Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/243

 mae ei Marca 15, 1872. THE BUILDING NEWS. 225 TO CORRESPONDENTS. [We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our correspondents. The Editor respectfully requests that all communications should be drawn up as briefly as possible, as there are many claimants upon the space allotted to correspondence.) To Our READERS.—We shall feel obliged to any of our readers who will favour us with brief notes of works con- templated or in progress in the provinces. Letters relating to advertisements and the ordinary business of the Paper should be addressed to the EDITOR, 31, TAVISTOCK-STREET, COVENT-GARDEN, W.C. Advertisements for the current week must reach the office not later than 5 p.m. on Thurs@ay. TO AMERICAN SUBSCRIBERS. In answer to numerous inquiries, the Publisher begs to state that subscribers in the United States can be supplied with the BUILDING NEWS, post free from this Office, for the sum of 17s. 4d. (4 dols. 16c., gold) per annum, payable in advance. &= The remittance should. in all cases, be made by International Post-office Order. REcEIvED.—J. Soppitt.—Burton. Sons, & Waller.—J. H.— W. B. 0.—W. F.—W. P. B.—E. L. H.—T. G.—G. H. G.— Rey. C. H.—N. H.—W. E. D,—C. B, A.—A. S.—J. H.— J.N.—S. & Son.—J. H. H.—J. B. W.—W. & B.—L. & N. F. W. R.—The illustration to hand. Byron.—The plans were received. W. B. BE. A—The plan came ‘to hand, but after the speci- fied time, and it was consequently returned. G. W. H.—The plan with the motto signed “ A Country Boy ” was so poor, we may say contemptible, that it was not included in the list, and never ought to have been sent. Ctvin AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERS’ Socrety.—Conclu- sion of paper on North London Railway, and discussion thereon, in our next. Correspondence. —— HOUSE PLANNING COMPETITION. To the Editor of the Buip1nc News. Srtr,—This competition has doubtless assumed much larger proportions than the most sanguine could have expected, and from the ninety odd sets of plans, many are sure to be of sufficient merit to justify reproduction in the Burtpinc News. I would not by any means advocate the publishing of any design that is not fully up to the ordinary standard of exceilence, but from the large number of gentlemen who have entered the arena, many ideas willemanate; andit would, under the circumstances, be a great pity to confine yourself to three or four best plans for illustration, as appears to have been your original intention. I hope, therefore, it is not premature to suggest that all the plans which are of sufficient merit be illustrated in the Burnprne News, according to the positions they assume in the competition, and afterwards published in a separate form corresponding to the ‘Sketch Book.” The book could hardly fail to be of great interest in the profession. Whether or not many of the compe- titors are young men does not in any way alter the character of the designs; but on the other hand I have not much faith in routine architects and old men altering their ideas and manners much, which are not by any means perfection, as have been shown lately in your columns. The great number of competitors indicates the vast importance which the profession attach to house planning, which not only justifies the position you have taken in the matter, but at the same time refutes the contempt and in- difference which at least one reader endeavoured to throw upon the movement when it was first in- Stigated. The small premium offered cannot be the motive of response on the part of a number of com- petitors, so much as a desire to see our domestic architecture improved, and, unless I am sadly dis- appointed, the competition will have a remarkable effect in the profession, insomuch that we are not likely to see repeated the gross errors which some correspondents have exposed through your columns. —I an, «e., i. [On account of not having a suitable place for hanging the very large number of plans submitted, the arbitrators have not yet had an opportunity of examining the plans. We hope, however, to be able to give the names of the successful competitors next or the following week.—Ep. | HOW ARCHITECTS ARE TREATED IN THE WEST. Srr,—You will greatly oblige me by inserting in the Burtprne News the following clauses extracted from the particulars of the competition for the “Western Counties Idiot Asylum,” to be erected at Starcross, near Exeter, Devon :— 1. The plans, elevations, and drawings must be accompanied by an estimate of the probable cost of the building. 2. The estimated cost of the building will form an irgredient in the consideration of the merits of the plans sent in. 3. The plans, elevations, and drawings must be drawn on a scale of an eighth of an inch to a foot, and be sufficient in detail to show the intended con- struction of the building. 4. The plans must show the mode by which water and gas can be introduced, and also show the sewers and drains for the building in connection with the sewerage of the town. 8. Requirements for new building :—The accom- modation required is for sixty patients—viz., thirty- five boys and twenty-five girls, a superintendent and his wife, schoolmaster, schoolmistress or head- nurse, two male and two female assistants, and three domestic servants. But the building is to be so constructed as to be hereafter capable of exten- sion, so as to accommodate ultimately, altogether, one hundred patients—viz., sixty-five boys and thirty- five girls, and two male and two female assistants, and two domestic servants, in addition to those above-mentioned; making altogether four male and four female assistants, and five domestic servants. 10. The plans, elevations, and drawings for which the premium shall be awarded are to become the property of the Committee of the asylum (sic). 11. The Committee do not pledge themselves to employ the architect to whom the premium may be awarded either to prepare the working drawings for, or to superintend the erection of, the building; but in the event of his being so employed, the premium will not be paid to him; but he will receive instead of it 24 per cent. on the cost of the building as his remuneration for preparing the plans, working draw- ings, and specifications : and 24 per cent. on such cost as his remuneration for snperintending the erection of the building; such percentage to include expenses of journeys, and all other expenses. The premium referred to above is £10, for which architects are expected to send in designs for an asylum to accommodate 100 patients, rooms for assis- tants, &c., and a detailed estimate ; and the architect whose plans are selected must give up the custody of his plans, and probably see them carried out by somebody else. It is to be hoped, for the honour of the profession, that no architect will so degrade himself as to com- pete, and thus the invitation meet with the response it merits.—I am, &c., INDIGNANS. ECONOMISING THE SEWAGE. Smr,—The Glasgow folks appear to have dis- covered one practical system of collecting and dis- posing to advantage of what was formerly allowed to go to waste. I refer to the public urinals there. I understand that some parties have contracted with the city to give a thousand pounds a year for all the urine which may be collected from the public urinals. The manner of collecting it is very simple A is a urinal, B a large 200 gallon cask buried in the earth, C is an iron box, the top of which is level with the street, and which has a strong iron lid that lifts off and on. This iron box is about 16in, deep inside and 10in. by 9in. wide inside at top ; it is a little narrower at bottom. <A pipe, D, goes from urinal to box, from which, by means of pipe E, the urine falls into barrel. The pipe F is waste pipe going down to common sewer, through which the water runs away when urinal is being washed out. Except during the short time urinal is being washed, a cast-iron plug with an indiarubber washer and a brass handle always lies on mouth of waste pipe F; but when urinal is being washed the plug is put into mouth of pipe E, so as not to allow any waste water to go into barrel. The barrel is emptied at regular intervals, as I understand, by mean of a pump, an indiarubber pipe being put into barrel through .—I am, &c., Ps PLUMBING. Srr,—In reply to ‘‘Plumber’s” challenge, I must decline to be shot with my own gun. He will find I had described the gutter illustrated at p. 171 on p. 142, as the proper one to use. I also described in that letter the side gutter to chimney he illustrated on p. 2083—A would be called a gutter in this country, and B a flashing—with this difference only, that I re- commended the flashing to be stepped. Ican only remem- ber (during 25 years’ experience in carrying out archi- tects’ designs) two instances of drips being of greater depth than Ijin, I have asked all my acquain- tances in the trade, and they assure me it is the usual depth in England. Most of the old buildings of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were executed with only lin. drips to gutters. I have inspected these, and found the gutter boards in the same state as those with 3in. drips: rotten at the end. Thisis caused by capillary attraction, and will be the same if the drip is lin. or 6in. I will, at the close of the articles on “ Plumbing,” describe (with your permission) how different we do those things in England, but I must decline any further discussion with “ Plumber,” as, woodcuts being allowed him, I find the contest unequal.—I am, &e., Rebs Cs Wee (“R. P. C. W.” is mistaken. Correspondents are allowed woodcuts, and if any drawing he may have sent was not inserted, it must have been because there was insuflicient time to cut, or some other sufficient reason.—ED.] MR. FLETCHER’S PAPER. Srr,—I admire a well-built brick front. I hate tuck- pointing. TI have often had my buildings very much injured in their appearance by the brickwork becoming splashed with mortar and showing each stage of the scaffold. Therefore, I should be very glad to hear from Mr. Fletcher some more detailed account of his suggested method of protecting the work during pro- gress of building with brown paper. Alluding to the colour of mortar to be used with red bricks, does Mr. Fletcher mean by “dark mortar” what is known as ‘blue ash mortar’’? If not, what means are used to darken the mortar? In the fourteenth line from the bottom of first column in the table in which cost of labour, &c., of Pether’s bricks is treated, should not the word “ glazed” have been ‘“* gauged ?—I am, &c.,” R. L. BUILDING STONE AND HOW TO JUDGE IT. Sir,—Mr. C, A. Weddle’s letter recals to my mind a statement which I have somewhere read as to the plan adopted by Sir Christopher Wren to test the stone used for §. Paul’s. As well as I remember his method was to leave the blocks, when quarried, exposed to the weather for at least two years before taking them in hand, when the sound blocks were selected. The con- sequence of this ordeal was, and still is, that there is scarcely a flaw to be found in any of the material. In small jobs this plan could not be well carried out, unless the owners of stone would quarry a large stock to be kept on hand; but had it been adopted in connection with the houses of Parliament, the gain, both in money and appearance, would haye been great.—AN AMATEUR. —___—<>__—_—_ LAND AND BUILDING SOCIETIES. BritisH PERMANENT BENEFIT BUILDING SOCIETY. —The twentieth annual meeting of this society was held last week at the London Bridge Hotel. The report stated that the society consisted of 150 members who held 375 shares, of which 198 were investment, and 177 advanced or borrowed shares. The amount available for bonus was £250. Lonpon AND PRoVINCIAL PERMANENT BENEFIT Buitpine Socrety.—The annual meeting of this society was held last week, Mr. Theodore Jones in the chair. The report and balance sheet showed that the advances made during the year had amounted to £3,451, and the balance to the credit of the contingent fund, after providing forall expenses of management, had been increased from £84 16s. in 1864, to £540. The society is mutual, and works at very small expense, the investing shares being 5 per cent. for the whole period invested. The income of the society, which was £5,111 in 1864, has grown to £9,034 in 1871. WARRINGTON PERMANENT BUILDING SOcIETY.— The annual meeting of this society was held on Monday week. The managers, in presenting their fifth annual balance sheet, again congratulate the shareholders on the continued prosperity of the society, as shown in the annexed statement of accounts. The total receipts from all sources within the past year has been £28,745 0s. 2d., of which £18,554 19s. 5d. has been received on invested shares alone, whichis about £2,000 more on this account than in the preceding year. The advances on mortgages have also been greater than in any previous year, the managers having lent out within the same period the large sum of £22,360, as against £18,932 last year, and after deducting repayments and redemptions, the balance of this account stands at £56,554 9s. 7d., as against £40,674 last report. The average bonus paid by borrowers at the sales of money has been about £4 10s. per £100. There are on the books of the society 952 members, of whom 110 are borrowers. The managers have declared a dividend of £7 per cent. to investors, to pay which will absorb about £3,015, leaving £208 9s. 7d., to be carried to the reserve fund. —_ <> —___ A Parliamentary paper states that during the first half of last year 55 persons were run over and killed in the London streets, and 1,139 others were injured. ,