Pusey Overhaul Comes After Overhang Falls

Following the collapse of a granite slab from the overhang outside Pusey Library last spring, the Facilities Maintenance Department is conducting an extensive overhaul of the structure to ensure its safety.

Nobody was hurt when half of the slab-fell into Blodgett Court, or The Moat, as it is more popularly known.

"It made quite a large crash when it fell and we all remember this moment distinctly," said Clark A. Eliott, an archive employee who was working in Pusey Library at the time of the accident.

This fall the slabs will be subjected to electrical scanning. Corliss T. Van Horn, a Facilities Maintenance official overseeing the inspection, said the scanning is intended to detect flaws in the granite.

"There is no other way for us to conduct our research. If we did otherwise, we would destroy the slab," Van Horn said.

Since the accident, workers have built a wooden frame above the entrance to the library, removed and inspected the slabs, and double-checked their fastenings.

Revolving Doors

The wooden structure was built even though no slabs were loose because the entrance presented "a potentially dangerous situation," according to R. Thomas Quinn, associate dean for facilities maintenance, who supervised the project.

One woman who works in Pusey library said that people were not disturbed by the testing and construction. "There has been no problem. We just walk in and out of the door," she said.