Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/437

 _ a May 24, 1872. THE BUILDING NEWS. 415 ————— Oe eee ee noo the metropolis; the buildings have been set back within the minimum line of 3ft. The views of the Committee of Council, as set forth in their “suggestions,” have been carefully considered wherever practicable ; the distances apart for seats, and allowances of space for sitting room which they require, have been uniformly followed. It is needless to remark that it would be impossible to carry out the Prussian system consistently, if the rule disallowing groups of seats more than three deep had to be attended to ; and this, therefore, has not been attempted. The plans submitted have been prepared in strict conformity with the requirements of the eleventh condition. For the warming of the class-rooms and living- rooms I have provided open fireplaces, though I do not strongly press ther adoption in the class-rooms, I UPPER PART OF HALL and opening inward, like hospital windows. I would also place under each window a large air-grating, opening into a space behind the boarded lining, from which the air would enter the room through openings in that lining—this to be under the control of the master. I also proposea cornice of perforated zine round three sides of the upper part of the room and divided into two parts, the larger part to communicate with an outlet-flue built purposely, and terminating over the roofs, and the smaller to communicate with openings admitting fresh air.» Should open fires be dispensed with, I would double or treble the size of this flue. The general room, besides its windows, is provided with inlets under the window-sills, and with abundant yentilating openings in the roof and the upper part of the back wall. ( NG, iT ROO 4 MistRESS FIRST FLOOR , GIRLS INFANTS: ENTRANCE He GALLERY INFANTE M ' MISTRESS 4 GALLERY, BOYS" FTAIRS) RoYs" ENTRANCE Cio VERED GROUND FLOOR, INFANTS Propose that an efficient heating apparatus should be Provided in the basement to heat the building and elass-rooms by hot water at low pressure, circulating an pipes of not lessthan Sin. diameter. I would take these pipes into the whole of the class-rooms, whether the open fires be dispensed with or not, and into the general room, and in fact every part of the building, carefully proportioning the area of heating surface to the cubic contents and other conditions of each room, -and introducing stopcocks to enable any portion of the system to be shut off at pleasure. For ventilation £ should rely on the simplest means liberally used. Complicated expedients are neglected and soon abandoned, and the use of small openings and few in number only gives imperfect results. I pro- Pose that the windows of the class-rooms shall through- out open to the ceilings, and that they shall be divided ‘by cross-bars into casements, each hung at the bottom, PLAY a GIRLS ENTRANCE GALLERY INFANTS! SCHOOL Tim GIRLS’ STAIR@ The infants’ school-room is provided specially with openings near the ceiling, opening into the covered play-sheds. These are to be heavily glazed, to exclude sound when closed ; but when open they will permit a full current of air to sweep through the room, and ina few minutes entirely renew its atmosphere. It might, I think, also be advisable (though this has not been shown on the drawings) to treat the staircases and the general meeting-room as great ventilating chambers, and to provide in each class-room large openings close to the ceiling in the wall facing the windows and com- municating with these spaces, such openings to be fitted with shutters or heavy sound-proof louvres, and to be used for the purpose of passing a through current of air from the windows through the class-rooms when- ever the latter were out of use. An estimate of the total cost (exclusive of architect's commission and clerk of works’ salary) of carrying out my design in a thoroughly substantial and workman- like manner, with the best materials and workmanship, accompanies the plans. This supposes the buildingsto be executed in brick, with hollow external walls, faced with red bricks and slated, and the walls of rooms to be plastered, those of staircases and general meeting-hall to be faced in brickwork aboye the boarded lining. The window- sills and copings to be principally of Portland stone. The joinery to bein clean yellow deal. The roofs to be partly felted under slates. The floors to be well pugged, but not to be constructed fire-proof. And, generally, every appliance which modern skill and ex- perience can bring to bear to be made use of, so far as is consistent with rigid economy. In reference to the estimate it seems necessary to observe that, in addition to the space required for the children in class, this building is designed to provide in the general room an area which would seat 260 additional children, beyond the 60 taught there. An extra class-room being required for a drawing-class, the accommodation equals that requisite for a school for 1,400 children; and the cost of the proposed building will at least equal, and probably exceed, that of such a school, provided with covered playground, The plan of the site forwarded to meas part of the conditions of competition, and understood by the help of the correspondence which I had with the clerk to the board on the subject, has been my guide in deter- mining the frontages available, and the spaces to be allotted to the different playgrounds. In short, the site, as shown on my drawings, is a careful enlarge- ment of that plan. T. RoGER SMITH. 23, Bedford-street, Coyent-garden, April 17. ——__ >. A FIRM COMING OF AGE. WN Monday the workmen and heads of departments of Messrs. Hobbs, Hart, & Co., the well-known lock and safe engineers, celebrated their annual festival at the Crystal Palace. Mr. Hart presided, supported by Mr. Hobbs and other gentlemen, and about 120 sat down to dinner. Among the standard toasts was included, in compliment to Mr. Hobbs, that of the Presi- dent of the United States. Whilst upon the toasting part of the subject, we will mention what we consider was a great improvement in this respect, and which might serve as a model for similar gatherings to come. Instead of a flood of maundering, which plain-thinking people do not understand, the usual loyal toasts were tersely and briefly given in a few sensible observations which might be almost counted at the fingers’ ends, followed by a heartily sung verse of the National Anthem, ‘by the entire strength of the company.” The day being unusually fine, the great object was to get the men out in the grounds as soon as possible, and, therefore, the oratorical part of the feast was cut down to the smallest practicable dimensions. Mr. Hogss, in his remarks, gave a very interesting sketch of the history of the firm, dating from the Great Exhibition of 1851. He stated that when he first came to London from America, he set about to remedy two radical defects in relation to the lock manufacture. One was the insecurity of the locks themselves, from a high-class point of view; and the other was the almost total absence of machinery in their construction. He had, furthermore, to contend against and overcome the strong prejudice which the workmen here had to the introduction of machinery, in the belief that it would tend to destroy their own labour. In that, he argued, there could not be a greater mistake. Mechanical invention stimulated demand to a degree previously unknown, and, as 2 consequence, enormously increased and enhanced the value of skilled labour. In America nothing was done by hand that a machine could be found to do; and what was the result? Why, that such machinery enabled the Americans to compete in the markets of Europe. He begged to remind them that he had himself been “on both sides of the anvil :” that is, as a workman and a master; and he could testify that the odds were by no means always on the side of the employer. When an artisan had finished his day’s work he could go to bed, sure of a good night’s rest. Not so the employer, who had to pass through many wearying, sleepless nights, in order to keep the engines constantly going and the men at work. He passed a very warm eulogium on Mr, Hart, as one who had gone through an immense amount of mental wear and tear of the kind that had just been alluded to. Mr. Harv, in his speech, whilst confirming every- thing that Mr. Hobbs had stated with respect to the exhausting labour that oftentimes fell upon the direc- tors of large manufacturing concerns, congratulated those whom he saw before him upon the firm haying completed its 21st birthday; and he was happy to state that their prospects had neyer looked better. Work was coming in to them in such a manner that he hoped to be able next year to see double the number of those who were then present. If there was one thing more than another that ought to give them especial pride, it was that no work left their hands but what was honestly done. In other words, the customer could confidently rely that what he ordered and paid for was honestly handed oyer to him. That confidence on the part of the public had been long fully established, and it gave Mr. Hobbs and himself no little pleasure to know that their workmen had so materially contributed towards that result, and it was to be hoped that they would all continue to do so in thefuture. On the part of the firm he could conscientiously say that the interests of the men and those of Hobbs, Hart, & Co. were one.