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THE CONSTRUCTION OF FORT ORD 1940-1942

Construction Methods Magazine, April 1941.

NEW BUILDINGS EVERY 54 MINUTES FORT ORD 1940

Marks Army Camp Construction Pace at Fort Ord, California

By N.A. Bowers
Pacific Coast Editor
Construction Methods Magazine 1941

Top image: Absence of Falsework and rubbish around buildings is striking feature of contractors' methods. Large amount of prefabrication minimizes waste and little there is, is kept clean.

Center image: R.M. Connor (right) and Paul B. Tichenor are project manager and general superintendent, respectively, for Ford J. Twaits Co. and Morrison-Knudsen Co., Inc., on $9,000,000 Fort Ord cantonment lump sum contract.

Bottom image: Typical Row of 63-man barracks shows construction stages, progressing from completed rafters against skyline to incomplete first story in foreground.

Of the 1,200 wood-frame structures now nearing completion at For Ord, Calif., near Monterey, 820 were built in a 3-and-a-half-month period. The rough carpentry was finished and the buildings were roofed over at the rate of one every 54 min. during the working hours of a one-shift, 6-day week. This progress rate, in which the Fort Ord contractors are believed to have set a record, is based on total working time after construction and started and makes no allowance for rainy days. The speedy construction was appreciated by the Army - witness the fact that on all three of the contracts, some of the barracks were occupied by troops ahead of schedule.

A lump-sum contract covers the work at Fort Ord and is given much of the credit for the speed attained. Organization for the "line production" methods, a high degree of standardization, and the use of an "expediter" in each division are among the factors contributing to speed outlined in the following.

Ford J. Twaits and Morrison-Knudsen Co., Inc., received three general contracts for Fort Ord construction beginning with a $2,730.000 contract for 540 buildings awarded Aug. 28, 1940, and scheduled for completion in 90 days. The total of the three contracts is about $9,000,000 and the last of the work was to have been finished April 3, 1941.

Camp Ord, typical of the "wide open spaces" of the West, is a big place. It spreads over some 19,000 acres. Buildings are concentrated at east and main -
(Continued below the next image.)

Top image:
Wood-working Mill is row of eleven DeWalt saws in open air, with ample room for storing pre-fabricated parts. Saw and it bench are located at base of each power pole.

Center image:
Floor Beams and Joists are put up by crew that handles dimension lumber only.

Bottom image:
Building ends go up first and are braced externally. Sidewalls then laid out on flat prior to being raised into vertical position.

Bottom left image: Pre-fabricated items contribute much to speed in assembly.

(Continued from above image)
- garrisons; the latter, roughly 7,000 ft. square, contains most of the buildings described in the following. This location in close to the ocean on Monterey Bay about 6 mi. from the city of Monterey and 14 mi. from Salinas.

JOB OF SAWING WOOD
The expression that best typifies both the policy and the requirements of this job is "sawing wood." Some 2,000,000 cu. yd. of grading was done and about 25,000 cu. yd. of concrete is required, but when it came to lumber the orders totaled 35,000,000 ft. b. m. The lumber all comes to the job surfaced on four sides so that no planing has to be done; sawing, on the other hand, is a constant and major requirement.

The busiest pieces of equipment on the job are the eleven 160-in. DeWalt saws mounted on benches in the mill area, and the 140 portable Skilsaws. The former do the heavy work and the latter are in demand all over the job. There is relatively little use of hand saws.

Lumber comes mostly by rail to the Fort Ord sidings and is unloaded beside the mill area which California climate makes it unnecessary to roof. Two of the eleven bench-mounted saws are equipped with dado heads for special cutting such as grooving, notching rafters, etc. A very large part of the lumber -
(Continued below the next two images.)

Top image:
Wall opening cuts are being finished by carpenters as laborers help in raising.

Center image:
Left of sidewall is started by crew spaced along length of unit. Note upright pieces nailed to outside wall as stops.

Bottom image:
Completion of lift is easy after first heavy heave in made.

Center half image:
Main Garrison at Fort Ord mobilization camp in California close to shores of Monterey Bay. Barracks and other construction involved three general contracts aggregating $9,000,000.

Image top right:
Wall is held upright while braces are nailed on and then entire crew turns to other sidewall.

Image top center:
When both walls are braced extra men (labors) return to their jobs and carpenters remain to carry on.

Image top lower:
Second-story Gable end is fabricated in horizontal position. Covering on all outside walls including gypsum boards, building paper and 1-inch tongue-and-grove sheathing.

Image lower center:
Housing for 25,000 officers and men is provided. Water supply is stored in two banks of four 120,000-gal wood-stave tanks.

Image lower left:
Trimming of sheathing around openings is done with electrically powered Skilsaw before walls are raised.

Image lower right:
On sub-floor of second story, workmen prepare sidewall panels for next wall raising.

(Continued from the third image above)
- that goes into each building is precut and some is pre-assembled before it gets to the building. Porch units, stairs, fire escapes, ladders, secondary electrical brackets, shelves, mess hall tables, mail boxes, theatre seats, etc. are made up and stacked in the mill area ready for delivery as required. All this pre-assembly speeds the work and decreases confusion and litter around the buildings.

Some special lumber was brought from planing mills. For example, all window frame materials, milled ready for assembly, are delivered to the job in shooks (set of parts for assembling). Window frames are put together on jigs by crews consisting of two carpenters and a laborer. The latter unpacks the shooks and piles the parts as they are needed on a wide bench built to convenient height just behind the carpenters. A carpenter's vise at one end of the jig affords means of quickly putting the assembled frame under pressure to hold it together while the nailing is done. Such a crew of three men turns out 185 to 200 window frames per 8-hr shift. These and other similar jigs are out in the open adjoining the mill area. Whenever increased demand makes it necessary, additional crews are added to step up the output.

Indicative of the large scale of operation are these three items in the bill of materials: 3,000,000 sq. ft. of tongue-and-groove gypsum sheathing, about 4,000,000 sq. ft. of Sheetrock (for interior wall partitions), and some 6,000,000 sq. ft. of double-kraft water proof building paper.

Most important factor in speed is the contractor's organization which is planned to operate on what might be termed a continuous "assembly-line" -
(Continued below next image.)

Top image:
Completed row of 2-story wood barracks is ready for occupancy by troops.

Center image:
Typical 63-man barrack is here shown with construction well advanced. Rafters are up and roof sheathing is stacked ready to be handed up. Rectangular frame projecting above gable is for electric wires, shown in photograph at top of page.

Lower image:
Brackets supporting "eye-brow" roof go up as part of sidewalls. Staging here shown at lower-floor window-level is only falsework required on entire building.

(Continued from above image)
- Program. The work is divided into divisions (usually 8 to 12 of these have been functioning at one time) each in charge of a superintendent directing perhaps eight crews, each consisting of 20 or more men. Each of these crews has a specialty and does nothing else. The crew that pours concrete footings is followed by those that place sills, creosoted posts and floor beams. Then come floor and wall crews followed by others for stairs, rafters, roofing and trim. As each crew finishes its specialty work on one building, it is transferred promptly to the next building in line with not lost time.

Under these methods a double row of buildings constituting the company street springs up in a few days with no confusion and a surprisingly small amount of waste material. A striking feature of the job is the cleanly appearance of the buildings during construction, which arises from the absence of scaffolding or falsework. To this feature is ascribed increased speed and safety with decreased cost. Scaffolding is made unnecessary by a plan in which work ordinarily done on the walls is here done on the flat. Entire sidewalls and ends of each building, one-story height at a time, are laid out on the sub-floors. Here all sills, studs and plates, as well as all diagonal bracing and headers for all openings are put together and spiked.

Then tongue-and-groove gypsum sheathing is laid down on the studs and nailed. Over this is placed a double-kraft, water proofed building paper and, finally, outer tongue-and-groove 1-in. boards are placed and nailed. In the panels thus put together on the flat even the openings are marked and sheathing is cut away to studs and headers with Skilsaws. The completed side (or end) panel is then raised to vertical position and braced. After this bracing and the succeeding plumbing of the panels, window and door frames can go in and, if the panel completes the wall height, rafters can then be handed up. After walls and ends are erected, practically nothing more has to be done on the outside of the building and thus the usual two-story staging is entirely unnecessary. The bracketed "eye-brow" roofs that -
(Continued below next image.)

(Continued from above image)
- project over the lower story (in the two-story buildings) are assembled before raising as part of the second-floor wall panels so that when the walls are upright, the bracketed supports have been swung out exactly into place. For nailing these brackets to the walls, an outside working platform is needed somewhat above the lower floor level. This is the only outside staging required on the standard building; it is relatively simple to put up and is not high off the ground.

The absence of scaffolding is believed to have much to with the fact that not a single serious accident has occurred in Fort Ord construction in a six-month period during which expenditures have been almost $9,000,000 and a complete community for some 25,000 officers and enlisted men has been constructed.

WALL PANELS UPENDED
There are some tricks, naturally, in up-ending these wall panels quickly and safely. For example, when the sills are laid down on the sub-floors, they are placed 4 in. inside the line marking the edge of the outer wall. Before raising the panels, 2x4-in. blocks are fastened down, with partially driven nails, on the 4-in. ledge outside the sills. These blocks are placed just outside window openings where they will be easily accessible from within after the panel is erect. Thus, the wall panels are swung to upright position 4 in. inside their final location. When temporary braces have been put on and before the wall is finally trued up, these blocks are taken up and the wall panel is crowded out 4 in. with the aid of pinch bars. This movement is simplified and safe-guarded by "stops" or short pieces temporarily nailed in an upright position to the outside of the sheathing so that they limit the outward movement during the 4-in. shift and pending the spiking of the sills.

The building ends go up before the side walls, always one story at a time. As the ends constitute relatively small sections, the carpenter crew can set them up without help. Temporary bracing for the ends is put on the outside to leave the floor area entirely clear for the two sidewall panels. All buildings are wide enough to allow both sidewalls to be laid out on the floor at the same time. When walls are ready for erection, a group of laborers from some nearby operation is called in to help and the men are stationed 4 to 6 ft. apart along the prone section. In this way walls as long as 150 ft. have been erected in one lift.

With a few temporary braces to hold the wall upright, the men then immediately turn to the other sidewall which is similarly set up. Then the extra help can be released, usually after being on the floor only a few minutes. After some experience it was found that the "eye-brow" projections could be made to fit at the building corners by making 45-deg. Cuts on end and side extensions. This does away with special fitting on the outer walls.

Each division functions under a superintendent who has complete authority and -
(Continued below next image.)

(Continued from above image)
- responsibility, thus making the cantonment not one large job but an aggregate of many small jobs. Each division superintendent has an "expediter" whose function is to see that all needed deliveries of materials, supplies and equipment is timely and that no stoppage of the work results from this cause. The men that fill these jobs have to be alert, quick and of the "go-getter" type, accustomed to getting action promptly. They are given the necessary authority and motor-truck equipment to get special service in deliveries from mill, warehouse, or other sources of material.

At the height of the work about 2,700 men were employed. At the outset, almost one third the total number were carpenters. In the later stages' plumbers, electricians and other crafts were required and the percentage of carpenters decreased. As a maximum the contractor had about 70 men on the job engineering and supervisory capacities. The did all of the surveying, (only control lines had been run and main bench marks set before the contractors took over) checking, bookkeeping, ordering, etc. The freedom from necessity for clearances and approvals required under the cost-plus-a-fee plan is credited for much of the speedy action obtained in laying out and carrying on the construction plan.

UTILITIES AND PAVING
Water for the camp is obtained by pumping from the wells and the supply is stored in eight 120,000-gal. wood-stave tanks set up on timber towers whence gravity develops a pressure of about 80 lb per sq. in. over most of the camp. However, pumps can deliver directly to the mains in emergencies. Fire plugs are spaced 250 ft. apart. Sewage is collected in a 24-in concrete interceptor leading to a modified Imhoff disposal plant whence effluent goes to the ocean. Each of the barracks has its own central heating plant using gas fuel (supplied by private utility at 11,500 B.t.u.) In the hospital unit of 100 buildings (including provision for -
(Continued below next image.)

(Continued from above image)
- 1,500 beds) a central plant provides steam heat.

Standard cantonment design is used. The 63-man two-story barrack with a 29.5 x 80-ft. floor plan is arranged along the standard company street which includes 3 barracks, one mess hall, on 25x45-ft. recreation building one company storehouse. At Fort Ord there are 398 of these standard barracks. In addition to the standard units. Fort Ord has numerous special buildings including warehouses and four theatres each with a seating capacity of 1,038.

Initial grading, mostly in old beach sand, totaled about 2,000,000 cu. yd. Roads and truck parking areas (frequently used as parade grounds) were surfaced with some 300,000 sq. yd. of paving consisting of 5-in. compacted rock base overlaid with 2.5 in. graduated rock impregnated with asphalt.

In the standard building area such concrete as was used went largely into the building foundations and the 2-in. concrete floors in kitchens, heater rooms and shower baths. The largest concrete order on the job was for 5,000 cu. yd. in 12 powder magazines along the shoreline built to the "igloo" design with arched roofs to be covered over with sand for bombproofing. These are 27 ft. wide and 40 or 60 ft. long.

ADMINISTRATION
Work at Fort Ord in under direction of the Quartermaster Corps, Col. H.D. Stetson, constructing quartermaster, and Capt. A.H. Griffin, engineer officer.

Ford J. Twaits-Morrison-Knudsen Co., Inc., the general contractors

R.M. Connor is project manager

Paul B. Tichenor is general superintendent

Most of the lumber came from the Daugherty Lumber Co., Cottage Grove, Oregon

The 120,000-gal wood-stave tanks were supplied by the Pacific Tank & Pipe Co.

Some of the principal subcontractors are as follows:

Sewers, Vinson & Pringle.

Heating, H.S. McClellan

Plumbing, Anderson-Rowe Co.

Electrical, Roy Butcher

Painting, J.P. Carroll

END OF ARTICLE

CONSTRUCTION METHODS MAGAZINE
April 1941, Fort Ord Advertising

"A Building Every 54 minutes at Fort Ord" was the claim. The top of the sign in the image reads "Ford Ord Main Garrison." (Source: National Archives)

Barracks going up at Fort Ord, California 1940. DLIFLC & POM Archives

The construction of Stilwell Hall the million-dollar Soldiers Club overlooking Monterey bay 1941. DLIFLC & POM Archives

Source:

7/29/2022

Hi Greg,
I stumbled upon your website looking for a little info on when the base was built in 1941, it is really a great site. One of your photos posted references the "building every 54 mins", so I thought I'd pass along this article that I found in Construction Methods magazine from April 1941:

Click on the below link:
Construction Methods magazine from April 1941

I bought (what I was told) was a complete article on Ebay a while back that was cut out from this magazine, but it was missing half of the article, so I was glad to find the digital version to complete the story.

Dave Hambleton

Note: I would like to thank Dave for contacting me about the article. I was aware of the article back in 2008 when I started my Fort Ord research but I was never able to find it.

Thanks, Dave

Greg Krenzelok - Director -Historian
U.S. Army Veterinary Corps Historical Preservation Group

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U.S. Army Veterinary Corps Historical Preservation Group is a group of individuals that are concerned about the preservation of the History of the Veterinary Corps, Remount Service and Cavalry or wherever our country's history is being lost in conjunction with our beloved "Horse and Mule". There is no cost to join and membership is for life. We believe by uniting together in numbers we will be a more powerful force to be heard. Our membership list is private and only used to contact our members. Email us and become a member.

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