Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/178

 162 THE BUILDING NEWS.: Fes. 23, 1872. SRN Ne __—____—__—_—_—_—_———— no doubt, arises the mistake he has made in saying “in the plainest language” “ that I accepted the offer of the appointment without consultation” (the word used in Mr. Barry’s pamphlet was communication) with him at that time or any other. With many apologies for taking up so much of your space with such unimportant personal details, I am, &e., Feb. 19. Grorce EpmunpD SrReeEt. CONTEMPORARY CHAPEL BUILDING. Srr,—Under the above heading, you published the week before last an article, which although rather severe, vet in the main, is, I am sorry to ad- mit, very true. The state of Nonconformist archi- tecture is certainly not what it ought to be, but in one thing Icannot agree with the writer. He seems to think'that we Nonconformist architects have no difficulties to overcome with committees. Truly, as he says, they care not for mediwyal precedent, but then they are often terrible sticklers for modern pre- cedent; for, having chosen some wretched wiry building, without any feeling or design in it, but plenty of carving, as an example, they tell their unlucky architect they want one after that pattern, and of course with very different requirements. Their passion for fronts is alarming, the sides and back, although quite visible, are often preferred to be as bare as possible, so that all the ornament pos- sible may be crowded into the front. Plaster, again, is another sore point; bare brick walls inside! Why the very idea horrifies them, and notwithstand- ing all the explanation and declamation I could yen- ture in their favour, only once have I obtained my desire. Sites, usually, except near London or in large towns, are none of the best, and one has there another difficulty to contend with, as far as my ex- perience goes, for in each case I have had to deal with, except one, there have been some difficulties in the site. In one there were graves thick as they could be packed, all round the old building, and which were not to be disturbed, and site was very short and small, and had a stream running round three sides of it; another was an extremely long and narrow slip of ground, and another was small and very sloping, but this last would not have been a great disadvantage, had it not been for the passion of the committee for a front, which they must needs have. Another great difficulty, except in rare in- stances, is the money, as for £3 or £4 per sitting one is expected to produce something quite startling, and startling to educated eyes it frequently is. Such are some of the difficulties many of us have to contend with, and in criticising our works it should be remembered that the examples produced are not always what we can do, but only what we are allowed to do. NonCONFORMIST. Feb. 14. PLUMBING. Sre,—“* R. P. C. W.” had better attack the archi- tects for the style of gutters described at p. 95 if he is not pleased with them, for thousands of such are laidin and around Glasgow, and when laid they stand very well if the lead put on at first has been good. The lead is not nailed any way either along its back or front, nor at the ends. Mere theory is all very good in its way, but as the Glasgow archi- tects appear to find that this style does very well, and pleases their customers, they often use it, and seeing it is so much used, it was the duty of the author of the articles on “Plumbing” to describe it. However, this is only one of several styles, and, of course, I approve of proper drips where provi- sion is made for them, as they give the lead a better chance, but where no such provision exists the plumber must work in accordance with the _ archi- tect’s plan. To make the face of drips only 1}in. deep, as “ R. P. C. W.” suggests, is too little ; twice 1fin. would be better, in my opinion, for shallow drips often leak. “R. P.C. W.” is mistaken in supposing the gutters were to be soldered at the ends as described at p. 95; they were only to be soldered at the joints where two pieces met, the ends being “‘bossed” to fit site. He is also under a misunder- standing in talking about ‘“‘ stepping” a stone raggle, such as is referred to for chimneys, atp.96. Brick- work is stepped, but it would be simply absurd to step polished freestone-work, especially where, as in Glasgow, e. g., the stones generally used are between 2ft. and 3ft. long, and about 1ft. high, and it is such stone-built houses that are spoken of, too, at pp. 95, 96.—I am, &c., PLUMBER. S1r,—Your correspondent “R.. P. C. W.” appears to understand the subject. Perhaps he would not object in a longer letter to describe at greater length the several operations which he shortly describes. I understand partly some of them, but the burning in of flashings not at all—I am, &e., Ro ABERYSTWITH SCHOOL BOARD. Srr,—Will you kindly allow me space in your paper for the following advertisement, and its result, which appeared in the Aberystwith papers afew weeks ago :— “The Aberystwith School Board are prepared to receive applications for the appointment of Architect to the Board. Letters, stating terms, &c., to be sent in to the Clerk of the Board not later than Friday, the 9th of February next.” In reply to the above, the Board received no less than twenty-two applications, the majority of them being London and Liverpool architects; and among them several gentlemen of high position in the archi- tectural profession. A meeting of the Board took place on the 9th of February, when the Clerk stated the terms of applicants, which ranged from 24 to 5 per cent. on the cost of the schools, while one or two mentioned lump sums vary- ing from £150 to £200 per annum, Mr. Thomas Jones (a member of the Board) then suggested that they should choose some half-a-dozen of these gentlemen, and ask them to send in plans at their own expense by the 1st April, when an architect could be finally chosen. The following gentlemen were then selected :—Messrs. Izlumper & Aldwinkle, Messrs. George Jones & Son, Aberystwith ; Mr. R. Owens, Liverpool, Mr. Tsherwin, Manchester; and Mr. J. P. Seddon, London. Surely this selection cannot be called a honourable one, when I say that, to my knowledge, some of the above gentle- men are now carrying out works for members of the Board, and the others are personal friends of other members of the Board. I shall be glad if you or some of the readers of the BuILpInG News would give their opinion upon the following questions :— (1.) Reading the advertisement, would you not come to the conclusion that-the Board intended to select an architect upon his terms? (2.) Cannot this Board be compelled to stick to the true meaning of the advertisement, if the five selected gentlemen are not all 24 per centers ? (3.) If not, can all the gentlemen who sent in terms demand to send in designs in competition by the Ist of April, and see that justice is done to them in the final selection ?—I am, &c., Nusquam LuTa FIDEs. CEMENT AND CONCRETE.—V. Srr,—When I concluded my last letter on concrete I intended it to have been the last, but I find I did not quite finish my subject ; besides, :t gives me an op- portunity to thank you for the notices of Drake’s cement concrete walls, which I was most happy to re- ceive. Messrs. Drake, I think, have pretty nearly solved the problem of concrete buildings, but if they want it thoroughly to succeed, the training of workmen will be found a necessary adjunct. Simple labourers will not do. Indeed, it should be raised to the dignity of a trade; and one at least of it to direct who under- stands the whole matter on each building; one who can not only direct, but do, in a case of necessity, and who knows how to suit his proportions to his vari- ous materials. Bridges, arches, lintels, or anything requiring resistance to tensileand transverse breakage, may be made of it, and will answer as well as or better than much stone, but its fullstrength, nay, scarcely a half of it, is brought out with gravel. Cement does not stick to a polished surface, as most of gravel surfaces are, so that small places where the cohesion is defective or wanting, the number of which is immense, render its power of resistance not more than half in most cases. Gravel does not bed so well as broken stones; for proof, note the difference in point of bedding between gravel and broken stones on a macadamised road. I have yet another objection to flint gravel for bridges, &c., but before I mention it I shall put the following :—Any substance, whose particles are made to vibrate by any means, not having the property of vibrating equally in all its parts, will be subject to de- terioration, eyen to breakages, in some cases. Now the flint and enveloping materials vibrate very differ- ently, the flint much, and the cement scarcely at all, where traffic is passing over which causes the whole bridge to vibrate. to loosen the flints, and though the first vibrations may be infinitesimally small in injury, yet a continu- ous vibration for years will affect much, and I can conceive it to so affect the cohesion of concrete as to make it unable to bear its own weight. Some yearsago a boy (I wish I knew his name, to have the honour of writing the name of such a little hero, for he sacri- ficed his life) was passing along one of the dykes of Holland, when he saw water coming through the dyke in a very small quantity, yet the boy knew that unlesa stopped the water would soon burst the dyke, and inundate the whole country; so he went and put his little thumb in, stopped the water, till some one passed the following morning, who made the dyke good—was in the mean time perished with cold, took ill and died, yet he saved the country by his little thumb. I have given this, which is perfectly true, to show the importance of attending to small things, however trivial at first sight they may appear. Every possible circumstance ought to be taken into consider- ation. The way I would use my thumb to stop the hole would be to use something else than gravel. Any broken hard material, the rougher the fractures the better, but not very elastic. is better than gravel, This difference in vibration tends* but clay burnt till crystalline is, I think, the best, and broken flints the worst. Deterioration once begun, goes on in an increasing ratio. I cannot refrain from giving two examples well known, one illustrating con- tinuous, and the other interrupted, vibration. Railway- carriage axles are often changed in texture from fibrous to crystalline, when they break, and lives are lost, and this by not foreseeing the effect of ylbration on the iron. Bells have been cracked when a small card or other light substanee has touched the bell during striking, or after being struck. Vibration will prove an ugly item, even in most favourable cases. Gravel is quite good enough, except for the face blocks, and where resistance to breakage is required. It is readier and cheaper, though why the latter, with Drake’s and other stone-breaking machines to get ? I did not in my last quite finish what I had to say on facing blocks. Ishould have said that the largest pieces of material should turn in about an inch ring; in filling the mould care shonld be taken to well work the mix- ing containing the smaller pieces to the side intended for front especially, and in packing, which may be done, if not for bearance, to keep it well from outside. If care be taken, the block should leave the mould as clean as a casting; but to this cleanness I should ad- vise the following, if practicable. Before the block gets thoroughly set, get the side or end uncovered that is to be outward face, work it over smooth witha flat, using, if possible, only the cement already on, and then trowel it up tillas smooth, hard, and bright as polished marble. This can easily be done, for about Newcastle it is done day by day with floor of the same material. I need not say that all concrete blocks ought to be covered from weather to prevent irregular drying, and perhaps crack- ing. Set some time the year following the blocks being made, and fill beds and joints with cement. T shall, to finish, suggest some uses the last style of conerete may be put to. Side paths to streets, floors, instead of paving yards, to houses, and, in fact, any floor or pavement where colour is no object, The surface is done, as I pointed out for block faces, as the conerete is laid, no patching and no two layers. A workman not used this work would find some difficulty in getting as true a face as he might like, but a few trials and a little instruction, too, if he can get it, would soon make him quite ready at it. ‘The burnt clay should be broken smaller, mixed without sand, and well consoli- dated. I saw some cement side paths put down about a year and a half ago, but the top skinning is shelling off now. It appeared to cost more than the concrete would do, and concrete I have seen after ten years’ and more hard wearing scarcely touched. I conceive it would also do for landings not much thicker than stone, fireproof floors for upper rooms, where, if the span be too great, arches may be turned and pillars cast of the same materials. I haye seen imitation granite, where the materials were mixed of the colours of granite and rubbed smooth like a bit of Portland stone. This might be done for pillars which would have to be cast with very small materials. This may be wrought like a stone if the cast shape be not perfect, and even carved The mixing and casting forms ne labourer’s work, I purpose. with your permission, to give a few rules how to select stone that will stand the weather. They will, however, not teach any one without the actual inspection of any stone he may come across.—I am, &e., Hyde-street, Winchester. C. A. WEDDLE. VENTILATION OF SEWERS. Srr,—As the ventilating of sewers is now oecupy- ing considerable attention by corporate authorities, I will, with your permission, say a few words on this important question. It is a well-known fact to every one that the gas generated in sewers, if per- mitted to escape into our dwellings, is most injurious to health, and in thousands of instances it has caused death. The important question is how are we to pre- vent this from occurring. In the first place the autho- rities of all towns should have a bye-law to compel every owner of property who drains his houses or workshops into the main sewer, to place a ventilating shaft from such drain, just outside the property so drained ; this should consist of a iron spout, similar to the rain-water drain spout. This shaft should be placed against the building, along the roof, and up the nearest chimney, and terminate twelve inches above the flue. The joints of these pipes should be run with lead so that the foul gases could not escape and get into the bed-rooms or work-rooms in its passage through the ventilating shaft; secondly, the authorities of all towns should have ventilating shafts from the main sewers in the streets. These shafts ought to be double, and branch out from the bottom of each side of what we call the man-holes, and should be carried to the edge of the footwalk on each side of the street. ‘These shafts should be of taper earthenware pipes, twelve inches at the sewer or man-hole, and six inches at the footwalk. A brick chamber should be built on the footwalk with grooves or slots on each side, in which a charcoal cage, 15in. square, and 4in. thick, will easily slip in and out. Over this brick cham- ber must be placed a perforated iron guard, so that the air, after passing through the charcoal cage, will escape in a purified state. These double ventila- ting shaits ought to be placed about half a mile apart, and fresh charcoal placed in the cages twice a year. Now, sir, I have n> doubt whatever if these two sug- gestions where put inte practice, the air of our sewers would be as pure or even purer than the air breathed in hundreds of dwellings at the present time.—I am, &e., J. DUTHIE. 4, Peel-terrace, Preston, Feb. 19.