Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/304

 286 THE BUILDING NEWS. Apri 5, 1872. or western elongation. The compass is also subject to a diurnal variation, being most towards the west about 12 o'clock at noon. The compass, also, is subject to season variations, more westerly in summer than in winter. The compass or needle is coming towards the true north every hour. There are many works upon quantities—Dobson’s, Reid's, ‘Tables of Earthworks,” by Sir John Macniel, &c.—W. R. A., Uckfield. ———— ae LEGAL INTELLIGENCE. THE ALLEGED DANGEROUS OONDITION OF ADELPHI-TERRACE.—Mr. Biron attended at the Bow- street Police-court on Tuesday, with Mr. Hayward, the district surveyor to the Metropolitan Board of Works, by the request of Mr. Vaughan, with refer- ence to an application for an order for ejectment, under the Dangerous Structures Act, which he (Mr. Hayward) made on Monday the 25th March. The application was made respecting the dangerous state of five or six houses in Adelphi-terrace by Mr. Hay- ward, and the result was that Mr. Vaughan granted an order for the removal of the inhabitants of the houses in question, one being the Junior Garrick Club. On the following Thursday several of the inhabitants, accompanied by Mr. Fladgate, solicitor, of Craven-street, Strand, waited upon Mr. Vaughan, and in consequence of their assertions that the houses were perfectly safe, Mr. Vaughan suspended the order, and requested Mr. Fladgate to attend the following Tuesday, when notice would be given to the representatives of the Metropolitan Board of Works to be present also. Mr Fladgate stated that the houses had been built about 100 years, and had been somewhat neglected in consequence of the liti- gation connected with them. He admitted that there were cracks in the walls and basement, but that they had not increased during the past ten years. They were sufficient, perhaps, to frighten the district sur- veyor, who had only recently seen them, but their true nature did not justify the steps which he had taken to eject at once the inhabitants——Mr. Robert Driver, of Whitehall, stated that he had been sur- veyor of the Adelphi estate for twenty years. He had recently examined the houses on Adelphi- terrace, and was satisfied of their stability. No. 1a, the Junior Garrick Club, was in the same condition as it had been for the past ten years. There were large cracks, but they had not increased during the past ten or twelve years. There was certainly no danger of the house falling. The same remarks applied also to Nos. 1 and 2, except that the latter was the worst. No. 3 was in very good order. No. 4 was not so good, but there was no danger. Some of the cracks might have got a little larger, but there was no fear for people sleeping there.— Mr. Biron submitted the witness to a close cross- examination, and questioned him respecting the arches and vaults beneath the houses which formed their foundation.—The witness replied that he had seen the arches beneath, and noticed the crumbling or crushing of the bricks and concrete. Some of the brickwork had become rotten. and the arches had been well shored up by Mr. Scurry.—Mr. William Scurry, architect and surveyor, deposed that he had received notice to shore up the founda- tion, and the work was in progress. He had made a careful survey of Adelphi-terrace, and considered the houses quite secure. The club was perfectly safe. Some of the houses were in a very bad state, but were not dangerous. Cross-examined, witness said that one of the piers or supports of the arches under one of the houses needed rebuilding, and he was appointed to see to the repairs. He had shored the place in such a manner that there was no imme- diate danger of the house above falling. He had a perfectly safe method of rebuilding the pier by means of what was technically called a “needle.” This would afford the necessary support while the original one was being repaired.—In answer to Mr. Vaughan, Mr. Fladgate said that he had other witnesses, but their evidence was only in corrobo- ration of what had already been said—Mr. Hay- ward was then called, and stated that his attention was first called to the condition of the place by some of the inhabitants. He considered that the houses were in a very dangerous condition, and that the reconstruction of the piers was a very delicate operation. It was exceedingly unsafe for people to remain in the house while the reconstruction was being carried on. He had ordered a hundred men to work at it on Sunday on account of the immediate danger.—Mr. Geo. Vulliamy, the super- intending architect to the Board, made similar statements.—Mr. Vaughan said he was quite pre- pared to express his opinion that the order must not be cancelled. He had come to the conclusion that there was a great amount of insecurity about the houses, but he was desirous to hear all the par- ticulars on both sides, for he did not think that persons should be ejected from their houses under the Act without the greatest necessity. ‘The order for the ejectment was then held good. ee On Monday afternoon last the foundation stone of a new Roman (Catholic) School at West Hartlepool was laid. Mr. W. Harrison of West Hartlepool, is the architect, and the cost will be about £1,000. LAND AND BUILDING SOCIETIES. British AMERICAN LAND Company.—The annual meeting of the proprietors of this company was held on Wednesday week at the London Tavern, General Alexander in the chair. The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, congratulated the pro- prietors on the satisfactory nature of the past year's working. The sales of new land comprised 23,340 acres for £12,545, against 15,765 acres for £8,786 in 1870. Of these 13,900 acres were sold to settlers for agricultural purposes. The unsold land at the end of the year, inclusive of lands reverted, was 363,855 acres, standing at a cost of £88,699. The Sher- brooke town sales were 35 acres, and the town pro- perty now comprised 7034 acres, at a cost price of £29,200. The profit and loss account showed a larger balance than in any previous year, £11,330 having been raised to the credit of surplus ac- count, which showed a balance of £36,092 at the end of the year. The directors recommended a dividend of £1 per share, leaving £6,165 to be carried for- ward. After some discussion, the motion was adopted. GENERAL MUTUAL PERMANENT LAND, BUILDING, AND INVESTMENT Society. — The third annual meeting of the shareholders was held on Wednesday week at the Inns of Court Hotel, Holborn. The re- port stated that the receipts for the past year amounted to £13,834, exceeding those of 1870 by 3,568. 215 new shares have been taken up. The balance due to shareholders, together with interest accrued thereon, amounted to £8,997, an increase of £4,019 during the year. The balance due to de- positors had also increased by £843, the amount so invested with the society and interest thereon being £3,278. The amount received for repayment of ad- vances had been £2,065. The directors had ad- vanced upon mortgage securities (including the law- charges) £6,224, which, with £20 for temporary ad- vances, made a total of £6,244 for the year. The balance now outstanding upon mortgages was £17,638, securing profits amounting to £4,813 for dis- tribution in future years. During the year a profit of about £820 had been received, which, with the balance brought forward, had enabled the directors— in addition to the current interest on shares and de- posits—to pay all outstanding expenses, write off £50 from the preliminary expense fund, and leave a balance for division. The accounts, after deducting £4,813 rebate of future profits, showed a balance in favour of the society of £376, of this amount £216 was placed to the credit of a suspense account, and from the balance a bonus of 2} per cent. was de- clared for the year, upon all share capital invested before January 2, 1871, which, with the current in- terest, made 74 per cent., and left a balance in hand for future distribution. Seen ners CHIPS. Mr. Alexander MacCallum, the painter, who has been passing the winter in Egypt, will bring home from thence a number of sketches and studies made during his tour on the Nile. These will include views of the temples built by the Pharaohs, thou- sands of years ago, in the golden age of eastern architecture. The Hanging Committee for the Royal Academy Exhibition will consist of Messrs. Ansdell, Frith, Frost, Redgrave, and Weekes. The Academy hears that the paintings offered for exhibition in the Albert Hall, though equalling in number those sent in last year, have considerably deteriorated in quality. Mr. Gilbert R. Redgrave has been appointed to be the manager of the Alexandra Palace at Muswell Hill. The works at the Palace and Park are ina forward state, and the public opening will take place very shortly. 8. John’s Church, Longton, was re-opened on Easter Eve, after renovation and redecoration. New schools in connection with §. Georges Church, Hulme, and built in the Gothie style, from the designs of Mr. Bates, Cooper-street, Manchester, were opened on ‘I'uesday last. The cost was £4,500. Sir John Lubbock has completed the purchase of the Celtic stones at Avebury, and has thus averted a serious blow to one of the grandest monuments of antiquity within the British Isles. Early on Sunday morning last, the 31st ult., an accident, resulting in considerable damage to pro- perty, oecurred at the Hartford New Ironworks, Oldham, belonging to Messrs. Platt Brothers & Co. Connected with these extensive works are store- rooms, in which is placed finished machinery. The floors rested upon beams of considerable strength, and were otherwise supported by stout iron pillars. At the time before mentioned the whole fell in with a tremendous crash, rendering the carefully finished and valuable machinery a huge heap of almost worth- less débris, and causing damageroughly estimated from £3,000 to £4,000. Fortunately no one was injured. Sir William Tite, M.P., and Mr. Neville Grenville, M.P., have consented to act as trustees for afund for carrying on the archeological explorations at Rome. ’ Our Office Table, ——_>—_ Wortnine Coutrce.—The boys of this college, through the consideration of the principal for their sports, have been enjoying themselves this winter by skating upon asphalte, he having, in the vacation of 1870, put an iron roof over a large area of ground, and paved it with Claridge’s patent asphalte, which answers the purpose well, and is in no way injured by the rollers of the skates. Attar VessEts For 8. Paut’s CarHeprRaL.— The choir and congregation of S. Lawrence Jewry, with other friends, have subscribed to present an Easter offering to the cathedral, consisting of two cruets for the ablutions, which were used for the first time on Easter Day. They stand 9gin. high. The bowl is of pure crystal, and the mounts gilt silver; the foot, neck, and cover chased in high relief, with bright flutes dividing the ornament; the upper mount has two bands of fine work similar to thaton the border of the alms-dish lately presented, and between them are two shields, one bearing the sacred monogram and the other the arms of the cathedral. The cover is surmounted with a cross. The bowls are engraved with the letters A” and ““V"’ on both sides. They have been designed and executed by Messrs. Lias & Son. JosepxH Gintorr ‘“ ExcHancine Prcrures” witn Turner.—lIt is now, says the Guardian, some thirty years since Joseph Gillott began to “make people steel pens,” and some twenty-five since he succeeded in persuading them ‘ they did write.” The fortune since gradually accumulated has been largely invested in works of art. Since 1845 somie of the greatest British artists have flourished, and from all the greatest he bought pictures. At his recent death his gallery contained nearly 600 examples of all schools. The story goes that when he visited Turner, the artist would have refused him admittance; but Mr. Gillott, who knew Turner’s weakness, hastened to draw a roll of notes from his pockets, and spreading them in their thousands on the table, said, “I want to change some of our Birmingham pictures for some of yours, Mr. Turner.” We need hardly say his Turners were of the finest. But he is dead, and they and all are to be sold. The first part will be sold at Christie’s on the 19th April. Two sales will follow at intervals, but those who wish to see the gallery entire must go to the general view now open at Birmingham. FLex1ste MArsie.—Professor Hay, of the Western University of Pennsylvania, describes the constitution of a flexible marble slab, which is pro- cured from the Portland quarries, Vermont, as—car- bonate of lime, 97°50; magnesia, a trace; silica, 2°05; water, 45; = 100. The above composition and its crystalline character together proclaim it to be a true marble, and, at the same time, a pretty pure specimen of that mineral. The indubitable flexibility of the slab is its most remarkable feature. Dana states that ‘‘ some of the West Stockbride marble is flexible in thin pieces when first taken out.” A slab in the possession of Mr. Holliday, of Wheeling, is about 2in. thick, and is nearly as flexible as an equal thickness of vuleanised indiarubber. Prizes ror Arr Workmen.—To encourage technical education in the design and execution of works of art in the precious metals, the Goldsmiths’ Company have resolved to give the following prizes, —viz.: An annual prize of £50 for the best design for some article in gold or silver which, when manu- factured, shall exceed 300z. in weight; an annual prize of £25 for the best model for some such article as aforesaid; and an annual prize of £25 for the best execution and workmanship of some such article as aforesaid. Also, three annual prizes of £25 each for (1) the best design, (2) the best model, and (3) the best execution and workmanship of some article in gold or silver which, when manufactured, shall be less than 300z. in weight; and annual prizes of £25 each for the best specimens of (1) chasing or repoussé work, (2) engraving, and (3) enamelling in the precious metals. Originality is necessary to obtain either of the prizes for design, and no copy shall be the subject of a prize. The prizes will be awarded in November. It has also been decided to found a travelling scholarship of £100 per annum to be awarded by the wardens to a student who has shown exceptional talent, and who shall have ob- tained a prize for design for three successive years, in order to enable him to study art in the precious metals on the Continent. Layp at Sourn Kenstneron.—We understand that a highly valuable estate of building land, a short distance from the Horticultural Grounds, has lately been sold by private contract to an eminent London builder, through Messrs. Powell, the estate agents, of