Fort ceases firing to protect Capitol

JOHN GRABER, THE OLYMPIAN

FORT LEWIS -- State officials may be concerned about how the Capitol will fare in another act of God, but they don't have to worry about Uncle Sam.

Fort Lewis has restricted firing all artillery pieces that use larger than a 60 mm rounds after the state's General Administration department requested a temporary cease fire, said Brendalynn Carpenter, an Army spokeswoman.

State officials fear that vibrations from the artillery could shake loose five large pieces of stone on the outside of the Capitol dome that were damaged during the Feb. 28 earthquake.

"Those stones are being held in place because they are wedged in there," said Andrew Stepleton, who is a General Administration senior property manager.

State officials believe that it could cost almost $20 million to repair all the quake damage to the Capitol.

Stepleton said his office doesn't want to take any chances with the stones, which weigh between 2,000 and 3,000 pound each. Work crews on top of the dome have reported noticeable vibrations when the fort's guns have fired in the past, and the stones in question are already leaning outward, he said.

"There's a lot less holding those stones in place than we thought," he said.

Temporary restraints should be placed on the stones by the weekend, Stepleton said.

That means the 520th Infantry Division, whose plans to train with the bigger guns this week have been nixed, should be back in the field very soon.

"They've been good neighbors," he said.

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