quickly the long, swinging
lope of the wolf takes him out of range.
Now he is out of sight in a bunch of tall
grass and the men know it is hopeless to
chase him farther.
Safety In Shotguns.
Only shotguns are used In the wolf hunt.
Perhaps if someone had had a rifle they
might have got him, but rifles are not al
lowed as they carry so far It Is dangerous
for the men. When the. hunters are sure
the last wolf Is killed a great popping of
guns ia heard. Fach man who has not
already fired off hla gun fires in the air.
This is for the general safety of the
crowd.
Now the hunters come together. Over
860 of them. Greetings are exchanged and
a great hum, almost a roar, of conversation
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PART IN TUB WOLF DRIVE Photo by
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most remarkable feats ever accomplished
in that line in Omaha.
Speclnl Timbers Ar Required.
In order to bear the weight of the
monster buildings that are moved beams
of unusual size and of perfect grain are
required. For nn ordinary building the
main beams used will be 14x16 Inches and
fifty feet long. For large buildings tha
beams are sixteen Inches square and sixty
eight feet long. In the rest of the frame
work on which the. building rests smaller
timber Is used, but perfection of grain In
order to guard against the breaking of
an important piece Is necessary.
The raising and lowering of buildings
is an interesting proceeding to those who
can atand off to one side and look on. In
order that the frame may be Kept per
fectly level the Jackscrews must be ope
rated uniformly. In large jobs aa many
as 100 of these jackscrews are required, but
In ordinary cases the number is much less.
It is necessary that the, threads of these
screws be absolutely uniform in pitch.
The men work by count, the foreman of
the gang calling a number at each pull
of the levers. With the ordinary Jack
screw seven pulls or counts meana an
inch in the raising or lowering of the
building.
Not Without Spice.
It would require more than ordinary
keenness to discover much romance in the
business of house moving. Those who fol
low it are attracted largely by the fact It
is a profitable business when conducted
properly. Exciting incidents are not rare,
however, and the employes are always In
more or less danger from the breaking of
the apparatus or the carelessness of a fel
low employe. An Incident is reported in
which a house on stilts dropped down upon
a man who was working under it and
doubled him up In a very painful manner.
Owing to the fact most of the apparatus
was under the house it was found quicker
to dig him out than to raise the house
again. The breaking of the taut hawser
used In connection with a windlass rriay
also result seriously to whoever happens
to be In the way.
One night last week one gang worked
all night moving a building off the proposed
right-of-way of the Union Pacific cut-off.
The haste was cuused by the fact an in
junction to prevent the work being done
was feared and the men worked all night
with one eye out for an Irate woman with
a shotgun.
Like all other crafts in which great skill
and nicety of Judgment Is necessary, men
who engage In the business Bhow consid
erable pride In their ability to do a skillful
Job. This feeling shows plainly when they
talk about their work and they explain the
makeup of timber work under a building
much as an artist might talk of a skillful
piece of sculpture from his hand.
la heard. The game la minutely examined
to see In how many places he Is shot and
which one really killed him. They discover
that eight or ten different wolves or coyotes
have been seen during the mornlng'a bunt.
Only one waa killed a young one, too, ao
experienced hunters declare. Two others
were wounded, but got away alive. So
did all the i est of them. This-goes to prove
the cunning sagacity of the coyote and
prairie wolf. Three hundred and fifty
men and boys walking only a few rods
apai-l at first, later only a few yards frem
each other, over mostly smooth prairie
farm lands, carefully beating through the
scanty underbrush and tall grass places.
The coyotes are seen from time to time,
so they know the game Is still In the ring.
But when tht finish comes most of tha
coyotes and wolves are gone. No one
knows when or where. No wonder he
multiplies and grows fat, and no wonder
(Continued on Fage Seven.)
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Mrs. A. V. BeJllman, St libory. Kk
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MOUNTED CAPTAINS AT CENTRAL, NEBRASKA WOLF DRIVE.- Photo by Mrs. A.. V. BaUtman, St. LRwry. Nsb.
