Page:Professional papers on Indian Engineering (second series).djvu/21

CANNING COLLEGE, LUCKNOW. 5 and are built 2 feet into the wall; there is no weight on the portion built in except the stone flagging, so to prevent any chance of tilting an iron rod 4-inch diameter was passed through them all at the centre of their depth, and at a distance of 11 feet in from the face of the wall, this rod is embedded in brickwork which comes up flush with the tops of the brackets.

The two small turrets in front and the four minarets are entirely in 1st class brick work.

The steps are of brickwork with treads of Mirzapore stone 2 inches thick.

The projecting windows in front corner towers are carried by brick corbels, and a capping sill of stone 6 inches thick cut to the shape of the window on the outside and carried through so as to be flush with inside face of wall.

The whole building inside and out, except the interior of Examination Hall, is plastered with a thin coat of sand plaster, composed of 1 part stone lime, 1 part kankar lime, and 2 parts clean Goomtee sand, ground together in a mortar-mill and laid on in the usual manner; all mouldings and ornamental work were executed in brickwork as closely as possible to the finished shape so as to reduce the thickness of plaster to a minimum.

The exterior of the building and interior of end and back verandahs and porches are left of the natural colour of the plaster, the ornamental work having a ground of pale neutral tint; the class and other rooms except Examination Hall, are coloured light blue, the roofs and cornices being white; the central corridor, lower front verandah and both upper verandahs are entirely white, so as to throw as much light as possible into the Examination Hall, which receives its light through them.

The Examination Hall is plastered throughout with white plaster polished to imitate marble, the rough coat is composed of equal parts of surkhi and fresh kankar lime, this is covered with a thin coat composed of white lime and powdered Jubbulpore soap-stone worked in and rubbed up to a fine polish.

The upper verandahs are reached by two spiral stair-cases formed in the east end wall of Examination Hall; they are 9 feet diameter with a newal 11 feet diameter, giving a clear width of step of 3 feet 9 inches, centre width of tread is 1 foot 21 inches, and rise 8 inches; the steps and rises are of Mirzapore stone, the former 4 inches thick with a moulded nosing, the latter 2 inches; the south stair-case is continued up to the roof