The Iowa State Capitol Fire 1904, November 2012

The twenty-first century Iowa State Capitol contains state-of-the-art fire protection. Sprinklers and smoke detectors are located in every room and all public hallways are equipped with nearby hydrants. The Des Moines Fire Department is able to fight fires at nearly any height. However, on Monday morning, January 4, 1904, the circumstances were much different. By the beginning of 1904, the Capitol Improvement Commission had been working in the Capitol for about two years. The commissioners were in charge of decorating the public areas of the building, installing the artwork in the public areas, installing a new copper roof, re-gilding the dome, replacing windows, and connecting electrical lines throughout. Electrician H. Frazer had been working that morning in Committee Room Number Five behind the House Chamber, drilling into the walls to run electrical wires and using a candle to light his way. The investigating committee determined that Frazer had left his work area and had neglected to extinguish his candle. The initial fire alarm sounded at approximately 10 a.m. Many citizen volunteers came to help the fire department. Capitol employees and state officials also assisted in fighting the fire, including Governor Albert Cummins. The fire was finally brought under control around 6 p.m., although some newspaper accounts at the time reported that the fire continued smoldering for several days. Crampton Linley was the engineer working with the Capitol Improvement Commission. He was in the building at the time of the fire and was credited with saving the building. Linley crawled through attic areas to close doors separating wings of the Capitol, an action which smothered the flames and brought the fire under control. Sadly, Linley did not live long enough to be recognized for his heroism. The day after the fire, while examining the damage, Linley fell through the ceiling of the House Chamber and died instantly from severe head injuries. The flames had burned through the ceiling and caused much of it to collapse to the floor below, while the lower areas of the building had been damaged by smoke and water. Elmer Garnsey was the artist hired by the Capitol Improvement Commission to decorate the public areas of the building. Therefore, he seemed the logical candidate to be given the additional responsibility of redecorating the areas damaged by the fire. Garnsey had a very different vision for the decoration, which is why the House Chamber, the old Supreme Court Room, and the old Agriculture offices directly below the House Chamber have a design that is very different from the areas of the building untouched by the fire.

Proposed Improvement of the Iowa State Capitol Grounds, An Address before the Iowa Chapter American Institute of Architects at the State Historical Buiding, Des Moines, Iowa, October 22, 1913.

Concerning improvements to the State Capitol Grounds including placement of the Allison memorial and Soldiers and Sailor's momuments; removal of heating plant and relieving the state of coal, ashes, gas and smoke; provision of office space to the Adjutant General; an eventual executive mansion; provision of office buildings; and for a Supreme Court building where together with its library auxiliaries will have perpetual growth and constant accessbility; and propose restoration of natural scenic value of the capitol site.

Utilization of Remote Traffic Monitoring Devices for Urban Freeway Work Zone Assessment Final Report, January 2012

The objective of this project was to promote and facilitate analysis and evaluation of the impacts of road construction activities in Smart Work Zone Deployment Initiative (SWZDI) states. The two primary objectives of this project were to assess urban freeway work-zone impacts through use of remote monitoring devices, such as radar-based traffic sensors, traffic cameras, and traffic signal loop detectors, and evaluate the effectiveness of using these devices for such a purpose. Two high-volume suburban freeway work zones, located on Interstate 35/80 (I-35/I-80) through the Des Moines, Iowa metropolitan area, were evaluated at the request of the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT).

Choke suffocate crush squeeze smother asphyxiate panic,2008.

This brochure exposed the dangers of second hand smoke to children and nonsmoking adults and to people with asthma.

Freeway Work Zone Lane Capacity, TPF-5(081), 2009

The focus of this report is a capacity analysis of two long-term urban freeway Work Zones. Work Zone #1 tapered four mainline lanes to two, using two separate tapers; Work Zone #2 tapered two mainline lanes to one. Work Zone throughput was analyzed throughout the day over multiple days and traffic operations conditions were analyzed up to a distance of five miles upstream of the Work Zone entrance. Historical data from pavement-embedded detectors were used to analyze traffic conditions. The database consisted of five-minute volume, speed and occupancy data collected from 78 detectors for a total of 50 days. Congestion during each analyzed Work Zone existed for more than fourteen hours each day; Work Zone impacts adversely affected freeway operations over distances of 3.7 to 4.2 miles. Speed and occupancy conditions further upstream were, however, not affected, or even improved due to significant trip diversion. Work Zone capacity was defined based on the maximum traffic flows observed over a one-hour period; throughput values were also compiled over longer periods of time when traffic was within 90% of the maximum observed one-hour flows, as well as over the multi-hour mid-day period. The Highway Capacity Manual freeway capacity definition based on the maximum observed 15-min period was not used, since it would have no practical application in estimating Work Zone throughput when congested conditions prevail for the majority of the hours of the day. Certain noteworthy changes took place for the duration of the analyzed Work Zones: per-lane throughput dropped; morning peak periods started earlier, evening peak periods ended later and lasted longer; mid-day volumes dropped accompanied by the highest occupancies of the day. Trip diversion was evident in lower volumes entering the analyzed freeway corridor, higher volumes using off-ramps and lower volumes using onramps upstream of the Work Zones. The majority of diverted traffic comprised smaller vehicles (vehicles up to 21 feet in length); combination truck volumes increased and their use of the median lane increased, contrary to smaller vehicles that shifted toward a heavier use of the shoulder lane.

An Evaluation of the Troxler 3241-B Nuclear Asphalt Gauge, MLR-85-11, 1986

The Troxler 3241-B Asphalt Content Gauge is intended for rapidly determining the bitumen content of bituminous paving mixtures. A 300 Millicurie Americuium 241: Beryllium source emitts neutrons which are affected by the hydrogen in the mix. The affected neutrons are detected by Helium 3 detectors, counted and computed into a percentage bitumen of the asphalt mix. The current methods of determining the bitumen content of bituminous paving mixtures requires the use of potentially hazardous chemicals and several hours of testing time. When extracted aggregates are not needed, determination of the bitumen content of a paving mixture by the nuclear method may be easier, quicker and potentially safer. The objective of the project is to study the accuracy of the Troxler 3241-B Nuclear Asphalt Content Gauge in measuring the asphalt cement (AC) content of asphalt concrete mixtures produced with different asphalt cements and different aggregates.

Dynamic Speed Feedback Signs, 2014

Dynamic speed feedback sign (DSFS) systems are traffic control devices that are programmed to provide a message to drivers exceeding a certain speed thresh¬old. A DSFS system typically consists of a speed-measuring device, which may be loop detectors or radar, and a message sign that displays feedback to drivers who exceed a predetermined speed threshold. The feedback may be the driver’s actual speed, a message like “SLOW DOWN,” or activation of a warning device such as beacons or a curve warning sign. For more on this topic by these authors, see also "Evaluation of Dynamic Speed Feedback Signs on Curves: A National Demonstration Project": http://www.trb.org/main/blurbs/172092.aspx

Division of Tobacco Use prevention and Control 2014-2018 Strategic Plan,

The Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control works to reduce tobacco use and the toll of tobacco-caused disease and death by preventing youth from starting, helping Iowans to quit, and preventing exposure to secondhand smoke. Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death for Iowans, taking the lives of more than 4,400 adults each year. Estimated annual health care costs in Iowa directly related to tobacco use now total $1 billion.

Effect of a Noise Wall on Snow Accumulation and Air Quality, 1985

A noise wall was investigated to assess its effect on snow accumulation and air quality. Wind tunnel studies were undertaken to evaluate (a) possible snow accumulations and (b) the dispersion of particulate concentrations (dust, smoke, and lead particles) and carbon monoxide. Full-scale monitoring of particulate concentrations and carbon monoxide was performed both before and after the noise wall was constructed. The wind tunnel experiments for snow accumulation were conducted on a model wall located in a flat, unobstructed area. A separated flow zone existed upwind of the wall and snow immediately began to accumulate over most of the separated zone. Having the noise wall in an aerodynamically rough area, such as in an urban area as this one was, substantially decreased the amount of snow collected, compared with in the wind tunnel studies, because of turbulence reducing the separation zone. The snow accumulation has not been significantly greater with the noise wall in place than it was before construction and has proven to be of no concern to date. Monitoring for particulate concentrations has shown that the noise wall has had a beneficial effect because the amount of material collected was reduced. With the noise wall in place, monitoring for carbon monoxide has indicated that (a) for equivalent emissions under conditions of high atmospheric stability and low wind speeds, the carbon monoxide levels would be lower; and (b) under conditions of low atmospheric stability and high wind speeds, the carbon monoxide levels would be higher than expected without the wall in place.