Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/323

 a Aprit 12, 1872. THE BUILDING NEWS. 305 ————— eee 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 Thursday. TO AMERICAN SUBSCRIBERS. In answer to numerous inquiries, the Publisher begs to state that subscribers in the United States can be supplied with the BurLpING 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. Recetvev.—J. J. C. & Co—W. & Son.—P. & Sons.— F. & H—R.S. & Co—A. C. M—X. Y. Z—T. P. L— B. & Sons. ¥. G. B.—We don't know what the sketch represents. J. RUSSELL WALKER.—The sketches came to hand. Correspondence. —_@_—__ DR. HAYWARD’S MODEL HOUSE. To the Editor of the Buiro1ne News. Smr,—I do not dispute the power of Dr. Hay- ward to invent, execute, or control an admirable general system of warming and ventilating a dwelling. and I trust in his forthcoming work he ~ may successfully prove that he is able to do so, But any, general system seems to me open to the objection that the fresh air supply to all rooms may be contaminated by exceptional causes that might otherwise affect one alone, and that continued intelligent, and 1 may say zealous, superintendence is required to keep the system in order. A house with its fires is a powerful pump, or collection of pumps, and will draw air from wherever it can get it, and not only from duly labelled inlets. It will be a cleverly contrived ménage to exclude every whiff from the kitchen, and closets. and a cleverly contrived apparatus which will always keep a lobby charged with fresh air of one temperature to satisfy the unequal demands of a varying number of fires all sucking at it. It must also be an un- commonly harmonious family to occupy such a model establishment, that all its members should like the same amount of heat everywhere. Marital powers of persuasion, always equal to Dr. Hay- ward’s, your own, Mr. Editor, or mine, will also be needed to convert all spouses to the peaceable negation of open windows on summer evenings. Dr. Hayward has, however, set himself a philan- thropic, if a Herculean task, and I cannot but wish him as I do, complete success.—I am, &c., J. P. Seppon. 12, Park-street, Westminster, April 9. DEVONSHIRE MARBLE. Srr,—Is it because it is fashionable to ignore our own, whilst we prize and cherish that which belongs to another country ; because it is the thing ‘‘ to do” Switzerland and the Rhine, and give ‘‘ the go-by ” to the majestic scenery of North Wales, the High- lands, and a hundred lovely spots in our own eountry, that in a great undertaking like that of the new National Gallery Mr. Barry should propose in- troducing in large quantities Genoa and Belgian marble, whilst we have at home so many glorious native marbles of our own ? The Irish, Derbyshire, and last, but not least, our abundant and richly-veined Devonshire marbles, will all compare worthily with foreign productions, and are, as well, obtainable at a considerable less cost. Who is there that may have walked the streets of Plymouth after a smart shower of rain and has not been struck with delight at the splendid and never-ending variety of tone and colour the paving- stones there present ? Plymouth is paved with its native marble, and the effect, when wet, is as unique and remarkable a one as it is beautiful. __ It is well known, too, that marble can be obtained in greater quantity and in far greater variety in Devonshire than is obtainable from the foreign markets. I have often wondered why the tens of thousands of tons of limestone raised yearly in the quarries, and used so extensively in and around Plymouth, on the public buildings and forts, for nobbling and quoins, do not have a wider field. Superior to almost any otker sort of stone for durability, strength, and closeness of grain—as the nobbling upon 8. Andrew’s Church, Plymouth, built five hundred years ago, and as fresh now as when first put into the building, affords a striking instance —it might be used with the greatest advantage, as well as with great economy, in many parts of Eng- land. The method adopted in Plymouth is to have white quoins and black nobbling, or black quoins and white nobbling, either of which have a capital effect. I believe the cost of nobbling in London for this material would not be more than about 1s. per foot super, and the quoins about 1s. 8d. a foot super. I suppose it is because we of the West are such a long way down, and out of the world, that our splendid building resources are not better appreciated than they are; and yet if they were more fully de- veloped I believe that the building trade would be greatly benefited thereby.—I am, &c., dls We Exeter, April 8. LONDON POLICE-COURTS AND STATIONS. Srr,—It would appear from Mr. Sorby’s letter in last week’s Burtpinc News that in the designing and carrying out of the Metropolitan Police-courts and stations there has been, what I may term, some slight confusion. Mr. Sorby seems to have designed elevations, and to have had nothing to do with interiors, and then to have resigned his appoint- ment before any of the buildings were finished—or in some cases before a brick was laid. They may not have been finished during his term of office, but are they or are they not from his designs? However, with this Ihave nothing to do, and, perhaps, it is quite as well for Mr. Sorby’s reputation, that he, as I read his letter, disclaims all connection with this very praiseworthy series of buildings. I have no desire to discuss the distinction between a Section-house, Police-court, or Police-station ; it was with the elevations only that I was dealing, and the fact of the building in Rochester-row being a block of stables, with residences over for men, is no excuse for the utter disregard of structural rules that pervades it. The public entrance door adjoins these stables, and the exigencies must have been peculiar that would force an architect to place stables in the front, and more important buildings in the rear. As regards the uses to which the buildings are put, I had, in some, distinct and unmistakable evidence that they were what I described them to be—viz., Police-courts (or stations, if Mr. Sorby likes it better) serving also as residences for some of the officials, {can only repeat that to whatever architect or no architect we are indebted for these Police-courts and Stations, taken altogether, they remain as unsatisfactory a series as it is possible for buildings to be.—I am, &c., iWicen ii MATERIAL AND STYLE FOR LONDON ARCHITECTURE. Srr,—In a letter on the above subject, quoted from the Pall Mall Gazette, which appeared in your number for March 29, there occurs the following sentence :— “The Trayellers’ Club House in Pall Mall has had to be painted, to arrest further decay, and to disguise its unsightly appearance.” As this letter, according to the Pall Mall Gazette, bore the “‘signature of a distin- guished retired architect,” and as he “speaks with practical knowledge,” it might be well that he should be informed, that from whatever cause the front of the Travellers’ Club has been painted, it certainly is not on account of decay in the stonework. The front of this excellent building is of cement only—and thanks to such cement, the little gem stands out with asharpness not to be found in some of its more am- bitious companions in Pall Mall.—I am, &c., Ww. W. ——___——_ Mr. John §. Phené, F.G.S., F.R.G.S., the dis- coyerer of the serpent and saurian mounds in Great Britain, was elected on Thursday week a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. The foundation-stone of a new Wesleyan Sunday School, which is to cost £1,000, was laid at Cheadle, on Thursday week last, Mr. Sugden, of Leek, being the architect. Mr. William Watson, of Wakefield and Don- caster, has been appointed architect to the Conis- borough (Yorks) School Board; and Schools for 600 children, with master’s house, are to be built. Considerable additions have recently been made to S. Paul’s Schools, Higher Temple-street, Man- chester, under the direction of Mr. John Lowe, archi- tect, by Messrs. Davies & Mawdsley, at an outlay of about £1,700. On Good Friday the memorial stones of a new Primitive Methodist Chapel at Northampton were laid. The chapel will seat 600 persons. Mr. Ker- ridge, of Wisbeach, is thearchitect. The estimated cost will be £1,250. Artercommunication, i QUESTIONS. (2527.|—Area of Triangle.—I shall feel obliged to any of your numerous correspondents who will ex- plain the following problem for finding the area of a triangle, as given in Dobson & Tarn’s “Student's Guide to Measuring,” p. 17. To find the area of a triangle whose sides are 12ft., 15ft., and 19ft.: S = 4 (12ft. x 15ft. x 19ft.) = 28;S — @ = 23 — 12 = 11; S-—6 = 23-15 =8;S—c = 23-19 = 4. Areaof triangle = /23 x 11 x 8 x 4 = 4,/506 = 90 square feet. How is the result of 4/506 = 90 square feet arrived at? I think there must be some error.— STUDENT. [2528.]}—Concrete.—Would some correspondent kindly give mea hint as to price per square yard of building in concrete for walls, say, 14in., 9in., and 6in. thick respectively? Also, probable cost of apparatus for building the same.—R. W. S. (2529.;—House-Top Gardens,—I would thank any reader for the mode of construction and materials necessary for the best roof for house-top gardens, so that the ceiling and room underneath the roof may be dry and healthy.—F. N. [(2530.]—House Decoration.—I shall feel obliged if any of your numerous readers would kindly tell me the best work on the above, with particulars as to price, publisher, &c.—T. C. S. [2531.]—Constructing Reservoir.—I wish to know whether the annexed sketch is a good section, or not, for areservoir to hold about six million gallons ; a NRAYDOLE and if the dimensions for wall, concrete, and puddle. are sufficient to render it perfectly watertight, and should counterforts be built? if so, at what distance apart ?—AQua. REPLIES. [2509.]—Specification.—As ‘ Tekton ” appears to allude to my ‘Discourse upon Dilapidations, Eccle- siastical and General,’ I would mention that the doctrine of dilapidations concerns the user and sur- render rather than the origination of estates and build- ings. It embraces rights and liabilities, interests and claims. It treats of accessorials and annexations. It leaves constructors free, but deals with consequences and defects. In new ecclesiastical work the design should be appropriate, and the materials good, sufli- cient, and well applied, so as to insure the lowest pos- sible ratio of repairs. The Act of 1871 did not change the nature of dilapidations, but gave the bishops more effectual powers for their remedy.—T'HoMAS MORRIS. [2522.]|—Measuring Stone.—When the specifica- tion describes work as being ‘measured net-in-work ” ae A this means the exact size of each stone without any allow- @ ance for sawing, &e. Thus = a window-cill, the section of Yj 4 Ws YM. YY : which is shown, would be a 2” =v taken as 12 x 8 by the el cepa se length. Mr. Trickett asks for the authorities. I could name a dozen London surveyors whose practice this is; but published authorities are the best. Take Gwilt’s ‘‘ Encyclopedia.’—W. R. A., Uckfield. [2522.]—Measuring Stone.—Mr. Trickett’s ques- tion consists of two opposed parts, one of which nulli- fies the other, just as general law is governed by private agreements. It is not, in fact, the correct and customary way of measuring cube stone in buildings that he desires to learn, but, rather, how the stipulation that it shall be measured ‘‘net-in-work” ought to be construed. He puts forward the general rule and asks, “AmIright?” But it would be proper to hear both sides of the argument, since until the specialagreement is arranged he may be or may not be alterius modi.— ANY OTHER MAN. [2522.]—Measuring Stone.—* Stone measured net-in-work,” 27ft. or 9ft.? Itis difficult to conceive the sort of specification into which such a clause can have found its way; but more than one meaning may, no doubt, be given to it. Take, for example, a pyramid on a square base, with sides of 3ft. and a vertical height of ft. in a single block. The mason