STEAM SHOVELS BARE ANCIENT COAST FOREST - Oakland Tribune, 14 Jun 1928

[I went looking for this, after reading about it Annalee Allen's Walking tours feature uptown, old Capwell's article, in her Landmarks series, while hunting for them in newspaper archives. - MF]

STEAM SHOVELS BARE ANCIENT COAST FOREST

Trees In First Stages of Petrification Dug Up On Site of New H. C. Capwell Store.

Remains of a forest in the early stages of petrification were uncovered today by workmen excavating foundations for the new H. C. Capwell department store at Broadway and Twentieth streets. Thirty feet below the street level steam shovels began to bring up-pieces of trees that have lain beneath the surface of the earth for years. Petrification was still in the first stages and the stone crumbled easily in one's fingers.

Beneath the section of the building where the boiler rooms are located, the contractors had to go 55 feet below the street level to obtain a satisfactory foundation. Where that section stands was once an old lake and to get proper foundation for the tremendous weight of the building it was necessary to go below the old lake bed to solid earth.

NEARLY COMPLETE

Excavation work for the building is practically 70 per cent complete. The total excavation amounts to 85,000 cubic feet of earth.

The part of the building beneath the surface could house a small army. The boiler and pump room, 40 feet beneath the surface is 30 feet wide and 125 feet long. There is a sub-basement, 8 feet wide and 125 feet long, at the south end of the lot that is practically two stories beneath the street.

Some idea of the enormous room that will be below the street level can be grasped from the fact that a small highway system is being built in the basement. Trucks will drive in at the street level, drive either to the first floor or to the basement, load or discharge, and pass out of the building without turning around or doubling back on the trail.

HUGE FLOOR SPACE

The entire building will have a total gross floor space of approximately 13 acres.

Ground was broken February 15, and construction is well on schedule.

The store will contain 13 passenger service and freight elevators and two sets of up and down elevators with provision for two additional sets when required.

More than $300,000 worth of structural steel is now being fabricated for the building in the plant of the Judson-Pacific company, the largest single order ever placed in the eastbay for this material.

With excellent progress made thus far the contracters believe that the building will be com pleted well within the schedule. which provides for completion in August. 1929. 

 

STEAM SHOVELS BARE ANCIENT COAST FOREST 14 Jun 1928, Thu Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California) Newspapers.com