Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/62

 46 THE BUILDING NEWS. Jan. 12, 1872 Intercommunication, ——— QUESTIONS. [2421.]—Who is Liable P—It is my misfortune to occupy a house which appears to have been run up by a speculating builder, for the garden walls are built of bricks laid longitudinally. About six months ago one of the walls fell in and destroyed a number of valuable plants, and during the gale last week the other was blown down, completely demolishing a small green- house. Will‘ B. F.,” who, in last week's BuILDING News, intimated his readiness to answer any questions relating to dilapidations, kindly inform me if the landlord is answerable for damage done? Perhaps T had better state that I have no lease, and the land- lord is supposed to keep the house in repair.— UNFORTUNATE. [2422.)—Bay Windows.—I beg to ask if the tenant of a house (No. 2) has a right to object to his landlord throwing out bay or bow windows to Nos. 1 and 3, leaving No. 2 without any, and thus compara- tively recessed? If the Board of Works has given the landlord consent to bay windows, does that absolve the said landlord from claims of compensation from occu- iers considering themselves injuriously affected ?— LD SHADE. : [2423.]—Solid Girders and Bolted Beams.— I shall feel obliged if any reader of the BuILpING News will tell me which is the strongest, and the reason, of the following. Isa piece of timber 9 x 9, for a girder in the solid, stronger than three deals bolted together ?—ASsISTANT. [2424.]—Builders’ Profit.—Carpenters’ wages being Sd. per hour, which is the proper charge for a builder to make in his day account? Some, I find, ebarge 9d., others 94d.—Q. R. [2425.]—Armorial Bearings.—In what book or other publication can be found the armorial bearings or arms of the English counties ?—W. N. [2426]—The Most Seasonable Time for Building.—Will any correspondent kindly inform me, through ‘‘Intercommunication,” of the most seasonable time of the year to commence building a house of my own, and whether there is any objection to beginning next month (February), providing the weather is as fine and open as itis now? What effect would the frost and snow have upon it, supposing that when the walls were half-way up it was to commence to snow, and frost set in ?—W. W. E. (2427.;—Ola Thatch.—What colours are used to represent old thatch 2—A ConsTANT READER. (2428.]—Plaster for Turkish Baths.—What is the best kind of material to use for finishing the inside of walls in a hot-room for Turkish baths, as the heat brings plastering off—STErTin. [2429.)—Size of School.—I am designing schools for 200 children, 100 for each school for each sex. The Council on Education says that the best width for a school is from 16ft. to 20ft.; also the length of desks to be not longer than 12ft., and no group should con- tain more than three rows in depth of benches and desks. What length of school would be necessary to contain the requisite number of children ?—S, W. J. G. REPLIES. [2414.]—Percentage.—An architect is most cer- tainly justified in charging percentage upon material provided by the proprietor, the cost of which is not included in the contract amount, the material being conyerted and used under the architect’s supervision. But in taking out quantities a surveyor is only entitled to charge upon the value of the quantity of work and materials of which he calculates the quantities, and his right to charge would depend yery much as to how far the materials in question formed a part of the quanti- ties. —Q.R. [2416.]—How to Destroy Red Ants.—A never- failing remedy to keep ants and insects out of the house is to have the walls of the house floated with Portland cement ; also to haye all the skirtings done in cement throughout the house; this remedy will do away with the insects, &c.—JoHN WALSHAM, [2418.|—Brick Arch.—It is not clear what is meant by the statement that the arch must be nearly eelf-supporting. In every true arch there is a hori- vontal thrust against the abutments, and they must have sufficient resistance to withstand the thrust. That will be greater or less, according to the load the arch carries. This load is not stated in the question. It is a general fault in asking questions in the Intercom- munication column that the conditions upon which any proper answer must be founded are not fully stated. For instance, in this case, if the ‘ vault” over which the arch is required to be turned is in some out- of-the-way place, such as the back premises of a honse, or in a garden, where it is certain that no great load can come upon it, the conditions upon which its form and dimensions would be based would be different to those which would have to be considered if the arch is intended to be under a public highway, or in any other position which would admit of heavy traffic passing over it. These omissions of condition in the question necessarily entail the requirement of a greater space for the answer, and as our Editor desires brevity and condensation of sense into as few words as possible, it is always desirable in asking a question to state fully the conditions upon which an answer may be founded. Taking, however, the question as it stands—yiz., that it is required to cover ina yault by anarch of 14ft. 6in. span, and 2fft. Sin. rise, and supposing that there are sufficient abutments, the best form would be the seg- ment of a circle, and the necessary thickness three half-brick rings, if it is not intended to carry heavy traffic; or four half-brick rings if the situation is in a public highway. But where the headway is limited, as in this case, it is often better to employ iron girders, placed (say) 6ft. apart, and to turn 9in. brick arches across, from one to the other, springing the arches from the lower flanges of the girders. In this way a space may be carried over within a depth much less than that required for a single arch, and it has the further advantage of not requiring abutments, but only walls to carry vertical weight, with the provision of iron tie-rods across the girders to tie the whole together. If “J. P.” wishes to adopt this method of covering over the vault with tron girders, I shall be happy to supply to the columns of ‘* Intercommunica- tion,” in a future number, the proper dimensions ; but I must again remind those who put questions that the conditions of each particular case ought to bo clearly defined.—C. S. ieee Gur thee Carle. ——~.——_. A New SxKarine-Ponp ror GLAscow.—At the last held meeting of the Glasgow Town-Council Bailie Salmon stated that the Corporation had ground in the neighbourhood of Hogganfield (about two miles from the city) suitable for a skating-pond, and consisting of sixty acres; and that a gentleman had written to him saying that he would bear the whole expense of the formation of the pond. Tue Hotsorn Viapucr Sration.—All the pre- liminary arrangements for the construction of the new station are understood to be completed, and forms of tender for the work are available to those concerned. The connecting junction lines are in a condition to be gone on with without delay ; that is, everything is settled in regard to the precise situation and direction. The necessary purchase of property in the vicinity of this undertaking presents no difficulty or obstruction, and the process of clearing the site is, already going on. The project is, therefore, alto- gether in a forward state. Some notions have got about that this station is to be one remarkable for enormous magnitude, but such arepresentation is not correct. It is intended to be commodious and sub- stantial, with such improvements in the matter of roofing as the appearance of Cannon-street, Charing- cross, aud §. Pancras stations may very well suggest. Plenty of light and _head- room, with efficient ventilation and a mode of con- struction giving to this station rather the appearance of a comfortable ground floor than that of an attic wilderness, will characterise this new structure. <A large first class hotel is to be erected on the fine frontage of this property, for which it is admirably adapted, and will no doubt thus be turned to a very profitable account. The hotel will have its principal facade looking on to the Viaduct, from which there will be a direct and level entrance to it. Mr. Lewis H. Isaacs is the architect of the hotel, and the ‘ general station works are entrusted jointly to the engineers, Messrs. T. Marr Johnson & Mills. There is a project coming before Parliament for the con- struction of a link between the London and South Western and the London, Chatham, and Dover lines, forming the connection between Waterloo and Blackfriars Stations, and this would have the effect of rendering the Holborn Viaduct, Ludgate-hill, and Blackfriars Stations practically stations of the London and South Western Railway. Nrw Bripce.—The old timber bridge over the Ystwyth, near Bryneithen, has been for some years in a yery dilapidated condition, in consequence of which it has lately been removed, and through the exertion of Capt. W. E. Richardes, R.A., and J.P. for Cardigan, a new iron structure has been substituted. It consists of two large lattice girders, each 62ft. span (supplied by Messrs. Rankin & Co) well strutted and connected by iron tie-rods, The flooring is of tim- ber, finished with a layer of concrete 9in. thick, and forms a very substantial roadway. The general con- tractors were Messrs. Evans & Jenkins, and they have carried out the works very satisfactorily under the superintendence of Capt. Richardes, from designs furnisbed by Mr. G. H. Thomas, Liverpool. YorkSHIRE ARCHITECTURAL Socrery.—A general meeting of the members was held on Tuesday week in the society’s rooms, School of Art, York, when the annual report was presented and the officers for the year elected. The Hon. and Very Rev. the Dean of York presided. The committee, without being able to report any large increase in the number of the members this year, have yet to repeat that the finances are good, and the society has not sensibly diminished. They regret to announce the resigna- tion of the Rey. T. Bayly, as treasurer, owing to his removal from York, and expressed their obligations to him for his important services to the society. In the report of last year a plan was laid before you for publishing drawings of some of the most interesting parts of the stained glass in York Minster. The drawings were made of the portions which it was first proposed to publish, but owing partly to the great expense of lithographing them, and mainly to the great trouble of making the small drawings, the cominittee regret to state that the work makes very slow progress. The oldest piece of glass is a repre- sentation of Daniel in the den of lions, and an angel bringing Habbakuk to feed him. It is now inserted in the bottom of one of the lights of the ‘ Five Sisters” window. Our member, Mr. Knowles, has it in hand, but it will be some time yet before he has the stones for printing from ready. Towards the end of the year, it was observed with dismay that the south transept of York Minster was in a dangerous state. Its condition, and the measures recommended, will best be understood from the re- port of the architect of the diocese, Mr. Street. It is estimated that the cost will not be less than £10,000, and the work is very urgent, so that the preparations for taking off the weight of the roof from theoverburdened walls have already commenced. Many of the noblemen and gentlemen of Yorkshire have already subscribed handsomely towards a fund for restoring this most beautiful part of the Minster to a safer condition than it ever has been im, and it is to be hoped that ere long the Dean and Chapter will be enabled to complete the work they have, with such public spirit, uudertaken, The balance sheet showed the receipts to have been £187 14s. 4d., and the expenditure £60 2s, 3d., leaving a balance in favour of the society of £127 5s, 1d. Cuuxcu CLocks ror Lonpoy.—Messrs. Gillett & Bland, of the Steam Clock Factory, Croydon, have just completed a clock for the tower of S. John’s Church, Hackney. The hours are struck upon the tenor bell, weighing 24 ewt., with a ponderous ham—- mer of 65]bs. weight. The chimes and four quarters are struck on the second, fourth, and seventh bells of the peal a la S. Mary’s, at Cambridge. There are four dials, each 8ft. in diameter, made of copper, hammered concave, with gilt Arabie figures on a black ground. The cost of the whole will be nearly £400. Messrs Gillett and Bland have the order to construct the large clock and carillon machine, on their new patented system, to play fourteen tunes on ten bells, for S. Stephen’s Church, Hampstead. ImpRovyEMENTS aT Drat.—A magnificent block of houses on the site of the old Navy Yard of the Government is now in course of erection on the esplanade fronting the sea. called the Prince of Wales Terrace. These houses adjoin the picturesque Deal Castle, and will be completed in the spring, thus affording the sea-side accommodation of private houses, boarding-houses and hotels so long required at this fast-rising watering-place, from which the views of the Downs with a large fleet of vessels en- closed therein at times, isnot to be surpassed on the sea coast. The coast of France, the North and South Foreland, Ramsgate, &c., form one uninterrupted marine view from the esplanade and terrace, which are close to the pier, the Clock Tower and Walmer Castle. Tuer Socrery ror THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE Fine Arts.—The Council of the Society for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts have abolished the payment of an entrance fee, and in so doing they have decided that the high social position of the society shall inno way be compromised. ‘The session will commence on the 18th inst., and lectures will be given on each Thursday following, and occasionally exhibitions of works of art, and conyersazioni. The council contemplate the publishing of the lectures, papers, &c. for distribution among the members. Tue Proposep Burmprnes on VicrorrA PARK. —aA deputation from the Victoria Park Preservation Society waited upon the Metropolitan Board of Works, on Friday last, and presented a memorial expressing the hope that the Board would recognise the importance of preventing further building upor the open spaces immediately surrounding Victoria Park by taking steps for acquiring of the Govern ment the 294 acres of land for the purpose of laying it out as recreation ground. Mr. Reed, M.P., said the East of London had a very great claim upon the Board; the preservation of these 30 acres of land was necessary for the health and recreation of the rapidly- increasing population, Victoria Park being the oaly space in the district. It is stated that the value set upon the land by the Crown Surveyor was £3,115 per annum; .the entire value of the land was about £40,000. Mr. Reed said, failing the intervention of the Board, he would press the question upon the attention of Parliament. The memorial was referred to the Works Committee,