Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/45

 - JAN. 12, 1872. THE BUILDING NEWS. 29 ‘the portraits of those English nobles most alluding to an exceptional house here and | inducement torecommend anovelty, as it can- favourable to the principles of the Reformation, | there. In our own professional calling, it is and began to make his religious opinions frankly known by his designs for woodcuts. As he had adorned the first German Bible, so he did also Coverdale’s English Bible, which is but a more complete edition of Tyndale’s version. The precise date at which Holbein entered Henry VIII.’s service is not ‘known, but he is mentioned in a letter as the King’s painter in the year 1536. From hence- forth he is essentially limited to portrait ‘painting, which probably at that time ranked as the highest branch of the art in England, and was therefore assigned to the best master. Besides his portraits, however, he was much engaged by virtue of his office in designing for goldsmiths’ work, and for pageants. Many beautifully-executed drawings by him for such works remain, while those for triumphal arches and gateways serve to show that the architecture of the time, then a period of transition, is indebted to his genius for much of the richness and redundancy of ornament that characterises the Tudor Renaissance. Holbein died of the plague in London in 1553, in the prime of life. Some biographers thaye described him as of an_ entirely licentious disposition, but this seems untrue. He was fond of pleasure and of good living, and his character will not bear comparison with the upright, honest, God-fearing nature of his great contemporary, Albert Diirer. He is said to have been entirely without educa- tion, unable either to read or write, but this is proved not to have been the case, both from his illustrations to books and his writings and signatures on portraits. He does not appear to have had any fortune to leave, but his wife and children in Basle had been fortunately already provided for by a relative. Holbein distanced all his brother artists of that day in his comprehension of the beauty of form, in his power of delineating individual character, in his artistic richness of imagination, and in his bold treatment of the new Renaissance style. Without giving an entire adhesion to all Dr. Woltmann’s opinions on Holbein’s works, or agreeing with him altogether as to their originality or non-originality, we can highly recommend his book, which gives a strict and conscientious account of Holbein’s life and labours, and reveals many details about a painter of whom too little is known in this country, considering his pre-eminence in art and his wonderful power of drawing. We advise all art-students to make themselves acquainted with the book. ee ene ee HOW TO BUILD SCIENTIFICALLY WITH THE AID OF MODERN IN- VENTIONS. HIS is s subject which must commend itself to all. No one can doubt that the improyement of the dwellings of the noblest, or most ignoble, the richest or the poorest in the land, is of paramount importance. I will therefore proceed to consider the details of the subject, and show why s0 little has been done generally ; then I propose to enter into the various trades, showing what inyentions and patents are ready for appli- cation to buildings. I will also explain why so few are produced, and why those that are have been so little used in modern buildings. Let us first, then, take an entire building, and work from thence to details. Probably I do it in this form, as being the usual course pur- sued in designing, and the injunction so to do is given by some poet, whose words I remember, though I have forgotten his name. “Consider what you undertake, And analyse it well; And ever work from whole to part, Grand principle of master art, That makes that work to tell.” Well, then, let us consider in what does the house of to-day differ from the house built a century ago. I must be understood to mean the ordinary houses which are being built all over the kingdom, and not as sometimes wise to imitate the prudent trades- men who just now are ‘‘stock-taking,” but I am afraid if we take stock, and look upon the houses of to-day and those built a century ago, aud draw comparisons between them, we must acknowledge that our prede- cessors built much stronger and better houses than we do, and that the patents and inven- tions of the present day (useful as many of them are) are being so little utilised that, even in the matter of conveniences, the old houses will almost equal the modern. It is strange that this should be the case, when one considers the almost appalling number of inventions and patents that are granted yearly. Take, for instance, our own country ; here the ayerage number of appli- cations for patents per annum, during the last ten years, was a little over 3,000, of which more than 2,000 were granted. The number applied for last year was 3,500, and of these, according to the average, two-thirds would be granted. And yet, see how slow old Eng- land is. In the United States, for the year ending 30th September, 1871, 19,429 appli- cations for patents were filed in the Patent Office (including re-issues and designs) and as many as 12,950 patents were issued. And, startling as this may appear, I find that this number was not so great as that of the preceding year. I notice the fees received during the year by the United States Patent Office amounted to £671,583 ! I cannot say what proportion of the above patents relate to buildings and sanitary matters, but from time to time such long lists of them appear that one feels confi- dent the thought must arise in the mind of the public, why, then, are these inventions and patents not more used? I will explain. A man, if he can invent something which will enable him to produce an article of general consumption at a reduced price, say, for example, cotton, $d. per pound cheaper, or some machine which shall be a perfect sub- stitute for hand labour in some department where the demand is unlimited, why he may, out of such single invention, amass a large fortune, the one condition of such success being that the article manufactured shall be in great demand, and that the invention either saves money in its production, shall produce a superior article at the old price, or that by the invention useless materials may be made available. As an example of the latter, much iron is now utilised by the application of the hot blast that formerly was useless ; I do not say to the improvement of the iron manufac- tured, but that originally such material could not be used at all. Now you will observe in all cases that the basis of large profit depends upon the extended demand for the article, because the supply is regulated by the de- mand. Itis, therefore, evident that an in- ventor who turns his attention to patents in connection with manufactures has the pros- pect, if he is successful, of making larger profits than he who devotes himself to patents connected with buildings. This may account in some measure for the relatively small pro- portion of inventions relating to the latter. Having, then, shown that the inventive genius is somewhat allured from building patents by the temptation of larger gains, a few words will be well to indicate the diffi- culties that beset those who, having devoted their time to this class, succeed in producing a valuable and useful article. The architect who is about to build may hear of, and pro- bably go to see, the invention before deciding whether he will specify its use—he likes it, thinks he will try it, hesitates, and finally in most cases decides against its employment, the reason very frequently being that he is afraid it may not be successful. Yet I think little blame can attach tohim. If the inyen- tion succeeds, the merit is given to the in- ventor ; if it fails, all the blame falls on the architect for selecting it—such would be the decision of his client. He therefore has no not benefit him in his practice, and by so doing he may offend or even lose a client. Is it, then, to be wondered at that we are so conservative in our views when new inven- tions are produced to us for adoption ? Cwi bono? You may ask all this explana- tion if there is noremedy. Well, I havea remedy, and one that might be used to advan- tage both by my profession, the inventors and patentees, and the public at large. It is the formation of a Commission with unpaid members who should inquire into patents and inventions, when (and not till then) they are being manufactured for sale, and they should test them and further invite the opinion of allwhouse them. These commissioners, from time to time, should report the result of their investigations. J would base their operations very much on the mode of proceeding adopted by the commissioners of the Lancet, and I think my readers will agree with me that these commissioners have done much good. I feel sure the commissioners I propose would be of great service if the gentlemen were carefully selected. I have said that the houses now are built very much as they were years ago. Go into any ordinary house in any of the suburbs of London, and what difference do you find between it and the old house? Why the house is as nearly as possible a counterpart of any old house, except that it is not so strongly built; and perhaps instead of the old thick sash bars (which, by the bye, some architects of the present day are again intro- ducing) large squares of plate-glass are in- serted. In fact, the house, when ready for letting, usually has not one of the modern appliances. This being the ease, let me consider what a house should possess, having reference to all the improvements of the nineteenth cen- tury. It would first have a good damp-course to prevent damp arising. Every room should have an air flue to let the foul air escape, and those rooms where gas is burnt should also be provided with a ventilator communicating with the external atmosphere. The pipes from closets should be carried up in an in- ternal recess to prevent frost affecting them, and should be accessible by merely opening the wooden casing or covering, which might be hinged. The bells should also be so carried up. ‘There should be a hydraulic lift where the house is large. Water, hot and cold, should be laid on to the bed-room floors, and in the lavatories attached to the water-closets. Where cupboards are put they should be fitted having regard to the uses they will be put to. For instance, in bedrooms they may be made like wardrobes. To see what is being done out of this country, look at any of the modern houses in the cities of the United States. Nota servant (or help, as I should, perhaps, call them) wanted upstairs, every room being always ready ; the bed, a spring mattress (no making required), a tap to regulate the temperature of the room, wash- stand with hot andcold waterlaidthereon and waste therefrom. So that positively while weare quite helpless without our domestic servants, they can do everything upstairs without any. Surely the picture I have drawn illustrates a striking contrast, and shows how much we have to do before we can call the Englishman’s castle really a home fit for this century. Well may I quote those lines— “So slow The growth of what is excellent; so hard T attain perfection in this nether world.” In continuing this subject I propose classify- ing the materials under the different heads, according to the uses to which they applied. Thus, in alluding to ROooFs, we shall be able to see all the materials applicable thereto, and at a glance compare one material with another in regard to price and qualities, advantages and disadvantages. ‘The same with regard to walls, and generally throughout the house, and considering carefully the sanitary appli-