NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Ruins Stabilization in the Southwestern United States Publications in Archeology 10

The following records describe realignment and stabilization of leaning adobe walls, and also a method of bracing a wall by means of turnbuckle rods (figs. 77-92).

RUINS STABILIZATION RECORD

FIRST SHEET

Fort Union National Monument. Date: May 3, 1960. Building: 3-450; Room: 451; Wall (N. S. E. W): NESW.

Orientation, plan and type (situation, evidence of additional stories, period of construction relative to surrounding rooms, evidence of burning, etc.): Contemporaneous with contiguous rooms. No evidence of burning. Single story.

Floor (floor type; additional notes): Probably had wood floor.

Details (notes on doorways, lintels, etc.): Most of east wall is made of stone; only upper portion is of adobe. West wall is the east wall of room 452.

SECOND SHEET

Room No.: 3-451; Date work started: July 26, 1958; Date work finished: July 7, 1959; Man days of labor: 57; Cost of materials: $256.56; Archeologist: Rex L. Wilson; Date: May 3, 1960.

Condition on date work started. Masonry: Massive south wall bulging northward. Only extreme west end of north wall standing. East and west walls in good condition but all walls needed capping to prevent further deterioration from penetration of moisture. Small north wall section leaning northward several inches out of plumb.

Materials, construction, and technique in making repairs or accomplishing job: South wall: A portion of the south wall was realigned in order to prevent collapse. The section, near the east end of the wall, bowed to the north about 12" at the top. Four wooden forms were completed and put in place on the bulge, two on either side of the wall. They were lined with asphalt roofing felt, wired together through the wall with No. 9 black wire, and then the space between form and wall was packed with damp sand. Two mine roof jacks and one heavy-duty jack were used to move the wall. The jacks push against the wall by means of long sections of 2" pipe (mine roof jacks) and 4" x 4" timber (truck jack). After pushing the wall into plumb the jacketing was removed from both sides of the wall and stabilization was begun by placing six upright steel members, and two horizontal members of the same material, with a steel strap along the bottom seated upon the stone foundation. The wall's brick coping is being held in place by seven steel rods looped about it and welded to the steel members on the wall's north side. The steel on the north side of the wall is secured by rods through the wall that are held in place by short steel straps. A hole in the wall was filled with regular adobes, cracks were grouted, steel was covered with adobe, the coping was secured, and adobes were laid along the top of the wall preliminary to capping.

North wall: Two deadmen holes, 2' x 4' x 22", were dug next to the joist footing wall inside the room. Two 44" lengths of 1/2" reinforcing rods were welded perpendicular to 2' lengths of 2" x 2" angle-iron, and looped at the other ends. These were placed in the holes which were then filled with concrete, reinforced with heavy wire. The wall was then jacked into plumb with mine jacks. A 15' length of 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" angle-iron was placed horizontally against the outside of the wall, near the top just above the lintel. The angle-iron was held in place by long bolts made by welding 5/8" carriage bolts on one end of 44" lengths of 1/2" reinforcing rod; these same rods were looped on he other ends to accommodate the 4" steel cable that was then attached to the deadmen. Turnbuckles on the two 16' cables allow for tightening.

All walls: Capped (see introduction for detailed explanation of technique). Sprayed with Dow Corning 772 diluted in water at a ratio of 1 to 9.

FIRST SHEET

Fort Union National Monument. Date: May 3, 1960; Building: 3-450; Room: 452; Feature: wing wall; Wall (N. E. S. W.): NS.

Architecture

Orientation, plan and type (situation, evidence of additional stories, period of construction relative to surrounding rooms, evidence of burning, etc.): Contemporaneous with contiguous rooms. No evidence of burning. Stone-lined basement.

Floor (floor type; additional notes): Probably had wood floor.

Details (notes on doorways, lintels, etc.): Lintel timber missing from above one window. Adobes missing from above one window in south wall. East wall considered as west wall of room 451. Large dressed and semi-dressed stones missing from the upper areas of the west and north basement walls.

SECOND SHEET

Room No.: 3-452; Date work started: June 30, 1958; Date work finished: May 6, 1960; Man days of labor: ca. 21-3/4; Cost of materials: ca. $61.40. Archeologist: Rex L. Wilson; Date: May 3, 1960.

Condition on date work started. Masonry: South wall in good condition. Brick coping on southwest wing wall needed reinforcing. Cracks needed grouting. Very low, short north wall remains. Only stub remains of west wall. All walls needed capping to prevent further deterioration due to penetration of moisture.

Materials, construction, and technique in making repairs or accomplishing job: Wing wall: A 2" x 1/8" angle-iron collar was placed immediately below the coping on all four sides so as to support the outermost courses of brick. It was held in place by four lengths of 3/8" reinforcing rod which penetrate the wall and are welded to the collar. The coping is in good shape, as is its supporting wall, so the work is to prevent further deterioration. A cement cap was poured to protect the top of the coping. It is about 2" deep above the middle of the coping, and slightly less above the edges. The cement was colored with burnt sienna and raw umber in exterior stucco to approximate the historic brick color. The angle iron collar was than covered with metal lath and hard-packed, colored soil-cement. To render less visible the fairly smooth (although roughened) plaster, "blobs" of soil-cement were thrown on it. Although some of these may erode off, any that remain effectively break up the reflection of light off the plaster. Sprayed with Dow Corning 772 diluted in water at a ratio of 1 to 9.

North and south walls: Capped (see introduction for detailed explanation of technique) and grouted with soil-cement. Missing adobes above windows were replaced and lintel timbers were replaced where missing. Sprayed with Dow Corning 772 diluted in water at a ratio of 1 to 9.

Missing stones from the upper basement walls were reset in cement mortar to the original height of the wall on the west side and to slightly less than the original height on the north side.

FIGURE 77. Building 3-450, Room 451, south side of south wall, before stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.

FIGURE 78. Building 3-450, Room 451, south side of south wall, during stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.

FIGURE 79. Building 3-450, Room 452, south side of south wall, before stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.

FIGURE 80. Building 3-450, Room 452, south side of south wall, after stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.

FIGURE 81. Building 3-450, Room 451, south side of south wall, after stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.

FIGURE 82. Building 3-450, Room 451, north side of south wall, before stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.

FIGURE 83. Building 3-450, Room 451, north side of south wall, during stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.

FIGURE 84. Building 3-450, Room 451, north side of south wall, during stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.

FIGURE 85. Building 3-450, Room 451, north side of south wall, after stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.

FIGURE 86. Building 3-450, Room 451, east side of west wall, before stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.

FIGURE 87. Building 3-450, Room 451, east side of west wall, after stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.

FIGURE 88. Building 3-450, Room 451, north side of north wall, before stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.

FIGURE 89. Building 3-450, Room 451, south side of north wall, before stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.

FIGURE 90. Building 3-450, Room 451, south side of north wall, during stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.

FIGURE 91. Building 3-450, Room 451, south side of north wall, after stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.

FIGURE 92. Building 3-450, Room 451, north side of north wall, after stabilization. Fort Union National Monument.