Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/470

 448 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 Reapsrs.—We shall feel obliged to any of our readers who will favour us with briefnotes 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 ofice not later than 5 p.m. on Thursday. TO AMERICAN AND BELGIAN SUBSCRIBERS. In answer to numerous inquiries, the Publisher begs to state that subscribers in the United States can be supplied with the ButLDING News, post free from this Office, for the sum of 17s. 4d. (4 dols. 16e., gold) per annum, and in Belgium for the sum of 21 frances, payable in advance, The remittance should, in all cases, be made by International Post-office Order. t=" American and Belgian Subscribers, especially when renewing their subscriptions, are particularly requested to advise the Publisher of the transmission of the Post-Office Order, and the exact amount for which it is made payable. Recerivep.—a. C, P.—E. W. 8.—C. H. A.—H. W.—J. P. S. —J.V. B.—J. G. & Sons.—H. G.—J. J. L.—R. N. S— R. N. B.—G. W. B.—W. B.—M. G. W.—E. & R.—H. L. Henry LANGLEY (Toronto).—The photos. of church came to hand. G. T. HOWELL.— We cannot undertake to give a detailed opinion of plans that were not supposed sufficiently good to merit honourable mention, and which have since been returned, Eb. SEWArD.—The scheme would not pay. W. W.—Such a criticism as you have sent on Mr. Street's proposed church in Rome should bear the signature of the writer. THOMAS BETTIN.—See note to Mr. Hughes’ letter, in an- other column. Correspondence, ——__¢ —__ MR. WM. BURGES AND S. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL. To the Editor of the Burtprwe News. Srr,—Two thoughts struck me when i heard that Mr. William Burges was appointed joint architect for the completion of §. Paul’s Cathedral. I was surprised at the Committee appointing Mr. Burges, and still more surprised that Mr. Burges should wish to be appointed. Mr. Burges has been charged with calling Sir Christopher Wren’s works “abominations.” In a letter recently published Mr. Burges inferentially denies that what he said applied to S. Paul’s Cathedral, and states that he is more interested in preserving than in destroying cur great national architect’s greatest works. I be- lieve I am correct in saying that Mr. Burges publicly stated before one of our architectural societies that he would like to see S. Paul’s Cathedral ‘restored off the face of creation,” or something to that effect. After such an expressed opinion of Sir Christopher Wren and his works, is it not comical to see Mr. Burges so anxious to be one of the architects for the decoration of S. Paul’s? I will say little of Mr. Burges’s architectural education and tendencies, and the inevitable proclivities of his mind and heart towards Gothic. A man might like Gothic much and still admire §. Paul’. But Mr. Burges has been so steeped in Medievalism as to look with something like detestation on S. Paul’s Cathedral. Either Mr. Burges has very much changed, or he is not the fittest man to “complete 4 S. Paul’s. What, for instance, if Professor Kerr were appointed architect to superintend the restora- tion of Westminster Abbey? Would not Mr. Burges and the few architects who pull in the same boat with him consider it an absurdity? Would they not express through the newspapers and the architectural journals their virtuous indignation ? And would not the public be told that our venerable Abbey was about to be desecrated? &c. Now, I very much question whether Professor Kerr enter- tains a similar opinion of Westminster Abbey as Mr. Burges does of S. Paul's. In fact, Mr. Kerr, in all probability, admires Westminster Abbey. But if Mr. Kerr, on account of his Classic predilections, would not be the fittest man for altering and decorat- ing Westminster Abbey, how is it possible for Mr. Burges, who is such an admirer of Medirvalism in general, and who entertains such a contempt for S. Paul's in particular—how can he be the fittest architect to superintend its completion? I repeat, though I was surprised that the Committee appointed Mr. Burges, I still more surprised at his eagerness to accept the appointment.—I am, &c., FrLiow. THE BUILDING NEWS. HOUSE AT SHORTLANDS, KENT. Srr,—My attention has been directed to a para- graph in the BurtprnGc News of May 17, deserib- ing what is called a design for a suburban villa, and which is the subject of your illustration. It states that “the author of this plan is Mr. James MacLaren, of 141, West George-street, Glasgow,” a statement which I much regret to be compelled to say is hardly consistent with fact, for the plan can in no sense be said to be his design, but is simply a copy of a house I built some four years ago at Shortlands, near Beckenham. There can be no pos- sible mistake about this. The accompanying wood- cut is an exact copy of the plan to which I refer, and the slightest comparison of this with the plan published a fortnight ago will at once show so many points of resemblance as to make the theory of coincidence entirely untenable; in fact, it is not too much to say that every noticeable feature is identical, whilst the points of difference are so slight as fully to justify the charge of deliberate plagiarism that I make. Of course the whole affair is only laughable, but I confess to be filled with amazement at the strange mixture of simplicity and impudence which could have induced Mr. MacLaren to publish a plan pro- fessing to be his own design, but to the invention of which he must have known he had no sort of claim, and thus lay a trap for his instant detection and subsequent exposure. REFERENCES TO PLAN. A Entrance Porch. H Seullery. B Library. I Larder. C Drawing-room. K Garden seat. D Dining-room. L Lavatory. E Kitchen. M W.-C. F Serving-room. N Yard. G Staircase. O Outbuildings. Scale 1-16th of an inch to a foot. R. Norman Suaw, A.R.A. 30, Argyll-street, Regent-street, W. —I am, &e., Srr,—In the number of the Burtprne News for May 17 is the plan of a detached subarban villa by Mr. James MacLaren, of Glasgow. This, in many peculiar points, so nearly resembles my own house, designed in 1868 by R. Norman Shaw, A.R.A., that an outsider can with difficulty believe the resemblance to be accidental. I have written to Mr. MacLaren pointing out the coincidence, but I have received no answer. Pending an explanation—if explanation be possible—I think it is but just to make these facts as public as Mr. MacLaren has made his plan.—I am, &c., Gro. Litire Crark. The Corner House, Shortlands, Kent, May 28 1872. COMPETITIONS. Sim,—I observe that your correspondence column of last week contains one of those constantly-recur- ring lamentations over the iniquity of the people work at unfairly low premiums, and, in fact, of the whole system. SCALE hein TO AFOOT May 31° 1802. I can’t help thinking that if this gentleman and others with similar complaints would employ their | pens, not in vain lamentations, but in agitating fora thorough and eflicient organisation of the profession, — their efforts would be far more useful. As long as men like the one mentioned by “‘Indignant Observer ” are allowed to practise as architects, owing to the absence of any authorised examining or degree-con- ferring body in the profession, so long will this terrible state of things continue. Had the Institute any power of enforcing the tariff, which at present it can only recommend, we should soon hear the last of the quacks who get work solely and simply because the middle and lower class public cares not one iota which is the best design in point of con- struction and soundness, but only which can be done for the least money.—I am, &e., Llandaff, May 24, 1872. J. B. F. FROM CHICAGO. Sir,—. I shall make it my duty to keep you informed, and perhaps send you some views of buildings in New Chicago. Of course you are informed through the daily papers of the wonderful progress that has already been made—against fearful odds—towards building up the waste places. As an instance, a warehouse for Field, Lecter, & Co.— of which we were architects—was completed in one hundred days. Itis six stories in height, of red brick, 196ft. on one street, and 189}ft. on the other, be- sides 24ft. under the sidewalk on one street, and 16ft. under the sidewalk on the other street, and 10ft- under the alley which is used for boiler, coal, &e.; the whole was completed, including all necessary store fitting, counters, desks, &c., for their immense business, and within the time above-mentioned. The three principal stories are each 13ft. high; all the inside supports are 12in. X 12in. hewn oak. All the outside windows are provided with iron shutters ; the roof is tin. To-day, the building trades are having a public procession, and are about to demand only eight hours’ as a day’s work. ‘ We must rebuild this city, the business of this vast and rich north-western country requires it. We rely on a great influx of artisans and mechanics from Europe, to rebuild not only the business houses, but the residences that once sheltered 75,000 people. Money is plentiful, but more workers are needed. It will require three busy years to rebuild this city ; English workers will be heartily weleomed, as most reliable. Many of our leading contractors in all trades (masons and stonecutters chiefly) are Eng- lish.—I am, &e., Wm. TH. Drake. (English by birth.) 21, East Van Buren-street, Chicago, May 15. PLUMBING. Sre,—It was with various feelings that I read the remarks by Mr. Slagg (pp. 424, 425) upon this subject. The scientific or pseudo-scientific preamble occupying the first and larger half of his letter pro- duced expectancy ; the following paragraphs amuse- ment, and the whole disappointment. He considers
 * Who invite competitions, the architects who will do