Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/303

 ‘Apri 5, 1872. THE BUILDING NEWS. 285 seen his pamphlet, I give his words in preference to my own, because he is a thorough practical mason, of large experience, and an observant man. On this part of the subject he says :— ““T have been to a great many quarries in various parts of Great Britain, and, therefore, have had the opportunity of noticing the stone on the spot from whence it is obtained, and find there is a certain portion of stone that will perish in its own native air and on its own soil.* I have seen the Cheshire, Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Derbyshire stone, also the Glasgow white stone and granites at various quarries, all perish in their own native air. The exterior of the Grosyenor Hotel is mostly of Bath stone, and has been erected some seven or eight years, and nota single piece of this stone is decayed. And why? Because it was carefully selected. This stone, then, that decays, is simply an inferior quality, which, if placed in any buildings, whether in town or country, will decay. The thin beds are generally of an inferior quality. These thin beds will not stand the effects of the weather so well as the high beds, tor the higher the beds are the better the stone generally is.”+ Mr. Cross is quite right, the thin beds in almost every quarry are inferior to the deep or thick beds, a fact well known to all who have given the subject even a cursory examination; although this is well known, yet it is more difficult than at first sight ap- pears to obtain good stone and good stone only. Some quarrymen compel each customer to take both, that is, will not sell one without the other, Again there is a temptation to send stone from the inferior beds, if the price of the other beds is advanced. The difficulty is not lessened when engineers, architects, and others, specify particular beds or particular quarries, for, like the landowners who advance price when a railway comes through their land, so to specify a particular quarry is to send up the price. Already my letter has run to too long a length, and I have scarcely touched the subject, or I would have suggested some of the more apparent remedies which are patent to one’s mind, the result of observation and long experience. I would have noticed the almost exclusive use in London of stone of the Golite family, and said something of steps and staircases, and their unsightly patching (which might be avoided) ; something of our footways and footway paving ; something on the decay of artificial stones, and on the decay of stones in public buildings ; something of the clerks of works, who, as a rule, are a valuable body of men, but some of them on this subject are often misguided or prejudiced; and also something on the defects of unlimited competi- tion, which has the effect of equalising the price of good and bad stone; but I must reserve these, and some others, for a future day. I have spoken elsewheret of selection, and also of the working of stone (for, if properly worked, in- ferior stone will stand a long time); being a stone merchant I refrain, for obvious reasons, from point- ing out those stones and granites which I know will stand ; remarking, in reply to the letter which ap- peared in your last week’s number, that the use of granite exclusively wouid not get us out of the difficulty ; we should still require care in the selec- tion, for, as Mr. Cross says in the quotation I have made. and which I can confirm, ‘some granites perish,” and I could show, did space permit, that with few exceptions we have no selection at all.—t am, &e., SAMUEL TRICKETT. Stone Merchant, Millwall, E. [More space is at Mr. Trickett’s disposal if he de- sires to use it.—Ep. | PERSPECTIVE. Srr,—The perusal of your abstract of Mr. Sharpe’s remarks on perspective suggested the following re- flections, which you may perhaps think fit to pub- lish. Firstly, the perspective delineation of our designs will be of little practical use in helping us to complete their construction in the desired form and proportion, unless we can accurately translate our perspectives into thoroughly representative working drawings. Secondly, if instead of starting with a perspective sketch we merely use it as a test of working plans already prepared, it will be found necessary, I think, in most cases, in order to insure its being a reliable test, to work the perspective out, according to the regular mechanical process, and net trust to a correct eye and its invaluable agent in all art work—a free and ready hand.—I am, &c., A. P. G. generally received opinion, although most fallacious, that stone will stand the weather where it is raised. t Names of several quarries are given where inferior thin beds are found ; these I purposely omit. 3 Ina letter published in your journal, LONDON POLICE-COURTS AND STATIONS, Srr,—Your correspondent ‘‘ W. W.” (p. 244) has favoured your numerous readers with his critical opinion on some of the above-named buildings ; but as his premises are erroneous, I would beg leave to correct him. The so-called Police-court in Rochester-row is a block of stables, with lofts over, above which it was, at the last moment, determined to erect two floors of dwellings or quarters for the men connected with the adjoining police stations, for which purpose the “dignity of the law” would be surely unsuit- able. The Police-court is in Vincent-square. The so-called Police-court in Kennington-lane is a “section house”’ or police residence, and has no con- nection with the court; I had, however, no hand in its design. The Police-court (which ‘“‘ W. W.” evidently did not see) is about fifty yards up the Renfrew-road. The elevations are from my designs, but I had nothing to do with the interior or the general execution. The Vine-street and Kings’-cross-read stations are both from my designs, and I purposely adopted the “‘aggressive ’’* style your correspondent objects to as by no means unsuitable for the purpose, and as being perfectly unmistakable in character. Vor the sins of the other buildings referred to I am not responsible, as I resigned the appointment I held before any of the buildings I have referred to were finished, or indeed before a brick was laid at the Lambeth Court and Vine-street Station. Your correspondent will see that he is entirely in error as to the use and object of these buildings (in mistaking a stable for a Police-court, for instance); in fact, not one of the buildings he refers to were designed or are used for the purpose he supposes. I should, therefore, recommend him to be more cautious another time before he ventures to assume the office of critic. My predecessor was not an architect in any sense of the term (which accounts for that curiosity in Albany-street, for instance), and I was appointed rather by chance, as I did not even seek the office, and finding it interfere with my general practice I soon resigned it for more congenial work. My suc- cessor was for many years deputy-surveyor for dangerous structures, until at my suggestion an Act was passed handing over the dangerous structures to the Metropolitan Board of Works. Ultimately this service will be absorbed by her Majesty’s Office of Works, so your correspondent has small chance of seeing much architecture connected with Metro- politan Police-courts or Stations. March 27 ale Tuos. Cas. Sorpy. DR. HAYWARD’S MODEL HOUSE. Srr,—I quite agree with your correspondent—Mr. J. P. Seddon—that “arrangements for ventilation and other sanitary matters should be as simple as possible, self-acting, and needing little attention.” Hence in the plan of ventilation I have adopted, openings and flues are made in the brickwork of the walls, so as to be operative at all times independent of the will of the inmates, so that whether they wish it or not fresh air comes into the house, passes through every room (even when the windows, doors, and chimney throats are shut), and then out of the house; and this both day and night, and summer and winter, by the mere process of spontaneous ven- tilation, assisted by the suction of the kitchen fire, and which suction is, therefore, in continual operation without any extra cost or attention. The seasons of the year, however, change, and the numbers of occupants (and, therefore, the requirements of the house) vary; and openings made for summer and for the full number of occupants cannot possibly be comfortable or healthy for winter and few occu- pants, but it is as necessary to provide for these changes, as it is to provide ventilation at all. I shouid like to know how Mr. Seddon would pro- vide for these contingences without some superin-~ tendence and extra cost. I also agree with Mr. Seddon that ‘‘a position midway between the skirt- ing and cornice” would be the best for the inlets into rooms—scientifically—but I think certainly not for comfort and appearance. Who would like open- ings ‘‘of ample size, and protected by wire gauze,” midway up the wall of his drawing-room? These, and many other objections, are fully considered in an essay now in the hands of Messrs. Spon & Co,— Tam, &c., Joun W. Haywanrp. 27. 117, Grove-street, Liverpool, March have been “ oppressive.” —ED. 1 Antercommunication, — QUESTIONS. [2520.]—Paper as a Building Material—Can some one inform me what cupro-ammonium consists of? whether it is a patent, where it is to be bought, and whether it is an expensive article? (See your article on ‘ Paper as a Building Material” in No. 898). —SUBSCRIBER. [(2521.)—Photographs of Sketches,—I shall be obliged by any information that will enable me to ob- tain copies of the photographs exhibited in the Paris Exhibition of Mr. Wm. Burges’s drawings of S. Simon Stylites and his fountain.—M. B. A. (2522.]—Measuring Stone.—Will any of your correspondents say which is the correct way of mea- suring stone or granite for the cube contents when the specification says ‘‘all stone measured net-in-work ?” I say it is the smallest parallelopiped out of which the stone can be got. Am I right? and who are the authorities ?—SAMUEL TRICKETT. [2523.]—Surveyor’s Fees.—Will you kindly in- form me if I am bound to pay a district surveyor’s fee for erecting stages on Thanksgiving Day? They were only temporary structures inside shop windows, and no notice given to surveyors.—C. C, (2524.|—Competition.—Can some one give any information as to the number of designs and general plan of each sent in for Bathing Town, Belfast Lough, Ireland, which were to be sent in by the last day in the past year, now three months ago? I should also be pleased to learn what is being done with the Chorley Town-hall designs, it now being two months since designs were sent in competition.—F. W. HAGEN, [2525.]}—Caleculating Size of Storage Tank. —I should feel obliged if any of your subscribers would give me information, through your ‘“ Intercommuni- cation ” column, as to how many gallons of water per day would be a fair allowance for each person in cal- culating size of storage tank for a country residence dependent on rain-water supply ; and also what kind of tank would be preferable; whether tanks of concrete are found to answer the purpose well; andif so, the best method of constructing same.—JAcK SPRAT. [2526.]—A Question of Property in Walls.— A client of mine lives next to a house where some works have been lately effected that he asked me to observe on his behalf. Behind the house was a yard, having its surface level with the basement floor, and enclosed by walls rising nowhere less than to the top of the ground story. The tenants haye now made it habitable by constructing a roof at the highest point, and by employing and plastering the walls hitherto used by the adjoining owners exclusively. The ques- tion, therefore, arises whether those adjoining owners are entitled to proportional payment for the walls now first brought into joint use. The surveyor under whom the work has been done asserts that they are not, and maintains a perfect right to use the walls in the way described without any liability whatever, and without notice under the Building Act. The proprietors (tenants) also hold that they have done no harm in turning to account walls ready to their hands, and that any objection must be meanand sordid. My client, on the other hand, would be glad to know, and requires me to tell him, what, in fact, his rights are, as, although indifferent on pecuniary grounds, he feels it important to define and hold his own. He might have taken the wall down, but can no longer do so. I conceive that with the new appropriation a corresponding liability arose, and have suggested a reference to the district surveyor or some other approved person, but this has been declined. With your kind permission, however, some experienced reader may be disposed to assist—A CAUTIOUS SURVEYOR. REPLIES, [2507.]—Basalt.—Basalt is lava cooled under cir- cumstances of great pressure, which causes it to be much less porous and cellular, and much more tough than that cooled on the surface. Strictly speaking, basalt is only one kind out of many trap-racks, butit is often used as the name for a great many of the class, varying slightly in texture and chemical composition. It is considerably used in the North of Ireland as a building stone, chiefly in rubble walls, or in hammered ashlar, when with brick or stone dressings it often has a very good effect, Its hardness renders it unsuitable for moulded work. I have seen agood many churches, factories, and other buildings executed in it, though its esthetic qualities have hardly been so well treated by our local architects as they might have been. The colour is very dark greenish or purplish gray, according to the locality. From its toughness it forms, perhaps, the best road material to be found in the British Islands. At least, I have never seen better roads than those made from it in Antrim and the county of Durham, in both of which places it is largely used for that purpose.—F. W. L., Belfast. [2518.)—Surveying. — The theodolite can be trusted for taking angles even to the scale mentioned by ‘Young Surveyor” if the instrument is in good order and properly used. The variation of the com- pass at the present time may be taken at 214° to the west of the true north. ‘This is sufliciently near for most practical purposes; but when great accuracy is required an observation must be made with a theodo- lite or circumferentor and the pole star on a clear night, having the ‘‘ Nautical Ephemeris” at hand to find the time when the star is about its greatest eastern
 * Own soil and native air. Mr. Cross here alludes to a
 * The printers made a mistake in this word. It should