Monday, February 15, 2016

Message in a Building (2016)

A mason replacing damaged limestone on Kansas State University's East Memorial Stadium (1922-28) recently discovered a note written by his predecessors in 1928. Lamenting the plight of the working man, five laborers signed the document:

"Dear Folks, Will place a not[e] in wall as it may some day be found and perhaps the men that Built it will be dead and forgotten. We are having nice weather was 18 above zero this morning. Hope when this is opened things will be better for the working man than [now?]. Mason got $10 per day and labor $3.20 there will have to be a change soon or the labor will be out of luck. Please print this if found signed CK Bell, Geo H Bell, W. Sowell, Jim Kelley, Ray [Disney?] Good luck."

For more on the story, see the Associated Press.

5 comments:

Thomas Rosell said...

Goodness! I can't imagine they were able to lay any limestone in that kinda weather!

Keli Rylance said...

Better than Aug/Sept. in Biloxi!

Thomas Rosell said...

Haha I wouldn't want to work in either, but below 40F precautions for mortar and brick have to be taken. Maybe that is why the wall had to be rebuilt, if precautions weren't taken in '28? The International Building Code claims normal weather temperatures for laying masonry to be between 40F and 100F. It seems kind of eschewed even not taking into account humidity.

Keli Rylance said...

That would have excluded half the year in my hometown!

Sears Homes of Chicagoland said...

What a riot! I hadn't seen this... thanks for posting.

Lara
sears-homes.com