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diff --git a/old/60997-0.txt b/old/60997-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9340aa9..0000000 --- a/old/60997-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3343 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Architectural Review and American -Builders' Journal, Aug. 1869, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Aug. 1869 - -Author: Various - -Editor: Samuel Sloan - -Release Date: December 22, 2019 [EBook #60997] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARCHTECTURAL REVIEW, AUGUST 1869 *** - - - - -Produced by Paul Marshall and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes: - - Underscores “_” before and after a word or phrase indicate _italics_ - in the original text. - Small capitals have been converted to SOLID capitals. - Illustrations have been moved so they do not break up paragraphs. - Typographical errors have been silently corrected but other variations - in spelling and punctuation remain unaltered. - - - - -THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW AND AMERICAN BUILDERS’ JOURNAL. - - -VOL. II.—Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by -Samuel Sloan, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United -States, in and for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. - - - - -MONTHLY REVIEW. - - -THE LONDON BUILDER AND OURSELVES. - - -In a tolerantly critical notice of the REVIEW recently published in -the _Builder_, we find an effort to substantiate a charge formerly -made by it, and replied to by us, on the subject of “trickery” in the -construction of the exteriors of American buildings. The _Builder_ -reiterates the charge and points to Grace Church, New York, in proof -of the truth of it. That marble edifice, he avers, has a wooden spire, -crocketted, etc., painted in imitation of the material of which the -body of the church is constructed. Alas, we must acknowledge the wood. -And we will make a clean breast of it, and still farther acknowledge -that at the time that Grace Church was built, our land of wooden -nutmegs, and other notions, had not an architectural idea beyond the -wooden spire, and that our city and country churches, that aspired -at all, were forced to do so in the national material of the day. -That said sundry spires of wood were _of necessity_, painted, is most -true; and furthermore, white-lead being a great favorite with the -people generally, [when our manners, customs, and tastes were more -immaculate than in these degenerate days of many colors,] that pigment -was the ruling fashion. That the color of the marble, of which Grace -Church’s body is constructed, should be similar to that with which -said ecclesiastical edifice’s spire was coated, is unfortunate; but, -that the resemblance goes to prove any attempt at a _cheat_, we most -strenuously deny. Grace Church is of a by-gone taste,—an architectural -era which we now look back to in order to see, by contrast, how far -we have advanced in architectural construction. Trinity Church, New -York, was the first great effort at a stone spire which our Architects -ventured to rear. And although hundreds have followed its lead, none in -this soaring republic have gone so near to heaven as that yet. But the -thing once effected is sure to be improved upon. - -We are not at all abashed then, to own to the _wooden spire painted to -imitate stone_, which crowns the steeple of old Grace Church, New York. -And the less annoyance should it give our most sensitive feelings, -when we reflect that the dome of the great ST. PAUL’S, London, is no -less a delusion and a cheat, it being of wood, coated with lead and -painted on the outside, having a false dome on the inside, considerably -smaller than the external diameter would naturally lead the confiding -observer to expect. The body of St. Paul’s is of stone. Why, according -to the requirements of the _Builder_, is not the dome, like that of the -Pantheon at Rome, likewise of stone? - -Do we suppose, for an instant, that Sir Christopher Wren was guilty -of a deliberate cheat in so constructing it? Certainly not. He used -the material which he considered best suited to his purpose and his -means. And so we should, in charity, suppose did the Architect of Grace -Church, New York. - -The _Builder_, like too many of our English cousins, who do us the -honor of a visit, falls into error in supposing that wood is generally -used for ornamentation of exteriors. In none of our larger cities is -this the case. And when that critical and usually correct authority -says, “Even the Fifth avenue itself is a sham as to much of its -seeming stone-work,” it displays a melancholy absence of its uniform -discernment, judgment, and sense. - -The only other constructive material to be found on the fronts of -the Fifth Avenue, New York, besides marble, brown stone, or pressed -(Philadelphia) brick, is in the gutter, which is either of zinc or -galvanized iron, and forms the upper portion of the cornice. - -Porches and Hall-door frontisces, of every style, are of marble or -stone, and never of wood. Pediments and all trimmings around windows -are invariably of stone. In fact we are not a little surprised at the -apparent want of information on this subject by so well posted an -observer as the _Builder_ is acknowledged to be. Some twenty years -ago the taunt might lie most truthfully applied to our efforts at -architectural construction, but to-day the “trick” of painted and -sanded wood would be hissed down by our citizens who claim to live in -residences the majority of which are greatly superior to residences of -the same class in London, as far at least as material is concerned. No, -no—criticism to be useful must be just; and to be just must be founded -strictly on truth unbiassed by prejudice. - -We do not desire in these remarks to throw the slightest doubt on the -good intentions of the London _Builder_ in its monitorial check, but -our wish is to correct the erroneous information which it has received, -and which has led to the mistake under which it evidently labors. - -We as utterly despise any falsehood in construction as our honestly -outspoken contemporary, and will at every opportunity disclose and -denounce its adoption in this country in all cases where there is any -pretension to architectural design. For a new country like this, it -is at least creditable that, even in a small class of dwellings, the -architect is, as a general thing, called on to design and frequently -to superintend—every thing is not left to the builder as in London. -Yet there is and always will be in this as in all other countries a -large class of private buildings outside the pale of legitimate taste; -creations ungoverned and ungovernable by rule. But such should never -be taken as examples of the existing state of the constructive art of -the day; they should rather prove the unfortunate exceptions to the -fact of its position. Even these it will be our duty to watch over -and try to set right; for we are ardent believers in the influential -power of information, and look with assurance to the education of our -people generally on this subject of judgment and taste in building as -the infallible means of turning to good account the remarkable progress -in that constructive art of the American nation, which the observant -London _Builder_ notices with the generous well-wishing of a kindly -professional brother. - - -THE MANSARD MADNESS. - -Of all the intellectual qualifications which man is gifted with, there -is not one as sensitive as that which enables him to discern between -what is intrinsically good, and what is bad or indifferent to his eye. -Yet are there none of all man’s mental attributes so frequently and so -grossly outraged as is this to which we now allude, called Taste. - -Custom has much to say in the question of arbitrary rule which taste -so imperatively claims. Persistence in any thing will, of necessity, -make itself felt and recognized, no matter how odious at first may -be the object put before the public eye, and ultimately that object -becomes what is commonly called “fashionable.” This apparent unity of -the public on one object is variable and will soon change to another, -which in its turn will seem to reign by unanimous consent and so on _ad -infinitum_. - -In Architecture this fickle goddess, Fashion, seems to reign as -imperatively and as coquettishly as in any or all the affairs of -this world of humanity. That which was at first esteemed grotesque -and ridiculous, becomes in time tolerable and at last admirable. But -the apathy which sameness begets cannot long be borne by the novelty -worshippers, and accordingly new forms and shapes remodel the idea of -the day, until it ceases to bear a vestige of its first appearance and -becomes quite another thing. - -Of all the prominent features of architecture that which has been least -changeable until late years is the “roof.” The outline of that covering -has been limited to a very few ideas, some of which resolved themselves -into arbitrary rules of government from which the hardiest adventurer -was loath to attempt escape. - -Deviating from the very general style of roof which on the section -presents a triangle, sometimes of one pitch, sometimes of another, -but almost universally of a fourth of the span, the _truncated_ form -was to be found, but so exceedingly sombre was this peculiar roof that -it never obtained to any great extent, and indeed it presented on the -exterior a very serious obstacle to its adoption by architects in the -difficulty of blending it with any design in which spirit, life, or -elegance, was a requisite. - -There are occasionally to be found in Europe, and even in America, -examples of these truncated roofs, but it is very questionable whether -there are to be met with any admirers of their effect. - -The principle on which they are constructed has, however, a very great -advantage in the acquirement of head-room in the attics, giving an -actual story or story and half to the height, without increasing the -elevation of the walls. The architects of the middle ages took a hint -from this evident advantage, and used the truncated roof on their -largest constructions. Its form is that of a pyramid with the upper -portion cut off (_trunco_, to cut off, being its derivation.) - -MANSART, or as he is more commonly called MANSARD, an erratic but -ingenious French architect, in the seventeenth century invented the -curb roof, so decided an improvement on the truncated that it became -known by his name. This roof adorning the palatial edifices of France -soon assumed so much decorative beauty in its curb moulding and base -cornice, as well as in the dormers and eyelets with which it was so -judiciously pierced, that it became a source of artistic fascination in -those days in France; and as Germany was indebted to French architects -for her most prominent designs, the Mansard roof found its way there, -and into some other parts of Europe. - -But, much as English architects admired, as a whole, any or all of -those superb erections of the Gallic Capital, it was a century and -a half before it occurred to them to imitate them even in this most -desirable roof. - -Our architects having increased with the demand for finer houses and -more showy public buildings, and having parted company with their -Greek and Roman idols to which their predecessors had been so long and -so faithfully wedded, and acknowledging the necessity for novelty, -ardently embraced the newly arising fashion and the Mansard roof arose -at every corner in all its glory. At first the compositions which were -adorned with this crowning were pleasing to the general view, if not -altogether amenable to the strict rules of critical taste. But in due -time (and alas that time too surely and severely came) the _pseudo_ -French style with its perverted Mansard roof palled upon the public -taste for the eccentricities its capricious foster-fathers in their -innate stultishness compelled it to display. - -Some put a Mansard roof upon an Italian building, some on a Norman, and -many, oh, how many, on a Romanesque! Some put it on one story erections -and made it higher than the walls that held it, in the same proportion -that a high crowned hat would hold to a dwarf. Some stuck on towers at -the corners of their edifices and terminated them with _Mansard domes_! -Some had them inclined to one angle, some to another; some curved them -inward, some outward, whilst others went the straight ticket. - -The dormers too came in for a large share of the thickening fancies -and assumed every style or no style at all. The chimney shafts were -not neglected. Photos of the Thuilleries were freely bought up, and -bits and scraps of D’Lorme were hooked in, to make up an original idea -worthy of these smoky towers. “Every dog will have his day,” is a fine -old sensible remark of some long-headed lover of the canine species, -and applies alike to animals, men, and things. That it particularly -applies to that much abused thing called the Mansard roof is certain, -as the very name is now more appropriately _the absurd roof_. - -Fashion begins to look coldly upon her recent favorite, which in truth -“has been made to play such fantastic tricks before high Heaven, as -make the angles weep;” and it is doomed. - -A few years hence, and we will all look back in amused wonder at the -creations of to-day, crowned with the tortured conception of MANSARD. - - -HYDRAULIC CEMENT. - -The rapid hardening under water of the cement which from that property -derives its name of “Hydraulic Cement,” has been, and indeed is still, -a subject of discussion as to the true theory of such action. We find -in the June number of the _Chemical News_ a paragraph which must prove -very interesting to manufacturers as well as to all who use and take -an interest in that most useful of building materials to which the -Architect and the Engineer are so deeply indebted. - -“In order to test the truth of the different hypotheses made -concerning this subject, A. Schulatschenko, seeing the impossibility -of separating, from a mixture of silicates, each special combination -thereof, repeated Fuch’s experiment, by separating the silica from 100 -parts of pure soluble silicate of potassa, and, after mixing it with -fifty parts of lime, and placing the mass under water, when it hardened -rapidly. A similar mixture was submitted to a very high temperature, -and in this case, also, a cement was made. As a third experiment, a -similar mixture was heated till it was fused; after having been cooled -and pulverized, the fused mass did not harden any more under water. -Hence it follows that hardening does take place in cement made by the -wet as well as dry process, and that the so-called over-burned cement -is inactive, in consequence of its particles having suffered a physical -change.” - -[Illustration: IRON STORE-FRONTS, No. V. - -BY WM. J. FRYER, JR., WITH MESSRS. J. J. JACKSON & BROS., NEW YORK.] - - -NATIVE COLORED MARBLES. - -In the preceding number we have spoken in general terms of this -beautiful acquisition to our art materials, and indeed we feel that -we cannot esteem this new American discovery too highly; for even in -Europe such stone is extremely scarce at the present day, and it is -fortunate that the location in which the quarries exist is open to -the Old World to freely supply the wants of its artists, as well as -our own. The beautiful Lake Champlain affords excellent commercial -facilities, the Chambly Canal and Sorel River improvements opening a -free navigation both with the great chain of lakes, and the Atlantic -Ocean. The Champlain Canal connecting it with the Erie Canal and Hudson -River, giving it uninterrupted communication with New York State and -its Empire City, from the latter end of March to the middle of December. - -The quarry is situated in a great lode projecting up in the bosom or -bay of Lake Champlain, forming an island of several acres outcropping -on each shore, and giving evidence that the deposit extends and really -forms, at this point, the bed of the lake, its supply being thought to -be inexhaustible. - -The marble occurs in beds and strata varying in thickness from one -to six feet, and will split across the bed or grain; blocks of any -required size being readily obtained. Its closeness of texture and -hardness render it susceptible of a very high polish, and it will -resist in a remarkable degree all atmospheric changes. It is hard to -deface with acids or scratches, and this one fact should attach to -it much additional value. Its variegation in color, as shown by the -specimens taken from its outcroppings, give promise of a much richer -development as the bed of the quarry is approached; and must equal in -beauty and durability the highly prized oriental marble of ancient and -modern times. - -The facilities, already alluded to, of its transportation to all the -markets for such material in the country and to the seaboard, whence -it can be shipped to any part of the world, must tend to bring it into -general use here and elsewhere, that colored marbles are required for -building and ornamental purposes. - -We are much indebted to a gentleman of Philadelphia, whose taste and -liberal enterprise have so opportunely brought to our knowledge this -most remarkable deposit of one of Nature’s most beautiful hidden -treasures, which must, at no distant day, add vastly and more cheaply -to the art material of our country. - - * * * * * - -THE palace in course of construction at Ismalia, for the reception of -the Empress Eugenie during her stay in Egypt, will be 180 feet wide and -120 deep. The estimate cost is 700,000fr. According to the contract -it is to be finished by the 1st of October, for every day’s delay the -architect will be subject to a fine of 300fr per day, and if finished -before he will receive a bonus of 300fr per day. The building will -be square; in the centre there is to be a dome covered with Persian -blinds. On the ground floor there will be the ball, reception, and -refreshment rooms. An idea can be formed of the importance of this -structure and of the work necessary to complete it within the required -time, as it will contain no less than 17,400 cubic feet of masonry. - - * * * * * - -TO REMOVE WRITING INK—To remove writing ink from paper, without -scratching—apply with a camel’s hair brush pencil a solution of two -drachms of muriate of tin in four drachms of water; after the writing -has disappeared, pass the paper through the water and dry. - - - - -DESCRIPTIONS. - - -IRON STORE FRONTS, No. 5. - - -BY W. J. FRYER, JR., NEW YORK. - -The elevation, shown in the accompanying page illustration, shows an -iron front of five stories, having a pedimented centre frontispiece of -three stories in _alto relievo_. - -The style, though not in strict accordance with rule, is showy, without -being objectionably so, and goes far to prove the capabilities of iron -as a desirable material in commercial Architecture, where strength, -display, and economy may be very well combined. - -Such an elevation as this, now under consideration, could not be -executed in cut stone, so as to produce the same appearance, without -incurring a much greater expense, and in the event of a continuous -block of such fronts, the balance of economy would be wonderfully in -favor of the iron, for the moulds could be duplicated and triplicated -with ease, whilst the same composition executed to a like extent in -stone would not be a cent cheaper in proportion. Every capital and -every truss, and every fillet, should be cut in stone independently of -each other, no matter how many were called for. - -It may be very well to say that stone is the proper material, -according to the long-accepted notion of art judgment, and that iron -has to be painted to give it even the semblance of that material, -being, therefore, but a base imitation at best. All very true. But, -nevertheless, iron, even as a painted substitute, possesses advantages -over the original material of which it is a copy, rendering it a -very acceptable medium in the constructive line, and one which will -be sought after by a large class of the community who desire to have -this cheap yet practical material, even though it be not that which -it represents. As a representative it is in most respects the peer of -stone though not it identically. - - -SUBURBAN RESIDENCE IN THE FRENCH STYLE. - -BY CARL PFEIFFER, ESQ., ARCHITECT, N. Y. - -This design is of one of those homes of moderate luxury wherein the -prosperous man of business may enjoy in reason the fruits of his -energetic toil. There is nothing about it to indicate presumptuous -display, but rather the contented elegance of a mind at ease, -surrounded with unostentatious comfort. - -[Illustration: FIG. 1.] - -[Illustration: SUBURBAN RESIDENCE IN THE FRENCH STYLE. - -CARL PFEIFFER, ESQ., ARCHITECT, NEW YORK.] - -On the westerly slope of the Palisades, and two miles to the west of -the Hudson, this residence was built by one of New York’s retired -merchants. - -It is sixteen miles from Jersey City, in a town of but a few years -growth, named “Terrafly,” in Bergen county, and stands on a hill -commanding some of the most charming pieces of pastoral scenery, -occupying about thirty acres laid out in lawns, walks, gardens, etc., -and tastefully ornamented with shrubbery, having a fountain on the lawn -in front of the house (as shown.) - -The approach is from the public road, by a drive through a grove of -about ten acres of stately trees, passing by the side of a pretty -pond formed by the contributions of several streams and making a -considerable sheet of water. About the middle of this pond the sides -approach so near to each other as to be spanned by an artistic little -stone arched bridge which leads to the garden. - -From the house one looks on a lovely panorama of inland scenery. The -Palisades towards the east, the Ramapo mountains to the northwest; and -looking in a southerly direction the numerous suburban villages and -elegant villas near New York may be seen. - -The house is constructed of best Philadelphia pressed brick with -water-table, quoins, and general trimmings of native brown stone neatly -cut. It stands high on a basement of native quarry building stone and -has for its foundation a permanent bed of concrete which likewise forms -the basement floors, as well as a durable bedding for the blue flagging -of Kitchen and Laundry hearths. - -[Illustration: FIG. 2.] - -The arrangement of plan is admirably calculated to conduce to the -comfort of the family. It is as follows: - -Fig. 1 shows the plan of the basement. A, steps and passage leading -from Yard. B, Servant’s Dining Room. C, C, C, Coal Cellar and Passages. -D, Kitchen. E, Pantry. F. Laundry. G, G, Cellars. H, Water Closet. I, -Wash tubs in Laundry. J, Dumb waiter. K, Wash-tray. L, Sink. M, Back -stairs. - -Fig. 2 shows the plan of the principal story. A, Dining Room. B, -Drawing Room. C, and D, Parlors connected by sliding doors with the -Drawing Room through the hall. E, Principal staircase. F, Back Hall. -G, Butler’s Pantry with dumb waiter, plate closet, wash-trays, etc. H, -Back stairs. J, Conservatory. K, Steps leading down to Yard. L, L, L, -Verandahs. M, M, Piscinæ. - -[Illustration: FIG. 3.] - -Fig. 3 shows the arrangement of the Chamber floor, or second story. A, -the Hall. B, C, D, and E, Chambers. F. Boudoir. G, Closet. H, Passage -to Boudoir. I, Half landing connected with rear addition. J, Back -passage. K, Bath Room. L, M, N, Servant’s Bed Rooms. O, O, O, Clothes -Closets. P, Water Closet, _o_, _o_, _o_, _o_, _o_, _o_, Wardrobes in -the several Chambers. These occupy the angle enclosed by the slope of -the Mansard, thus leaving the walls of the chambers plumb. - -The roof is flat, and is embellished at the curb with a rich traceried -iron balustrade, making a safe and desirable promenade platform. All -the accessories that go to make a comfortable home are provided, and -the whole forms a model retreat from busy life to Nature and her charms. - - -SUBURBAN RESIDENCE IN THE FRANCO-GOTHIC STYLE. - -We here give a perspective view of a capacious suburban residence, -showing the marked effects of light and shade produced by means of -Gothic gables on a building of a square plan. A hipped roof on such -a plain form would make a most uninteresting mass of heaviness. -The judicious addition of bay windows is always desirable in such -compositions; and the hooded gables give a pleasing quaintness to the -whole. We present, on next page the principal floor plan, which is -somewhat unusual in arrangement, but comfortable, as such form of house -is always sure to be. - -A, The Porch, pierced on each side with open lights. B, the Hall, in -the form of an L, and receiving light from the roof. C, the Drawing -Room, with its capacious bay window. D, a Parlor. E, Library and Study. -F, Side Hall, with door, under stairs, communicating with passage -leading to study; (or, there may be a door opening directly into the -study from the side hall.) G, Private Stairs. H, Principal Stairs, -under which is a door communicating with the passage to study. I, the -Kitchen. J, Pantry. K, the Dining Room, with glass door leading out -into the Conservatory L. - -[Illustration: SUBURBAN RESIDENCE.] - -Few arrangements of plan can be more complete. Chimnies all in the -inner walls retain the whole of the heating within the house in winter. -And so thorough is the natural ventilation, by doors and windows, that -coolness is secured in the summer time. - -Executed in stone, either hammered or rough rubble, with cut-stone -trimmings, this house would present a pleasing appearance. In pressed -brick, with stone trimmings, though not so consonant to surrounds of -shrubbery as in stone, it would yet be a neat object and tend much to -the embellishment of the outskirts of a city or village. - -[Illustration] - - -DESIGNS FOR SMALL CHURCHES. - -There is a great want of suitable designs calculated to meet the tastes -and necessities of those communities whose funds are too limited to -admit of anything approaching to architectural display. Our object, -therefore, in presenting the two which illustrate our remarks, is to -show the way to others to do likewise. - -Churches of large dimension and assuming appearance call forth -professional skill, because the expenditure will be commensurate with -the expansive ideas of the wealthy for whose benefit such edifices are -constructed. But a plainer class of erections, as much wanted, should -draw out the efforts of our brethren, if only for the good they may do. - -There are few architects who are not subject to the often occurring -claims on their donative services in behalf of poor congregations, -and, we say it with pride, that we have yet to hear of the first -instance of those claims not being promptly attended to by even the -busiest of our brethren. Although it too frequently happens that -their liberality is severely and most thoughtlessly taxed; for there -generally is in every community some spirit too restless to cease -troubling even those whose time is very limited. In a serial like -the ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW there is an opportunity presented to give, -from time to time, sketches and instructions, by which the wants of -the bodies we allude to may be met. The pastor in the backwoods, and -the minister on the prairie, as well as the servant of God who teaches -the poor in our crowded cities, and skill are freely given, not to -them personally, but to the sacred cause they are supposed to have an -interest in. But let that pass. - -[Illustration: FIG. 1.] - -The illustrated works on Ecclesiastical Architecture, which come from -the press, usually treat of a class of edifices altogether beyond the -reach of the congregations whose means are limited—will each and all be -benefitted by the information given, and a truly good work will thus -be done. The two small churches here presented are now in course of -construction in this city. - -The one on the upper part of the page is a Chapel of Ease to the -Calvary Presbyterian Church, now building on Locust street, west of -Fifteenth street. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: TWO DESIGNS FOR SMALL GOTHIC CHURCHES.] - -Its dimensions are fifty-seven feet front by ninety feet deep, outside -measurement. It will be two stories high, with gallery. - -The first story will be sixteen feet from floor to floor. This is to -be the Lecture Room. The second story will be twenty-five feet at the -walls, and thirty-nine feet to the apex of the ceiling in the centre. -The Gallery will be six feet wide along the sides, circular on front, -and the ends curved at the rear. Its floor will be level. - -[Illustration: FIG. 2.] - -Besides the Lecture Room, the first floor will contain two class rooms -and the ladies’ parlor. Immediately over the Lecture Room, and of the -same size, will be the Sunday-school Rooms. And over the ladies’ parlor -there will be the Infant School. - -On the gallery are three class rooms on the front, two of which are -over the Infant School Room, and one over the eastern stairway. There -are two class rooms in the rear. The walls will be of rubble masonry. -As high as the level of the first floor, and projecting two inches, -with a wash, the exterior will be hammer-dressed. Above that, the -superstructure will be all laid broken range, pointed off, except the -rear wall, which will be rubble with rock face. The whole will be faced -with Trenton Brown Stone. - -All the dressings of the doors, windows, buttress, caps, cornices, -pinnacle caps, etc., will be distinguished by a finer class of work. - -The roof and its dormers will be covered with best Blue Mountain slate, -of medium size, varied with green and red color. - -The interior as well as exterior finish will be Gothic in style, -inexpensive yet expressive. - -FIG. 1. The plan of the Lecture Room is here shown: A, A, the -entrances, with stairs in each, leading to School Rooms and continuing -to Gallery. B, Ladies’ Parlor. C, the Lecture Room. D, Platform and -desk. E, E, Class-Rooms. F, F, Water-Closets. - -FIG. 2. This is the arrangement of the Second story, which contains: G, -the Infant School Room. H, the School Room. J, J, Class Rooms. K, K, -Water Closets. - -Fig. 3. L, L, L, the Gallery. M, M, M, Class Rooms in front. M, M, -Class Rooms in rear. It will be seen that, by means of sliding glass -partitions, each floor can be considerably enlarged in accommodation. -There are nine class-rooms, and school room for over six hundred -children. The galleries will hold two hundred and fifty. - -The illustration below that of Calvary, is the design of the TRINITY -REFORMED CHURCH, now being erected on the east side of Seventh street, -south of Oxford street, in this city. - -It is also Gothic in style, and although smaller than that just -described, will, nevertheless, be a very convenient and tasteful -church, and well suited to the wants of its growing congregation. - -[Illustration: FIG. 3.] - - -HYATT’S VAULT LIGHTS. - -Few patents have conferred a greater blessing on society than that of -which the accompanying cut is an illustration. The misery which was -closely akin to area gratings, as used in “our grandfather’s day,” -may yet be remembered by some not very old readers. Then light had -to be admitted from the sidewalk without trespassing on the right of -way by encroachment, and the manner in which that object was attained -was by the use, invariably, of open iron gratings, which, whilst they -admitted the light in _bar sinister_, as our heraldric authorities -would say, did not offer any opposition to the falling dirt of the -street which resolved itself alternately into dust or mud, according to -the relative condition of the weather. The very palpable consequence -of such a state of things was, that all areas under sidewalks were an -accumulative nuisance which had to be borne if day-light was desirable -in underground places. - -Let us pause for a moment to mentally look back on those days of -dirt-clad cellar windows, if it were only to enhance the value to our -mind of the present state of things. - -[Illustration] - -Hyatt’s Patent Vault, and Side-walk lights, are so well known and so -universally appreciated North, South, East, and West, now-a-days, -that it is doubtful whether we are enlightening a single reader of -the REVIEW in thus alluding to them. But, unfortunately there are -people so listlessly unobservant in this world of ours, as to walk over -them, aye, and walk under them, without perceiving the benefit enjoyed -from them. Such people look on all improvements without wonder or -admiration, and calmly set them down as matters of course—things that -were to be, improvements—the growth of necessity. The inventive mind -that gave them birth is neither thanked nor thought of. But all men -are not so stolid. Many will take an interest in the benefaction and -the benefactor, and to such the present notice will recall a duty—the -grateful acknowledgment of a benefit bestowed. - -[Illustration] - -The sidewalk lights are powerfully strong as well as perfectly -weather-proof and they can be turned out in any required form in single -plates to a maximum size of six and a half feet long by two and a half -feet wide, or in continuous platforms. They are likewise made to answer -an excellent purpose as steps and risers, or even as entire flights -of stairs of any desired length. They are three quarter inch thick, -hexagonal shaped glass, well secured and presenting a really handsome -appearance. - -In our preceding number we made some observations on a more fitting -system of awnings than that now in use. - -[Illustration] We think there can be very little doubt but this very -invention could be well made available for such a purpose, and we -sincerely hope that the hint will not be lost sight of. - -BROWN BROTHERS of Chicago have for the last ten years been active in -the manufacture and sale of the patent sidewalk lights, and there is -scarcely a city of any pretensions in the Great West that has not -awaked up to the use and value of this most beneficial invention, -and the pleasing consequence is that the Messrs. B. are now doing an -immense business in the manufacture of them, at 226 and 228 Monroe -street, Chicago, where the orders of our friends the Architects and -Builders who propagate improvements in the growing cities of the -irrepressible West, will be attended to, with that promptitude which -has hitherto made the name of the firm of BROWN BROTHERS so well known, -and their excellent manufacture so fully appreciated. - - -WHITE LEAD BY A NEW PROCESS. - -The manufacture of this important and useful pigment has been very -successfully prosecuted within the past year, by a new process, the -invention of Dr. H. Hannen of this city, and is destined to supersede -the old method, both as regards economy in preparation and purity of -material. The old or Dutch process, requiring some six to eight months -for its completion, fit for painter’s use; while by the Hannen patent -it can be produced in from ten to fifteen days. The quality of the -article is said to be fully equal, if not superior, to that of the lead -made by the old method. The process of manufacture, as far as we can -learn, is as follows: - -The best Spanish pig lead is melted in a large iron kettle, holding -from fifteen to eighteen hundred weight, and then drawn off by a -suitable valve, and allowed to run over a cast-iron wheel or drum, -about six inches on the face and three feet in diameter, running at a -high speed, and kept cool by a stream of cold water constantly playing -on it. The lead, in passing over this wheel, is cast into ribbons -about the thickness of paper, it is then taken and placed on lattice -shelving in rooms some eight to ten feet square, made almost airtight -by a double thickness of boards, and capable of holding some three tons -of the metallic lead as it comes from the casting machine in ribbon -form, the temperature of the room is then raised by injecting steam -to about one hundred degrees, and then sprinkled several times a day -with diluted acetic acid, converting it into sub-acetate or sugar of -lead. While this operation is going on, carbonic acid gas is forced -into the room by means of a blower or pump, which decomposes the -acetate and forms a carbonate of lead; this operation of forming an -acetate, and then a carbonate, requires from five to six days, until -a complete corrosion of the lead is effected; the room is now allowed -to cool and the lead to dry, after which it is taken out and sifted -through fine wire sieves, which separates all undecomposed lead or -other impurities. It is then ready for washing and drying. The finely -powdered lead is mixed with water into a thick pasty form and ground in -a mill of similar construction to an ordinary flour mill, from which -it is allowed to run into large tubs filled with water, and thoroughly -washed and allowed to settle. The last or finishing operation is to -place it in large copper pans, heated by steam, when it is dried; from -thence taken to the color grinder, where it is mixed in oil ready for -the painter’s use. - - - - -PAINTERS AND ARCHITECTS. - - -There is a presumptuous feeling in the breasts of those who, _par -excellence_, assume the style and title of “Artists,” both in the Old -and the New World, which it would be well to look into were it not -that valuable time might thus be wasted on an exceedingly contemptible -subject. We allude to the arrogation of eminence by those autocrats -of the easel, who, not content with the undue position conceded to -them by the vain and the frivolous who stilt themselves on their -recognition of “high art,” and affect to govern the very laws of -taste itself, go farther in the fulness of their ambition, and seek -to ignore ARCHITECTURE as an art. This outrage on common sense is not -confined to America, it has been continuously practised, if not boldly -promulgated, for over a century in London, by an institution bearing -the absurd title of THE ROYAL ACADEMY, originally intended to foster -and advance the interests of Architecture, Painting, and Sculpture, yet -in forty elections, or rather selections, of Associates, that is, of -those ordained to emblazon their names with the R. A., _but four were -Architects_! - -And, notwithstanding the studious efforts made by our profession to -elevate our position and draw at least our share of public attention, -we find that this Royal Academy and the rest of the aristocratic -Dundrearifications, positively prohibit the appearance of architectural -designs upon the walls of their National Galleries by crowding -every available foot of wall space with easel-work, (we beg -pardon—“paintings,”) ephemeral, unnatural, mannerized exudations of -the “modern school,” that barely patronizes Nature as a stupid fact, -which to be got round must be obliterated in gaudy coloring. But, shall -Architects make bold to criticize these “Artists?” No, PAINTING is a -sublime gift, by the magic touch of which the coarse inelegant canvas -is made to put forth emanations of the etherial mind, which it were a -pity to limit to the paltry boundary of a gilded frame! - - -What is ARCHITECTURE? - -Where would the art of PAINTING find a shelter, were it not for -Architecture? - -Do the gentlemen of the brush and palette ever look around and above at -the walls, the ceilings, or even at the tessellated floor of the rooms -where their small framed efforts are on exhibition, and suffer their -overweaning vanity to acknowledge that ARCHITECTURE is really something? - -How many painters can properly depict it? How many? - -The ignorance which urges the pre-eminence of PAINTING at the -expense of ARCHITECTURE is more to be pitied than contemned. And the -public patronage lavished on the one and withheld from the other, is -superinduced by the ease with which any one can assume to be a critical -admirer of an art whose governing rules are imaginary rather than real -or substantial. - -Some see beauty in the fidelity which a painting bears to Nature. -Others consider that very fidelity as slavish imitation. And a very -general notion obtains amongst painters of “assisting Nature.” Now, -ARCHITECTURE stands upon the solid base of TRUTH. Without imitating, -it borrows applicable ideas from Nature to be used in carrying out its -designs. Nor is it merely the imaginations, limnings, as in the case of -PAINTINGS; those designs have to be executed. CONSTRUCTION then comes -in as the solid, tangible, work of art, which shall defy the elements -and render ARCHITECTURE the protectress of PAINTING, without whose -solid enduring defence the more fragile art would speedily decay and -become unknown. - -But, are not the professors and admirers of ARCHITECTURE themselves to -blame for the degraded position it holds to-day as an art, here and in -Europe? Why is there not more practical enthusiasm, and altogether less -contemptible jealousy, and ill-natured feeling, amongst all who claim -to have an interest in this the grandest and most over-shadowing of the -Arts? - -If PAINTING must needs hold an exclusive position as regards the public -exhibitions of what is most erroneously called the “Fine Arts,” why -cannot ARCHITECTURE and SCULPTURE assert their dignity, and give the -public a chance to patronize them independently? The truth is that -Architecture and Painting do not at all agree in sentiment; the one -is a mere luxury, and no more; the other is a necessary art, adorned -or unadorned. The one can be glanced at and instantly understood; the -other demands the effort of the mind to study and to comprehend. In -PAINTING, the eye is the arbiter; in ARCHITECTURE, the eye and the -mind must form the judgment. It is not what a merely pretty picture is -displayed; it is—how would that design look in execution? - -Most of people who go to a “Fine Art Exhibition” are superficial -observers. They glance at pictures by the hundred. Such are not the -persons from whose judgment ARCHITECTURE can expect even a recognition. -They have been bedazzled with the sheen of the gilded frames, and the -well laid-on varnish which bedizens the bright pigments of the gaudy -glare of Art, which they have just left, and are, of course, impatient -of the more staid and methodical elevations or perspectives, now -presented in a narrow crowded section to their view. They have not -time nor inclination to pause and consider them. They cannot bear to -lose the impressions made by the “sweet shaded alley,” the “dancing -streamlet,” or the “green reflective lake,” with that charming sky -that looks so much more like heaven than nature. No, it will not do -to exhibit ARCHITECTURE and PAINTING together, and it is time to -acknowledge this so often proven fact. The two must be distinct. Let -Architects put forth their powers, and show the community what their -Art really is, and what it is capable of. People will go expressly to -view an exhibition of Architectural designs, combined with Sculpture, -and take much pleasure in the visit, because their mind is prepared -for the occasion, and will not be distracted by a rival exhibition of -quite another effect. To say that the public generally will find no -pleasure in the consideration of Architecture is to assert that which -is disproved by fact. When the Commissioners, appointed to choose a -fitting design for the new Post Office at New York, threw open to a -limited number of visitors the inspection of the collection of designs, -the rooms were crowded each day of the exhibition, and innumerable -applications were made for tickets of admission. Had all the public -been allowed the privilege, no doubt it would have been universally -accepted. Yet that was but a very uninteresting display compared to -one in which the subjects would be manifold, and the scales various. -Not to speak of the freedom of display in color, which on the occasion -adverted to was necessarily confined to an extreme limit. - -Why cannot our Architects have an independent exhibition? There is -nothing to be gained, but on the contrary every thing to be lost by -clinging to the skirts of the _painters_. An effort in this direction -could not fail to meet with the warmest support from our monied -citizens, who are constantly proving substantially their regard for -the progressive welfare of Architecture, by expending vast sums -in buildings. And we have no doubt, but that State Legislatures -would promptly and liberally aid any such effort to educate the -general public in an art so intimately connected with the history of -civilization. - - - - -HONOR TO WASHINGTON. - - -The anniversary of this great nation’s independence never was more -fittingly honored than on the Fourth of July last, when, in this city, -and in the front of the glorious old Independence Hall, Philadelphia -inaugurated her statue of him who was FIRST IN PEACE, FIRST IN WAR -AND FIRST IN THE HEARTS OF HIS COUNTRYMEN. There is not in the United -States a single spot more sacred to the cause of Freedom than that -on which stands Independence Hall, where our great fathers of the -Revolution so nobly pledged to the cause of mankind their lives, their -fortunes, and their sacred honor, and where the truly noble Washington -was heard and seen, when the hopes of an embryo nation rested on his -integrity. - -Although the thought well suggests itself that an honor such as that -just now paid the great patriot’s memory should long ere this have -been credited to Philadelphia, yet it is never too late to do our -name justice before the world; and it is appropriate that the rising -generation of a closing century should thus mark the establishment of a -free government for which he fought and conquered. - -Thanks to the school children whose contributions thus have given to -Philadelphia, what their sires so long neglected, a testimonial worthy -of our grateful recollection of the foremost of Americans. - -On the 13th of December, 1867, a contract was made with our eminent -citizen artist, Mr. J. A. BAILEY, and on the 2d of July, 1869, the -material for the granite base was delivered on the ground. The -following day the statue was duly erected, where it now stands in front -of the entrance of that venerated Hall. - -In the centre of the foundation is placed a box containing the names of -children and teachers, Directors and Board of Controllers, Mayor and -City Councils, heads of departments, records of the Association, etc., -and a copy of the Holy Bible. The base of the statue is of Virginia -granite, from the Richmond quarries, and is in four pieces, weighing -about twenty tons. The statue is of white marble, 8 feet 6 inches high. -The left hand of Washington rests on the hilt of his sword, sheathed in -peace; his right hand rests on the Bible, the Bible on the Constitution -and American flag which drapes the supporting column on the right of -the figure. The weight of the figure is about six tons. The whole -height of base and statue is 18 feet 6 inches. On the north front the -base will bear the name—WASHINGTON; on the south, this inscription: - - ERECTED - BY THE - WASHINGTON MONUMENT ASSOCIATION - OF THE - FIRST SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA. - -The total cost, including a railing, will be about $6,500. - -The ceremony of the unveiling was a most impressive one, the children -being in the act of singing “Hail, Columbia,” when, at a given, signal, -the flag covering the noble statue was raised, and from its folds came -forth innumerable small flags which flew among the people and were -eagerly caught. - -As the marble image of Washington came into view the cheers of the -assembled thousands were only outvied by the cannon in the square, and -the national hymn was for the time drowned in the enthusiasm of the -event. - -The President of the Washington Monument Association Mr. GEORGE F. -GORDON, in an appropriate address to the Mayor and Select and Common -Councils, presented the beautiful monument to the city. It was received -by the Mayor, Hon. DANIEL M. FOX, in a suitable reply, and the -benediction being pronounced, this most interesting event became part -of the brightest of Philadelphia’s chronicles. - - * * * * * - -The munificence of our fellow-townsman, W. W. Corcoran, Esq., has been -handsomely acknowledged by the National Academy of Design, at New York, -which has transmitted to him congratulatory resolutions with reference -to his recent foundation of a gallery of art in this city.—_Washington -Chronicle._ - - - - -NEW SOUTH WALES. - - -Our latest files are to April 21st, inclusive. Sydney was at that time -in high spirits over the recent visit of the Prince Captain of H. M. S. -_Gallatea_. The most noteworthy action of whom was the laying of the -corner-stone of the testimonial to the hardy navigator and discoverer, -Captain Cook. We extract the remarks of the leading journal of Sydney. - -“THE CAPTAIN COOK MEMORIAL.—A monument to the memory of Captain Cook -will be rather an expression of our admiration for his character and -services than an enhancement of his fame. The last generation was -filled with wonder at the narrative of his discoveries. The first -quartos that record them display in most striking forms the scenes and -objects he made known to the world. He visited many islands of the -Southern seas, whose voluptuous and animated social life attracted as -to a new-found Paradise. Subsequent experience scattered the illusions -of fancy, but brought out more clearly the value of his labors. New -South Wales presented to his view a land of savages, lowest in the -scale of civilization, but it also offered a noble field for British -colonization, perhaps less appreciated while America was still a -dependency of England, but brought into notice a few years after that -country ceased to belong to the Crown. - -“COOK first landed at Botany Bay, on the 19th of April, and on the -23d of August, he took possession of the entire country in the name -of the SOVEREIGN of England. The precise spot where he anchored is -marked in the charts by a nautical symbol, and can thus be identified. -On reaching the shore he found a spring of water ample for the wants -of the ship, and tradition has reported that he bent his knees in -adoration of the Supreme Being. - -“The character of COOK as a navigator occupies the first rank in -nautical sciences. It is to his high honor, that modern times, -though they have added to his discoveries, have been rarely able to -dispute them. Nothing is superfluous—nothing is obscure. The modern -investigator starts from the observations made by COOK as undoubted -facts. Every year displays more strikingly, not only the results of his -discoveries and their value, but the almost prophetic foresight which -presided over them. - -“The history of Captain COOK is an example of the lofty position -which may be taken by the humblest ranks when attended with high -intelligence and superior moral qualities. The first step of his naval -career was as a cabin boy. He rose to the command of an expedition -which was suggested by scientific men, and their warmest hopes were -more than fulfilled. They had seen with regret the blanks in the -map of the world, and the ignorance which prevailed in reference to -the true character and capabilities of countries partially known. -The men of science who accompanied him on his voyage acquired for a -time a scarcely inferior fame. Mr. BANKS and Dr. SOLANDER are names -familiar to the readers of COOK’S Voyages, but the magnificence of his -achievements leaves in the shade every inferior merit. He stands forth -as the founder of a new era in nautical discovery, and as the revealer -of a new world. - -“Could Captain COOK have seen the spot on which it is proposed to erect -his monument, and from thence, with superhuman knowledge, anticipated -the events of this day, he would have been overwhelmed with awe. - -“EDMUND BURKE delineated, while the struggle with America was still -transpiring, the emotions of astonishment with which he supposes Lord -BATHURST, then an aged statesman, might in the days of his youth have -looked forward, under the guidance of some celestial instructor, to the -events which had raised American colonization from insignificance to -greatness. But what emotions would have stirred the heart of COOK, if, -standing on this spot, he had foreseen the progress of colonization, -the painful labors included in the first fifty years, and the immense -prosperity of the last. - -“Had such heavenly anointing enabled him to foresee all this, his -grateful spirit would have been filled—with—what sacred joy! Still -further extending his intellectual prospect, he might have foreseen -the arrival of a vessel furnished with the results of science then -unattained, advancing like some being, instinct with intelligence, from -port to port, through billows over which he was tossed, and independent -of winds for which he had to wait, arrived at a fixed hour at the haven -of its destination. And still farther, he might have seen the great -grandson of that monarch whose name he proclaimed as the lord of this -territory—the son of a royal woman who has inherited all the virtues -of her race, without its faults; and he might have seen that son, -surrounded with a multitude of her subjects, standing over the first -stone of an edifice to do honor to his memory.”—_Sydney Morning Herald, -March 27._ - -“THE NEW POST OFFICE, SYDNEY.—The keystone of the central arch of the -new Post Office, George street, was laid by His Royal Highness the Duke -of Edinburgh, on the 1st instant, in the presence of a vast concourse -of spectators. A large platform was erected behind the arch, and on a -level with the stone, access to which was obtained by carpeted stairs, -springing from the northern side of the building. - -“The stone laid by the Prince forms the keystone, archivolts and two -spandrils of the central archway of the George street front. Upon the -face are to be carved the Royal arms, and upon the coffered soffits -the arms of the Duke. The dimensions of the stone are:—Length 13 feet -6 inches, width 4 feet 6 inches, and height 6 feet 6 inches—the whole -being equal to 394 cubic feet. The weight is twenty-six tons. This -stone is doubtless the largest yet laid by his Royal Highness, and it -is probably the largest block of sandstone he will ever lay, for it -would be difficult, if not indeed impossible, to get _sound_ blocks of -sandstone of equal size from any quarry in England, or elsewhere. Few -cities are so favorably situated for sandstone as Sydney, for in almost -every direction blocks of this description of freestone may be obtained -of almost unlimited dimensions, and without a flaw. The most casual -observer of the new Post Office cannot fail to notice the massiveness -of the stones used in the building, and the solidity of the structure -is unequalled by any other erection in the city. The contractor has -placed very powerful cranes in his quarries at Pyrmont, whence these -immense blocks of stone are obtained, and great credit is due to Mr. -C. Saunders for the workmanlike manner in which these blocks—far -exceeding in size anything previously attempted in the colony—have -been quarried. The difficulty of removing these heavy blocks of stone -must be very considerable; and the stone laid by the Duke of Edinburgh -was equal to the force of twenty-one horses, calculating a horse to -draw about twenty-five cwt. Ordinary wagons or trucks usually carry -weight not exceeding 5, or, at most, 6 tons; and as there are in this -building many blocks of granite and freestone of 10 to 20 tons, the -difficulty of carriage can easily be seen. In hoisting and fixing these -large stones ‘travellers’ are used, which can move longitudinally and -crossways; and as the lift is directly over the stone to be fixed, -there is less liability of accident than by the use of cranes or other -contrivances. - -“The building progresses as rapidly as the elaborate nature of -such work will admit. It is now to the height of the first story, -twenty-five feet from the floor line, which is three feet above the -causeway in George street. The works are being carried on under the -superintendence of the Colonial Architect, Mr. James Barnet. The -contractor has fixed all the polished granite columns on the work front -facing the street, which is to be taken through from George street to -Pitt street. They are exceedingly beautiful, and are resplendent with a -lustre brighter than that of marble. The polish has been brought out by -an elaborate process, and is, we believe, ineffaceable by atmospheric -influences. Each column is polished by machinery—incessant friction -continued for a fortnight being requisite to bring out the lustre. -There are to be twenty-seven columns in the George street front, which -the Government have also decided shall be of polished granite, material -which for beauty and durability cannot be surpassed even in Europe. The -building, when completed, will compare favorably with any structure -erected for a similar purpose elsewhere. - -“The blue granite used in the edifice is obtained by Mr. Young from his -quarries at Moruya, about one hundred and sixty miles to the south of -Sydney. The quarries are opened in the side of the hill—a mountain of -granite in fact—and about half a mile of railway constructed across the -swamp carries it to a granite jetty, which has been built in the river, -into water deep enough to admit of vessels drawing fifteen feet of -water loading alongside. The granite is sound—sufficiently so, indeed, -to admit of two hundred feet lengths being quarried. A block has been -got out for the front columns of the Post Office, which weighs nearly -three hundred tons, and the dimensions of which are:—Length, 22 feet; -breadth, 22 feet; thickness, 8 feet; total contents being 3,520 feet.” - - - - -BUILDING IN CONCRETE. - - -It is something to be wondered at, the slowness with which the -advantages of concrete, as a building material, have been developed -and accepted by practical men. As a foundation it is beyond all -doubt the firmest, simplest, and most economical. But, its merit is -not confined to underground operations; for, as has been repeatedly -maintained during the last twenty years, it is capable of making walls -of unsurpassing strength and durability, giving comforts which no other -material will. It is true that certain parties have sought to astonish -the world with securely patented _inventions_, by which Nature’s humble -efforts at making granite were at once surpassed, and the old fogy way -of the consolidation, by the tedious action of time, of grains of mica, -quartz, and feldspar, set aside by the use of this invaluable mode of -making as good an article with one man power at a rate fully equal to -supplying the demands of all who want stone houses erected rapidly from -the raw material! - -All this is arrant folly, and should not be listened to, much less -patronized. The making or undertaking to make stone in blocks is a -step, aye, a long stride backwards. - -The object of cementing together blocks, whether of brick or stone, -is simply to produce one solid mass. And it is because we cannot -conveniently carve out in a _monolith_ or mass together in one -_tumulus_ the desired dwelling or temple, that we are forced either -to break blocks of stone into fragments, or mould and burn earth -into bricks. Now the idea of forming artificial stone into blocks -still leaves the expensive necessity for cementing them together; and -therefore instead of improving our condition, actually leaves us worse -off, by giving us, as a substitute for Nature’s well-tested material, -a most unreliable article, which has already too clearly proved its -utter worthlessness. However, this should not cause the friends of -progress to give up all idea of simplifying and economizing the mode of -wall structure. On the contrary it should stimulate them to make that -exertion in the right way, which has hitherto been so persistently and -blindly made in the wrong. - -In Europe they are taking this subject into serious consideration. -In England, under the name of CONCRETE; in France, under the title -of BÉTON. In the latter country, much has been done lately, and all -arising out of the excellent work on cements given to the world by M. -VICAT, whose name should be enshrined forever in the Temple of Fame, -for the amount of good, present and prospective, which his earnest -labors have done the Art of Building. - -One of the most indefatigable and successful of experimenters in -_béton_ is M. COIQUÉT, who has proved beyond all cavil the excellence -of that composition when applied to the sustaining of weight or -resistance of pressure. - -In London we find Messrs. Drake, Brothers and Reed, under Her Majesty’s -Letters-Patent, undertakers of Building in Concrete. - -It is the machinery they use that is patented, we believe, and not the -material; for there are many others in this branch of business. Mr. -JOSEPH TALL, of London, has also a patent for a peculiar method of -building in concrete, and has executed some contracts in Paris, where, -in 1867, he took a prize at the Exposition. - -It is evident, then, that concrete is forcing its way, and that it -is not an unworthy subject for the inventive minds of our astute -countrymen. - -What we particularly need in order to give an impetus to construction -in concrete is a well-systematized apparatus, movable and always -available, and that men should be drilled to work to the greatest -possible advantage; for it is the want of these requisites that makes -concrete to-day a material so little known and so seldom used. - -Let an active company, with sufficient capital, start the business in -any of our large cities, and concrete will soon assert its excellence -as a building material, and an investment will be secured, giving -profit to its holders and satisfaction to a very large section of -our population, to whom economy must prove the key to comfortable -independence. - - * * * * * - -The quarry companies in Connecticut were never doing a heavier business -than this season. Three quarries now employ over one thousand laborers, -seventy-five horses and one hundred yoke of cattle. - - - - -A REMARKABLE CENTENARY. - - -How few there are who pause for one instant from their plodding after -the deified “Dollar,” to reflect that this present year, 1869, is the -most remarkably commemorative of any yet on the Book of Time. - -It is now one hundred years since HUMBOLDT, CUVIER, the first BRUNELL, -JAMES WATT, Jr., and Sir THOMAS LAWRENCE, among the most eminent of the -world’s civilians—and NAPOLEON the First, WELLINGTON, SOULT and NEY, -among the most advanced rank of mighty military chiefs, had birth. - -It is one hundred years since the elder WATT’S condensing steam engine -was invented, and that invention which brought poverty with its -production has, in these hundred years, revolutionized the globe, and -made not alone individuals, but whole nations wealthy and powerful. - -No nation on the globe owes more to WATT’S steam engine than does this -of ours. Where now would Civilization be coiled up? Where now would -Science be secluded comparatively unnoticed and unknown—were it not for -that one invention? - -The peoples of the world have been growing and multiplying, and where -would have been the room, or the employment for the teeming millions, -were it not for that happy thought which in 1769 became a palpable fact? - -A wise Providence was over all, and the brain that worked out the idea -of the condensing steam engine was but doing its special part in the -great work of civilization and progress. - -This Centenary is one which should not be allowed to pass unheeded, -especially now that we have just drawn the extremes of the earth -nearer, not alone to the ear, but to the eye itself. - - * * * * * - -“How fast they build houses now!” said H.; “they began that building -last week, and now they are putting in the lights.” “Yes,” answered his -friend, “and next week they will put in the liver.” - - - - -AUTOMATIC WATER ENGINE. - - -An important discovery connected with the raising of water is claimed -to have been made by Dr. Bouron, a physician of some reputation, -residing at Heverville, Seine Inférieure. It appears that by a very -simple piece of mechanism he can raise a continuous stream of water to -almost any altitude, without labor of any kind, and without expense, -beyond that necessary for the first cost of the machine, and this is -by no means large, considering the amount of useful work which it -yields. Dr. Bouron states that the power of the machine is based upon -a natural and immutable mechanical principle, and that by it there may -be created a continuous current of water at the surface of the soil, -wherever there exists, no matter at what depth it may be, a spring of -water. The machine is intended to supersede all existing pumps, its -construction not being more expensive, whilst it has the additional -advantage that no expense is incurred for keeping it constantly and -usefully at work, although other pumps, especially when the water is -raised a great height, necessitates enormous expenses compared with the -useful effect produced, and that, too, during the whole time they are -at work. It must not be forgotten, however, that it is a stream and not -a jet of water which the new machine produces, so that, although it -would be well adapted to supply water to fire engines, for example, it -could not replace them. It is claimed that the machine will yield the -same quantity of water as that being produced by the spring to which -it is adapted, (less, of course, the loss inseparable from the working -of all mechanical apparatus), and at any height, whether it be one -thousand metres, two thousand metres, or more. Dr. Bouron also observes -that, however paradoxical it may appear, he has found “the greater the -height to which the water has to be raised the greater is the power of -the machine.” But the relative proportion of the power to the speed -is quite in conformity with the principles of mechanics. The greater -the height to which the water has to be raised, the greater the power -and the speed that can be brought to bear upon it; but the greater the -horizontal section of the column of water to be lifted, the more will -the speed diminish. - - - - -REMARKABLE MASONIC INCIDENT. - - -The first masonic funeral that ever occurred in California took place -in the year 1849, and was performed over the body of a brother found -drowned in the Bay of San Francisco. An account of the ceremonies -states that on the body of the deceased was found a silver mark of a -Mason, upon which were engraved the initials of his name. A little -further investigation revealed to the beholder the most singular -exhibition of Masonic emblems that was ever drawn by the ingenuity of -man upon the human skin. There is nothing in the history or traditions -of Freemasonry equal to it. Beautifully dotted on his left arm in red -or blue ink, which time could not efface, appeared all the emblems -of the entered apprentice. There were the Holy Bible, the square and -the compass, the 24-inch gauge and the common gavil. There were also -the mosaic pavement representing the ground floor of King Solomon’s -Temple, the intended tessle which surrounds it and the blazing star in -the centre. On his right arm, and artistically executed in the same -indelible liquid, were the emblems pertaining to the fellow craft -degree, viz.: the square, the level, and the plumb. There were also the -five columns representing the five orders of architecture—the Tuscan, -Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Composite. - -In removing the garments from his body, the Trowel presented itself, -with all the other tools of operative Masonry. Over his heart was the -Pot of Incense. On the other parts of his body were the Bee Hive, the -Book of Constitutions, guarded by the Tyler’s Sword, the sword pointing -to a naked heart; the All-seeing eye; the Anchor and Ark, the Hour -Glass, the Scythe, the forty-seventh problem of Euclid; the Sun, Moon, -Stars, and Comets; the three steps emblematical of Youth, Manhood, and -Age. Admirably executed was the weeping Virgin, reclining on a broken -column, upon which lay the Book of Constitutions. In her left hand she -held the Pot of Incense, the Masonic emblem of a pure heat, and in her -uplifted hand a Sprig of Acacia, the emblem of the immortality of the -soul. Immediately beneath her stood winged Time, with his scythe by -his side, which cuts the brittle thread of life, and the Hour Glass -at his feet which is ever reminding us that our lives are withering -away. The withered and attenuated fingers of the Destroyer were placed -amid the long and gracefully flowing ringlets of the disconsolate -mourner. Thus were the striking emblems of mortality and immortality -beautifully blended in one pictorial representation. It was a spectacle -such as Masons never saw before, and, in all probability, such as the -fraternity will never witness again. The brother’s name was never known. - - - - -NECESSITY FOR PURE AIR. - - -Those of our citizens who were “to the manor born,” and never left -their native land, cannot form any idea of the comfort they enjoy as -compared with the misery endured from birth to death by thousands -of kindred humanity in the other parts of the world. Even in highly -cultivated and brilliant England and her dependencies, we find enough -to shock the feelings and make us ask ourselves “can such things be?” - -In a pamphlet recently given to the world, DR. MORGAN, a Master of -Arts, and a prominent member of the British Medical Association, -repeats in print a paper which he read before that learned body at -Oxford, in August last; and but for which publication we would have -been in ignorance of the actual depth of misery to which so many good -and faithful subjects of that proud and wealthy monarchy are condemned -uncared for and unthought of. - -“The author remarks that the housing of the poor, while beset with -great difficulties, is most intimately connected with the future -prosperity of the great mass of the people. In all our great cities, -there are unhealthy quarters, where the death rate is exceptionally -high, and the reason of this, after careful inspection of many such -places, Dr. Morgan believes is to be found in this statement. Bad air, -or too little of it, kills the people. - -“Men will grow robust and vigorous, the author remarks, on very poor -food, in very dirty cabins, and in very sorry attire, provided they -enjoy a pure and bracing atmosphere, and the great physical development -of the nations of the Hebrides and the western highlands of Scotland is -cited as an example. In striking contrast to this, we find that in the -Isle of St. Kilda, a small island, numbering about eighty inhabitants, -three out of every five infants born alive are carried off a few days -after birth by a convulsive affection allied to tetanus, the difference -being apparently due to the huts having no smoke-hole in the thatch, -and being rendered impervious to air by double walls filled in with -peat and sods, the object of which is to prevent the escape of smoke, -and in due time the soot is collected and used as manure.” - - * * * * * - -DRINKING FOUNTAINS—This philanthropic movement which offers the -grateful cup of Nature’s refreshing beverage to the parched lip of -the passenger, is one that takes a high place indeed in the church -universal, at whose shrine all bend in unison, and know no discordant -thought, but love one another for the love of God. - - - - -LESSONS FOR LEARNERS. - -PRACTICAL GEOMETRY. - - -We will not commence our instructions with the hackneyed “definitions,” -but give our readers full credit for the knowledge of what is a -_point_, _a right or straight line_, _a curved line_, _parallel -lines_—and so forth, and proceed at once to practice. - -There are some persons who think that with a drawing-board and square, -they can, without fail, make all sorts of horizontal, perpendicular, -or parallel lines, and that therefore any geometrical rules for such -purpose are to them unnecessary. But, suppose the drawing-board, or -the square is absent, or that neither can be had. In such an emergency -the want of the following items of knowledge would be severely felt, -and, therefore, the acquirement and retention of them is something -desirable, and even highly necessary. - - -PROBLEM I. _To erect a perpendicular on a given right line._ - -[Illustration: _Fig. 1_] - -A, B, is the given right line. From the point C, with a radius longer -than the perpendicular distance describe the arc, or part of a circle, -D, D. And from the points of intersection with the right line A, B, -describe arcs cutting each other at C and E. Join C and E, and the -perpendicular is obtained on either side of the right line A, B. - - -PROBLEM II. _To erect a perpendicular at the middle of a right line._ - -From the extreme points of the right line A, B, with radii less than -the length of the line describe two arcs intersecting each other at -C and D, and through the points of their intersection draw the line, -which will be perpendicular to the given right line at the middle. - -[Illustration: _Fig. 2_] - -In this way, too, may any line be divided into too equal parts with -facility and exactness. - - -PROBLEM III. _To erect a perpendicular at or near the end of a given -right line._ - -[Illustration: _Fig. 3_] - -Take any point, D, on the given right line A, B, as a centre, and to -the required point C, as a radius, and describe an arc C, E, F. Take -a portion of this arc, say E, and make from C, E, equal to E, F. Join -F and C. Now with E, C, for a radius, describe the arc G, E, H, and -make from E to H equal to from E to G. Then through H from C draw the -perpendicular required. - -There are other methods of accomplishing this, but we will not -introduce them here, as the one now given is sufficient. - -We will now proceed to the formation of geometrical figures which -enclose space. - -That which is bounded by one line is called a _circle_; and a right -line dividing it into two equal parts is called its _diameter_; from the -centre of which to either end is called the _radius_: and the boundary -line is termed the _circumference_ from the Latin words _circum_, -around, and _fero_ to carry. That is: a line carried around. Thus we -see an area or space is enclosed by one line. An area may be enclosed -by two lines; but one, or both of them, must be curved; as two right -lines cannot enclose a space. But three can; and the figure is called a -_triangle_. - - -PROBLEM IV. _In a given circle to construct a Triangle._ - -[Illustration: _Fig. 4_] - -Take the radius of the circle, and with it mark off six points on the -circumference. Take two of these lengths of the radius and join their -extreme points A and B, which will be the base. Now take this base as a -radius and describe alternately two arcs cutting each other at C. Join -A, C, and B, C, and a triangle is formed, whose sides being equal is -termed an _equilateral triangle_. - -In order to ensure its being upright, erect a perpendicular at the -centre, and let the two sides A, C, and B, C, meet that perpendicular -where it intersects the circumferences. Or, begin the triangle at this -point, and mark off two lengths of the radius, joining the extreme -points as before; and do this at each side of the perpendicular; -finally connecting the distant extremities of the two sides for a base. - - -PROBLEM V. _To construct an upright square in a given circle._ - -Let fall a perpendicular, I, E, from the centre to the circumference, -and with that as a radius and E as a centre, cut the circumference at -A, B, C, and D, and join the points. The four-sided figure called a -square is thus formed. - -[Illustration: _Fig. 5_] - - -PROBLEM VI. _On a given right line_, A, B, _to construct a pentagon, or -five-sided figure_. - -[Illustration: _Fig. 6_] - -Draw B, F, perpendicular and equal to the half of A, B. Produce A, F, -to G, making F, G, equal to F, B. From the points A and B, with the -radius B, G, describe arcs cutting each other at I. From I, with the -radius I, B, describe a circle. Inscribe the successive chords A, E; E, -D; D, C; C, B, which with the base A, B, completes the pentagon. - -If the circle be given, and a pentagon to be inscribed in it, the -following is as simple as it is practical. From the centre erect a -perpendicular, which shall meet the circumference at D. At each side of -this point divide the circumference into five equal parts, and connect -every two of them from D to E, from E to A, and from D to C, C to B. -Now connect A and B and the pentagon is formed. - - -PROBLEM VII. _On a given line_ A, B, _to construct a hexagon, or -six-sided figure_. - -Take the length of the radius I, G, and lay it off from F to A, A to B, -B to C, C to D, D to E, and E to F. - -[Illustration: _Fig. 7_] - - -PROBLEM VIII. _To form an octagon, or eight-sided figure._ - -Refer back to _Fig. 5_. Draw the radius I, E, till it meets the -circumference at E. Join the points E, A, and E, B. Repeat this at each -of the four sides, and the octagon is formed. - - -PROBLEM IX. _To form a decagon, or ten-sided figure._ - -Refer to _Fig. 6_, and proceed as in the preceding problem. - - -PROBLEM X. _To construct a duo-decagon, or twelve-sided figure._ - -Refer to _Fig. 7_, and duplicate the chords, as already shown. - -We do not present 7, 9, or 11 sided figures, because they seldom or -ever come into practice. Our object being to give what is useful and -not overburden the memory unnecessarily. - -The learner should go over and work out each of the foregoing problems -several times. In fact, until they are soundly secured in his memory, -so that on any emergency he can apply them to a required practice. -They are the simplest rudiments, but as practically useful as they are -simple. The Architect, the builder, as well as the several trades of -carpenter, joiner, carver, stone-cutter, mason, and in fact, all in -any way concerned in the practice of construction will at some time -or other wish to recall one of these useful problems. Therefore do we -dwell on the necessity for committing them, understandingly, to memory, -and likewise the advantage required in being able to draw them neatly -and perfectly on paper. In order to do this with satisfaction to one’s -self, it is desirable that a fine point be constantly maintained on the -pencil, and that uniform nicety be preserved with the curved lines, as -well as the right or straight lines. For nothing looks worse than undue -thickness in the one or the other. All should be alike. - -In theoretical geometry a line, whether right or curved, is but -imaginary, not having any thickness whatever, and therefore no palpable -existence. In practical geometry the line must be visible, but ought to -be so uniformly fine as to occupy scarcely any perceptible thickness. -And herein lies the greatest beauty in geometrical draughting. By -strict attention to this apparently trifling matter, its advantages -will show wherever minute angles occur. They will be clear and -distinct, and always satisfactory. - -The learner should keep his first attempts, however coarse, for they -will by comparison hereafter, show the advance he has made. Nor should -he be content to “let well enough alone.” There is no “well enough” -in drawing. It is a progressive science, and the true artist never -believes he has done his best. Go as near to perfection as you can, and -do not turn aside from, or step over obstacles to reach the end you -have in view. Whatever you have neglected in early study will surely -haunt you through after years, and trouble you when you can least bear -the annoyance. - -We now conclude this primary lesson, hoping that our learners may -profit by the hints we have thrown out, and will thoroughly prepare -themselves for the advance in our next. - - * * * * * - -THE first brick house in Iowa was built by Judge Rerer, of Burlington, -in 1839. - - - - -VINES FOR THE DECORATION OF COTTAGES. - -THE GROUND NUT VINE. - - -A tourist riding a few miles in almost any New England city, would -hardly fail to notice that a large number of the rural residences -display a profusion of architectural embellishment, without wearing -a cheerful, home-like look. He would pass cottage after cottage -ornamented with slender porticoes, fanciful verandas, sculptured gables -and deep bay windows, but situated in a pen-like looking enclosure, -and surrounded with fixtures, dark and dismal; and with arbor vitæ -hedges whose yellow cast clearly indicated that they had been planted -in ungenial soil. In each narrow yard he would notice flower beds, -containing many unhealthy looking plants, and most of these beds would -exhibit the same arrangement and the same multifarious specimens of the -odds and ends of Nature for miles. He would remark concerning these -suburban seats that they were _pretty_; he would hardly say beautiful, -certainly not charming. They were not satisfying to the eye—they were -designed to impart an expression of exquisite rurality but failed. As -the same tourist passed by some old-fashioned farm house, with its -broad green lawns in front, shaded with green old elms; as he noticed -the wood colored porch covered with luxuriant woodbine, the dove-cote -with its glittering birds, the dark orchards beyond the yard, the -pond in the meadow overhung with willows; or, as he descried some -inexpensive cottage, removed from the road and half hidden from view -by graceful arbors and vigorous native trees, he would ride slowly and -express his satisfaction at each of these scenes of rural taste and -beauty. - -It is not the richness of art that gives to English cottages their -picturesqueness and poetic expression, but the beauty of the grounds -that surround them, and the vines that adorn them. It is not the -fantastic gables, nor the latticed windows that so captivate the eye -of the traveller, but the tasteful foliage that drapes them, and the -lustrous vines that embower them. Denude these cottages of these -embellishments, and many of them would appear as uninviting to the eye -as the mouldering tower without the classic ivy. - -Louis XIV had his Versailles, and his elegant queen her embowered -Triannon; but the simple charms of Triannon proved more inviting to the -cultivated minds of the court, than the gorgeous pile and artificial -gardens at Versailles. - -We devote too much time to the cultivation of exotics, and too lightly -value the vines and shrubs of our native soil. Again, we sacrifice rich -foliage that lasts for a season, to gaudy flowers that last only for a -brief period. The double prairie rose is a very delightful sight—for a -single week—and during the remaining season it is a miserable brier, -commonly wormy and lousy. Yet the prairie rose is in common use as -an ornament for the veranda, while the jessamine, the woodbine, the -wisteria and the luxuriant honeysuckle are, put in less conspicuous -places, or their cultivation wholly neglected. - -It may be cited as an evidence of improving taste in the rural art, -that rustic work, which imparts to a place an expression of delightful -rurality, is taking the place of images, porcelain vases, etc., -that long have been conspicuous objects in almost every parterre. -The perfection of beauty to which this work may be carried has been -admirably illustrated in Central Park, New York City, and widely copied -by gentlemen of taste. Few objects are more pleasing than rustic arbors -or even rustic urns over-running with foliage. - -Among the most pleasing vines for embellishment of rural seats are the -honeysuckle (_Lonicera japonica_ and the trumpet vine), the woodbine, -the jessamine and the American ivy. For adorning stone work, the -English ivy is very rich, though it grows imperfectly in our Northern -latitudes. - -The woodbine forms a massive drapery for a cottage porch. It has a rich -marine hue in summer, and it is very richly tinted in autumn after -the early frosts. The Japan honeysuckle is deliciously fragrant, and -it retains its dark lustrous foliage until mid-winter. Unlike many -climbers this honeysuckle, together with the trumpet vine, is not -liable to be infested with insects. The feathery _clematis_, known also -by the names of the _virgin’s bower_ and the _traveller’s joy_, is a -pretty creeper for walls and fences; and the common hop vine may be -made to add beauty to the dove-cote and the martin boxes, when these -are placed after the old English manner, upon poles. - -The American ivy is one of the most prolific of foliage vines. The -leaves when they are young are of a delicate pea-green color, but they -become dark and lustrous as the season advances. They are very gorgeous -after the early autumn frosts, displaying the richest tints of orange -and vermillion. The ivy forms a sort of net-work for old crumbling -walls, and it is indigenous to stormy places. - -There is a slender vine very common in the Eastern States that is -seldom used for ornamental purposes, to which we would especially -invite the attention of the florists. It is called the ground nut, -(_Apios tuberosa._) Its foliage is dark, thick, and very graceful. -The flowers are remarkable. They are dark purple in color and present -a peculiar waxy appearance, in dense predunculate, axillary racemes. -Their odor is wonderfully sweet, and it is so powerful and inexhaustive -as to fill perpetually the air. The vine entwines itself among low -bushes in its native state. A florist of our acquaintance supplemented -the charms of her trellises of roses by entwining these vines among the -branches. Her rooms were filled with fragrance whenever the windows -were thrown open during the whole of the hot season. The flowers of the -ground nut vine last for a very long period. Remember this vine in your -summer rambles.—_Working Farmer._ - -CLEAN THE CELLAR.—The Boston _Journal of Chemistry_ says: “Diptheria, -typhoid, and scarlet fevers, and many other most serious illnesses, -have their origin in cellars both in city and country; and we can do -our readers no greater service than to urge them to see that at all -times they are in a dry, sweet, wholesome condition. Why should farmers -and farmer’s families, living in the country away from the pestilential -vapors of the cities, be so subject to attacks of malignant diseases? -There is a reason for it, and we can point it out. They arise from -the indifference manifested to the observance of hygienic rules and -the violation of sanitary laws. Cleanliness is essential to health, -and it is just as necessary in the country as in the city. A family -living over a foul cellar is more liable to be poisoned and afflicted -with illness than a city family living in its polluted atmosphere, -but without cellar or basement filled with fermenting roots and -fruits. There is far more sickness in the country among husbandmen -than there ought to be. With plenty of pure air, water, and exercise, -the evil imp Disease ought to be kept at bay, and he would be better -if an observance of certain hygienic conditions were maintained. Bad -conditioned cellars, small, close sleeping rooms, stoves—these are all -agents of evil, and are fast making the homes of farmers almost as -unhealthy as those of the dwellers in cities. Are not these suggestions -worthy of consideration?” - - - - -ON THE ART OF GARDENING. - - -BY THOMAS HOPE. - -What was, in the earlier times, the origin of the garden? The wish -that certain esculent plants and fruits, which in the waste field and -the wide forest are scattered at great distances, in small quantities, -intermixed with useless vegetables and fruits, precarious in their -appearance, and stinted in their growth, difficult to collect, and -scarce worth the gathering, might in a nearer, a smaller, and a more -accessible spot, be better secured, more abundantly produced, kept -clearer of the noxious herbs and weeds which destroy their nutriment -and impede their growth. This was, in its origin, the sole object of -the entire garden; this, to the present hour, continues to be the -principal purpose of that essential portion of the garden, devoted to -the uses of the kitchen and the table. - -In these parts of the garden then, which are destined immediately for -the gratification, not of the eye, but merely of the palate, it is only -in proportion as we more fully deviate from the desultory and confused -dispositions of simple nature—firstly, by separating the different -species of esculent plants, not only from their useless neighbors, but -from each other; and secondly, by confining the vegetables thus classed -in those symmetric and measured compartments, which enable us with -greater ease to discover, to approach, and to improve each different -species in the precise way, most congenial to its peculiar requisites, -that we more fully attain that first of intellectual beauties, which, -in every production, whether of nature or of art, resides in the exact -correspondence between the end we propose and the means we employ. -Nay, if it be true that contrast and variety of colors and of forms -are amongst the most essential ingredients of visible beauty, we may -say that even this species of sensible charm is greatly increased in -the aspect of a country by the opposition to the more widely diffused, -but more vague shades and outlines of the unsymmetrical surrounding -landscape, offered by the more vivid hues and more distinct forms of -the gay Mosaic work of nicely classed and symmetrized vegetables which -clothe these select spots. - -Even where the general unadorned scenery is as bold and majestic as -in Switzerland, or as rich and luxuriant as in Sicily, the eye with -rapture beholds the variety, and enjoys the relief from the vaster -and sublimer features of rude Nature, offered by the professed art -of a neat little patch of ground, whether field, orchard, or garden, -symmetrically distributed. It looks like a small but rich gem—a topaz, -an emerald, or a ruby, sparkling amidst vast heaps of ruder ore; or -rather like a rich carpet, spread out over a corner of the valley. It -appears thus incontrovertible, that in that part at least of the garden -which is immediately intended for utility, we incidentally produce -not only greater intellectual, but greater visible beauty, by not -confining ourselves to the desultory forms of unguided Nature, but by -admitting the more symmetric outlines of avowed art, and it therefore -only remains to be inquired, whether in that other and different part -of the artificial grounds, in later times added to the former, which -is directly intended for beauty, and which we therefore call the -pleasure-grounds, we shall really produce more beauty, intellectual or -visible, or, in other words, more pleasure to the mind or eye, by only -employing the powers of art in a covert and unavowed way; in still only -preserving the closest resemblance to the interminable and irregular -forms of mere nature, or by exhibiting her additional resources in a -more open and avowed manner; in contrasting these more indeterminate -and desultory features of pure nature, with some of those more -determinate and compassed outlines, which, indeed, on a small scale, -are already found in many of the spontaneous productions of Nature -herself; but which on a more extended plan, are only displayed in the -works of art. I say, more pleasures to the mind or eye; for the portion -of the garden here alluded to, no less than the one before mentioned -professes itself to be a piece of ground wrested from Nature’s dominion -by the hand of man, for purposes to which Nature alone was inadequate; -and thence contending that there is the least necessity or propriety -in rendering this district, appropriated by art, a fac-simile of pure -Nature, independent of any consideration of superior beauty which this -imitation may offer to the eye or mind, and merely because, to form -a garden, we use materials supplied by Nature—such as air, water, -earth, and vegetables, would be absurd in the extreme. As well might -we contend, that every house, built of stone should resemble a cavern, -and every coat made of wool, a sheepskin. Every production of human -industry whatsoever, must, if we trace it to its origin, arise out of -one or more definite ingredients of pure nature; and unless, therefore, -by the same rule, every production of human industry whatsoever be -obliged everlastingly to continue wearing the less regular forms of -those peculiar objects of nature, out of which it is wrought, we cannot -with more justice arraign gardens in their capacity as aggregates of -mere natural substances and productions, for assuming the artificial -forms of a terrace or a _jet-d’eau_, an avenue or a _quincunx_, than -we can condemn opera-dancers and figurantes, in their capacity of -compounds of natural limbs and features, for exhibiting the artificial -movements of the minuet and the gavot, the entrechat and the pas-grave. - -If, then, the strict resemblance to the desultory forms of rude -nature be not indispensably requisite in the artificial scenery of -pleasure-grounds, on account of any invariable reasons of propriety -or consistency, inherent in the very essence of such grounds, this -resemblance of studious art to wild nature, in the gardens that adorn -our habitations, can only be more eligible on account of some superior -pleasure which it gives the eye and mind, either in consequence of -certain general circumstances connected with the very nature of all -imitation, or only in consequence of certain more restricted effects, -solely and exclusively produced by this peculiar species of imitation; -namely, of natural landscapes through artificial grounds. - -Now, with regard to the former of these two considerations, I allow -that a faithful imitation, even of a deformed original, is capable -of affording great intellectual pleasure to the beholder, provided -that imitation, like that displayed in painting and sculpture, be -produced through dint of materials, or tools so different from those -of which is composed the original imitated, as to evince in the -imitator extraordinary ingenuity and powers; but the imitation of a -natural landscape, through means of the very ingredients of all natural -scenery; namely, air, earth, trees, and water, (and which imitation -will in general offer greater truth in proportion as it is attained -through greater neglect,) cannot possess that merit which consists -in the overcoming of difficulties and the display of genius; unless, -indeed, it be an imitation of such a species of wild scenery as is -totally foreign to the genius of the locality in which it is produced; -unless it consists in substituting mountains to plains, waterfalls to -puddles, and precipices to flats; and in that case, on the contrary, -the attempt at imitation will become so arduous as to threaten -terminating in a total failure, by only offering, instead of a sublime -and improved resemblance, a most paltry and mean caricature. Since, -then, in a garden, the imitation of the less symmetric arrangements of -rude nature can afford little or no peculiar gratification to the mind -in their sole capacity as imitations, the question becomes restricted -within a very narrow compass; and all that remains to be inquired -into is, whether, in that garden, the exclusive admission of mere -unsymmetric forms of simple nature, or their mixture with a certain -proportion of the more symmetric forms of professed art, will give more -intense and more varied pleasure to the eye? And, when thus stated, I -should think the question would be nearly answered in the same way by -every unprejudiced person. I should think it would be denied by none, -that if, on the one hand, the most irregular habitation, still, through -the very nature of its construction and purposes, must ever necessarily -remain most obviously symmetric and formal; if not in its whole, at -least in its various details, of doors, windows, steps, entablatures, -etc., and if, on the other hand, as I take it, all beauty consists -in that contrast, that variety, that distinctness of each of the -different component parts of a whole, from the remaining parts, which -renders each individually a relief to the remainder, combined with that -harmony, that union of each of these different component parts of that -whole with the remaining parts, which renders each a support to the -remainder, and enables the eye and mind to glide over and compass the -whole with rapidity and with ease, fewer striking features of beauty -will be found in a garden, where, from the very threshold of the still -ever symmetric mansion, one is launched in the most abrupt manner, into -a scene wholly composed of the most unsymmetric and desultory forms of -mere nature, totally out of character with those of that mansion; and -where the same species of irregular and indeterminate forms, already -prevailing at the very centre, extend, without break or relief, to the -utmost boundaries of the grounds, than will be presented in another -garden, where the cluster of highly-adorned and sheltered apartments -that form the mansion, in the first instance, shoot out, as it were, -into certain more or less extended ramifications of arcades, porticoes, -terraces, parterres, treillages, avenues, and other such still splendid -embellishments of art, calculated by their architectural and measured -forms, at once to offer a striking and varied contrast with, and a -dignified and comfortable transition to, the more undulating and -rural features of the more extended, more distant, and more exposed -boundaries; before, in the second instance, through a still further -link, a still further continuance of this same gradation of hues and -forms, these limits of the private domain are again made in their turn, -by means of their less artificial and more desultory appearance, to -blend equally harmoniously on the other side, with the still ruder -outlines of the property of the public at large. - -No doubt, that, among the very wildest scenes of unappropriated nature, -there are some so grand, so magnificent, that no art can vie with, or -can enhance their effect. Of this description are the towering rock, -the tremendous precipice, the roaring cataract, even the dark, gloomy, -impenetrable forest. Of such, let us take great care not to destroy, or -to diminish the grandeur by paltry conceits or contrivances of art. But -even these are such features as, from certain conditions unavoidably -attendant on them, we would not wish to have permanently under our -eyes and windows; or even if we wished it, could not transport -within the narrow precincts which immediately surround the mansion. -A gentleman’s country residence, situated in the way it ought to be, -for health, for convenience, and for cheerfulness, can only have room -in its immediate vicinity for the more concentrated beauties of art. -In this narrow circle, if we wish for variety, for contrast, and for -brokenness of levels, we can only seek it in arcades and in terraces, -in steps, balustrades, regular slopes, parapets, and such like; we -cannot find space for the rock and the precipice. Here, if we admire -the fleeting motion, the brilliant transparency, the soothing murmur, -the delightful coolness of the crystal stream, we must force it up in -an erect _jet-d’eau_, or hurl it down in an abrupt cascade; we cannot -admit so near us the winding torrent, dashed at wide intervals from -rock to rock. Here, if we desire to collect the elegant forms, vivid -colors, and varied fragrance of the choicest shrubs and plants, whether -exotics, or only natives, oranges, magnolias, and rhododendrons, or -roses, and lilies, and hyacinths; we still must confine them in the -boxes, the pots, or the beds of some sort of parterre; we cannot give -them the appearance of spontaneously growing from amongst weeds and -briers. Here, in fine, if we have a mind to secure the cool shade and -the convenient shelter of lofty trees, we can only plant an avenue, we -cannot form a forest. And for that, since we admire, even to an excess, -symmetry of lines and disposition in that production of art called a -house, we should abhor these attributes in the same excess in that -other avowed production of art, the immediate appendage of the former, -and consequently the sharer in its purposes and character, namely, the -garden, I do not understand. There is between the various divisions of -the house and those of the grounds, this difference, that the first -are more intended for repose, and the latter for exercise; that the -first are under cover, and the latter exposed. The difference should -make a corresponding difference in the nature of the materials, and in -the size and delicacy of the forms; but why it should occasion on the -one side an unqualified admission, and on the other, as unqualified -an exclusion of those attributes of symmetry and correspondence of -parts which may be equally produced in coarser as in finer materials, -on a vaster as on a smaller scale, I cannot conceive. The outside of -the house is exposed to the elements as well as the grounds; and why, -while columns are thought invariably to look well at regular distances, -trees should be thought invariably to look ill in regular rows, is what -I cannot comprehend. Assuredly the difference is as great between the -eruptions of Etna, or of any other volcano, and artificial fire-works, -as it is between the falls of the Niagara or of any other river, and -artificial water-works. Why, then, while we gaze with admiration on a -rocket, should we behold with disgust a _jet-d’eau_? And why, while we -are delighted with a rain of fiery sparks, should we be displeased with -a shower of liquid diamonds, issuing from a beautiful vase, and again -collected in as exquisite a basin? If the place be appropriate, if the -hues be vivid, if the outlines be elegant, if the objects be varied and -contrasted, in the name of wonder, how should, out of all these partial -elements of positive, unmixed beauty, arise a whole positively ugly? -No, there can only arise a whole as beautiful as the parts; and so, -those travellers who have not allowed any narrow and exclusive theories -to check or destroy their spontaneous feelings, must own they have -thought many of the suspended gardens within Genoa, and of the splendid -villas about Rome; so they have thought those striking oppositions of -the rarest marbles to the richest verdure; those mixtures of statues, -and vases, and balustrades, with cypresses, and pinasters, and bays; -those distant hills seen through the converging lines of lengthened -colonnades; those ranges of aloes and cactuses growing out of vases -of granite and of porphyry, scarce more symmetric by art, than these -plants are by nature; and, finally, all those other endless contrasts -of regular and irregular forms, everywhere, each individually -increasing its own charms, through their contrast with those of the -other, exhibited in the countries, which we consider as the earliest -schools, where beauty became an object of sedulous study. - -But the truth is, that in our remoter climes, we carry every theory -into the extremes. Once, that very symmetry and correspondence of -parts of which a certain proportion ever has, to all refined ages and -nations, ancient and modern, appeared a requisite feature of the more -dressy and finished parts of the pleasure garden, prevailed in all -English villas with so little selection, and at the same time, in such -indiscreet profusion, as not only rendered the different parts insipid -and monotonous with respect to each other, but the whole mass a most -formal, unharmonious blotch with regard to the surrounding country. -Surfeited at last with symmetry carried to excess, we have suddenly -leaped into the other extreme. Dreading the faintest trace of the -ancient regularity of outline as much as we dread the phantoms of those -we once most loved, we have made our country residences look dropped -from the clouds, in spots most unfitted to receive them; and, at the -expense, not only of all beauty, but of all comfort, we have made the -grounds appear as much out of harmony, viewed in one direction with the -mansion, as they formerly were viewed in the opposite direction with -the country at large. Through the total exclusion of all the variety, -the relief, the sharpness, which, straight or spherical, or angular, or -other determinate lines and forms might have given to unsymmetric and -serpentining forms and surfaces, we have, without at all diminishing -the appearance of art, (which in a garden can never be totally -eradicated,) only succeeded in rendering that art of the most tame and -monotonous description; like that languid and formal blank verse, which -is equally divested of the force of poetry and the facility of prose. -Nature, who, in her larger productions, is content with exhibiting the -more vague beauties that derive from mere variety and play of hues -and forms; Nature herself, in her smaller and more elaborate, and if -I may so call them, choicer bits of every different reign, superadds -those features of regular symmetry of colors and shapes, which not only -form a more striking contrast with the more desultory modifications -of her huger masses, but intrinsically in a smaller space, produces a -greater effect than the former can display. Examine the radii of the -snow-spangle, the facettes of the crystal, the petals of the flower, -the capsules of the seed, the wings, the antennæ, the rings, the -stigmata of the insect and the butter-fly; nay, even in man and beast, -the features of the face, and the configuration of the eye, and we -shall find in all these more minute, more finished, and more centrical -productions of the mineral, the vegetable, and the animal kingdoms, -reigns the nicest symmetry of outline and correspondence of parts. And -if art, which can only be founded upon, only spring out of nature; if -art, I say, should ever only be considered as the further development -of nature’s own principles, the complement of nature’s own designs, -assuredly we best obey the views of nature, and best understand the -purposes of art, when, leaving total irregularity to the more extended, -more distant, and more neglected recesses of the park, we give some -degree of symmetry to the smaller and nearer, and more studied -divisions of the pleasure-ground. This principle of proportioning the -regularity of the objects to their extent, the Greeks well understood. -While in the Medici Venus the attitude of the body only displays the -unsymmetric elegance of simple nature, the hair presents all the -symmetry of arrangement of the most studious art; and unless this -principle also become familiar among us there is great danger that -unable to make the grounds harmonize with the mansion, we attempt to -harmonize the mansion with the grounds, by converting that mansion -itself into a den or a quarry. - - - - -REMARKS ON FIRE-PROOF CONSTRUCTION. - - -A PAPER READ BEFORE THE NEW YORK CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF -ARCHITECTS, APRIL 6TH, 1869. - -BY P. B. WIGHT, F. A. I. A. - -MR. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN:—A distinguished member of this body not -long since remarked that a fire-proof building was easily defined: -“It is a building which cannot burn, and which contains nothing that -will burn.” Admitting the definition, I do not propose to dispute with -the gentleman, neither do I intend to enter into an elaborate and -scientific investigation of the subject; to do so would be to essay a -task far beyond my powers, and one which might result in stultifying -myself and wearying you. The best I can do is to collect some of the -scattered results of thought and observation, into what I trust you -will consider to be but a rambling dissertation upon a subject which is -of great interest to all of us. It is, therefore, less with the desire -to display any erudition, than to introduce the subject, and call forth -the views of those assembled here, that I have chosen to address you -some remarks on fire-proof buildings. In so doing it is possible that -I may enter the field of criticism, and may comment upon the works of -some who are here present; but whatever I may say in that direction, -allow me to assure you, will be said with justice and candor, and an -endeavor to follow Matthew Arnold’s definition of criticism—to find the -best ideas in everything. I will look to those whose experience has -been more extended than mine, for a continuation of the discussion of -what I may only hint at. - -It is very seldom that any building is required for such use that only -non-combustible material shall be placed in it; but it is still a -fact that fire-proof buildings are often called for, and are needed, -wherein large amounts of combustible materials are to be placed.[A] To -supply such a demand, is one of the most important problems offered to -the architect for solution. Of such buildings, are storage warehouses, -and stores or shops, wholesale and retail, as well as buildings for -certain kinds of manufacturing processes, such as sugar-houses and -carriage or furniture shops. - -Having devised a building of non-combustible material throughout, -the question which next arises is how to keep a conflagration in one -part from extending to all the contents of the building. It seems to -me, that in buildings for such purposes, the idea of making them only -partially fire-proof is not to be considered for a moment, unless, -perhaps, the material contained is so highly inflammable that it would -destroy the material of the building, even if it is divided into -fire-proof compartments, in which case it seems to be folly to go to -the expense of fire-proof materials at all. When you know that no part -of your building can burn of itself it is evident that every atom of -it will offer some resistance to the enemy confined within. I believe, -too, that it is impossible to smother or choke a fire once commenced, -by the use of closed compartments. Accident or carelessness may leave -some openings which will facilitate a draft in some unforeseen way. -And even supposing that you have shut in your fire by some arrangement -of closed compartments, can you give your compartments less air than -a charcoal pit? Close it as much as you will, your confined goods, -if the barriers are not forced by the immense power generated by the -heat, will at last be reduced to charcoal; for you cannot open a door -or window upon such a smouldering fire, but that it will instantly -burst into flames. Ships have been brought to port with smouldering -fires under their closed hatches, which have been in existence for -weeks at a time, while but few have been eventually saved under such -circumstances, except by scuttling. Such conditions do not exist with -regard to buildings; in them there is not the risk of human lives, -which may be saved on shipboard only by closing down the hatches, and -scuttling is obviously out of the question. - -Store-houses are the only class of buildings which admit of division -into airtight compartments, and there is a practical objection to -them in even buildings of this class; but few kinds of goods can be -preserved without good ventilation. It seems, therefore, that the -compartments should be open and accessible from without, but carefully -divided from each other. If so, they afford good facilities to those -employed in extinguishing fires; and I think that in a building thus -arranged, there would be a more reasonable chance of a portion of its -goods being saved. - -The division of buildings into horizontal compartments, rather than -vertical ones, is so much more desirable, where land is expensive, -that inventors have almost exhausted their ingenuity in devising -thoroughly fire-proof floors. It is obvious, however, that the division -of a building by vertical fire-proof partitions, is a matter so easy -of accomplishment, that it is questionable whether the horizontal -division, so beset with practical difficulties, so expensive, and -withal so much less to be depended upon, even when the best systems -of construction are used, is ever economical, even where ground -is expensive. I even question whether it is of any use to build -iron floors, or floors with iron supports, for buildings to contain -goods; brick piers and groined arches are alone reliable. If you -divide horizontally you must have stairways within and windows on the -exterior, both of which welcome the ascending flames. You may enclose -your staircase in a fire-proof enclosure, and you may put the heaviest -iron shutters on your windows, but you must have doors through which to -gain access from your stairways, and you must open your shutters when -you want light. There is a contingency that these traps may be set when -the enemy comes, and then all your expensive floors represent so much -wasted capital. - -As yet, I believe, that no buildings in this vicinity, built purely -for storage purposes, have been constructed entirely of fire-proof -materials, except the St. John’s Depot of the Hudson River Railroad -Company. I am not aware that any attempt has been made in these -buildings to stop a conflagration among the goods on storage either -by horizontal or vertical compartments. The floors, to be sure, are -of iron and brick, non-combustible, but with hoistways; and it is not -difficult to conjecture, even supposing that all horizontal openings -and iron shutters were closed, what would be the result of a fire -raging on one of those floors, hundreds of feet in expanse. - -Several fires occurring recently in the Brooklyn warehouses have -warned their owners to take extra precautions, even though none of -these warehouses are fire-proof, if I am rightly informed. One of the -best is known as the Pierrepont Stores, near the Wall Street Ferry, -and the arrangement of them is well worthy of notice. These are about -three hundred feet in length, and are divided into six compartments by -fire-proof party walls; the width of each compartment is consequently -about fifty feet, and the length about two hundred feet. The floors -are of wood, and it would have been useless to make them of iron and -brick; for the goods taken in them are mainly sugars, and it would -be folly to attempt to arrest a fire of such combustible material in -its ascending course, by any practicable device. But what is most -interesting in these buildings is that each is fortified against its -neighbor. Recently the party walls were carried up about six feet above -the roofs, and were pierced with embrasures, through which firemen can -play from the roof of one building upon the flames of another, with -perfect safety to themselves. Here is an instance wherein capital would -have been wasted on the expensive materials required for fire-proof -floors. - -It is the duty of the architect, as I conceive it, to guide the -capitalist in coming to a decision on such points. If he devises -economical methods, his commission is lessened, but thereby so much -more capital remains unemployed, but ready for investment in other -enterprises. It would be foreign to my subject to enlarge upon this -point, and show how much more it is to the interest of the architect -to study reasonable economy in his works, especially buildings for -business purposes; but I will let the suggestion stand for what it -is worth. Perhaps a knowledge of the fact that most members of our -profession agree with me in this opinion would go far toward disarming -the misgivings of many a client upon the question of commissions. - -Buildings for manufacturing purposes next demand attention. Some time -since a manufacturer and contractor for iron work remarked to me, that -if some one would only put up a large fire-proof building, with good -steam power, to be rented out for manufacturing purposes, his fortune -would easily be made. I have often thought of the suggestion, and -wondered why it had not been acted upon. He said that at that time it -would be impossible to hire a fire-proof shop or room, with power, -in this city. Now, there are many occupations requiring delicate, -and not easily replaced machinery, or in which are involved elaborate -experiments, running for long periods—the derangement of which could -not be recompensed by any amount of insurance—for which a fire-proof -building would be almost invaluable. The saving of insurance on such -a building and its contents would be greater than the interest on the -extra cost of fire-proof floors, and would enable the owner to rent -his rooms at a lower rate—in proportion to the equivalent given—than -could the owners of buildings with wooden floors. The extra cost of -fire-proof construction in a manufacturing building is small when -compared with that of a bank or public building. The walls and ceilings -require neither lath nor furring, and the floors may be of flags -or slate, bedded on the brick arches, or what is better, plates of -cast-iron bolted to the beams—which will presently be described. All -inside finish may be discarded, and iron doors, of No. 16 iron, with -light wrought-iron frames, hung to stone templates in the jambs, are -the only coverings required for the openings. - -Such fire-proof buildings as have been erected for manufacturing -purposes have been specially designed for single occupants. The most -perfect and the earliest that I know of is a building erected on Vestry -street, about ten years since, for the Grocers’ Sugar Refining Company. -This building, as far as its material is concerned, is absolutely -fire-proof. It is most remarkable for its floors, which are made of -plates of boiler-iron, riveted together and secured to the beams in -large sheets. This is the most simple system of floor construction -I have ever seen, and has many advantages. But I have not seen the -building in use, and do not know how the floors answer the ends for -which they are intended. - -Some of the new buildings for the various gas works in this city are -fire-proof. The best are those of the Metropolitan Company, at the -foot of Forty-second street, North river. But they are at best, only -sheds—brick walls, with iron shutters and roofs. Large, open, and well -ventilated, they serve their purposes well; but they can hardly be -called architecture. - -The most extensive attempt to build a fire-proof building for -manufacturing purposes was the enterprise of Harper & Brothers. This -was one of the pioneer buildings of the new dispensation. The Harper -girder is well known; it is an ornamented cast-iron beam, with a tie -rod, and was the father of the truss beam, now so extensively used -for supporting the rear walls of stores. It has been succeeded by the -built-up beam, now generally used for girders, and the double rolled -beam. It was eminently a constructive beam, using iron according to -its best properties, cast-iron for compression and wrought-iron for -tension. I doubt not that it will some day be again used where girders -are required. The built-up beam was invented for the restorer of the -“pure” styles, who think that furring strips, laths, plaster and a -modicum of run moulding, not to forget “a neat panel on the soffit,” -to be a good substitute for the honest lintel of the Greeks, and more -artistic than the constructive beam which James L. Jackson & Bro. -designed and executed for the Harpers. When men are no longer ashamed -to display good iron construction, and bend their artistic conceptions -to their constructive skill, we may hope to see something like the -Harper beam revived, and decorated in a manner befitting its use. But -I fear that this will be done when a more rational generation than -our own holds the sway. But to return. In Harper’s building, as in -the Cooper building, the deck beam was used for the floors, and brick -arches, such as those now in use, were employed. The deck beam has -also gone out of use. When first employed, iron beams were not made -for houses, but for ships. The I beam, has replaced the deck beam for -the former purpose. And in this connection, I would suggest an inquiry -into the practicability of using the deck beam inverted. It has always -seemed to me that the broad flange would best sustain compression, -and that the roll, having the form of a round bar, would best resist -tension. The matter of the bearings is easily remedied by a cast-iron -shoe on each end of the beam and bolted to it. This shoe, with a broad -foot, would answer the purpose both of template and anchor, and if -made to project from the wall and assume an ornamental shape, might -become a visible and constructive bracket. The deck beam inverted would -evidently present the best appearance from below in cases where the -flooring is placed on top of the beams—the various methods of doing -which I propose to discuss further on. Should the deck beam come again -into use, it might be made of more ornamental form without detriment -to its strength. The bottom roll or flange could be moulded in various -ways. - -But, except in so far as the floors are concerned, the Messrs. Harper’s -building is far from being fire-proof. There is much wood-work in its -inside finish, and the contents being of a highly inflammable nature, -I fear that fire would have its own way in that building unless early -checked. - -Besides these buildings two partially fire-proof publishing houses have -been built; the Times Building and the Ledger Building; but there is -nothing in either that it is pertinent to my inquiry to mention;—they -are manufacturing buildings in the same sense that the Harper’s -Building is, but the former might as well come within the class of -office buildings. - -The fact of the American Bank Note Company having taken quarters in -the Mutual Life Insurance Building, upon their expulsion from the -Custom House, illustrates what my friend mentioned about the demand -for buildings for delicate and elaborate processes, such as the art of -bank note engraving, and goes to show that such branches of business -are obliged to settle in buildings erected for other purposes. The -work of a bank note company is in some respects a heavy manufacturing -business, which any one will believe who examines the powerful boilers -and engines in the cellar of the Mutual Insurance Building; but it is -also a delicate artistic business, requiring steady floors, good light, -and absolute safety from fire, to the valuable materials used and kept -in it, which not money alone could replace. - -From the Bank Note Company we come next to the Assay office whose risks -are similar. I am informed that it is absolutely fire-proof, but I have -had no occasion to visit it. - -Of Banks and Insurance Buildings we certainly have a large number -which are to all intents fire-proof, though but few are thoroughly so. -It is generally admitted that such buildings are not in danger from -their contents, and to this belief may be ascribed the fact that we -already have so many of this class. The Continental Bank, the American -Exchange Bank, the Mutual Life Insurance Company’s building, the Park -Bank, and the City Bank building, recently remodeled, are absolutely -fire-proof. Nothing less than a bonfire of all the furniture, books, -and papers that could be collected together in any one room of any of -these buildings would endanger its destruction. They are safe from -any ordinary casualty. But in all the rest there is enough wood-work -to make the word “fire-proof,” as applied to them, of very doubtful -significance. To show what a practical eye the Insurance Companies -have, let me say that in nearly all the so-called fire-proof bank -buddings the rates of insurance are as high as in ordinary business -buildings. The rates are unusually high in the building which I happen -to occupy, on account of a well hole in the centre which is trimmed -with wood, and would carry a fire through the whole building in an -instant. What I might say in relation to buildings of this class will -be comprised in some practical suggestions upon fire-proof buildings -generally. Let us then look for a few moments into the matter of -constructive details. - -And, firstly, how shall floors be constructed? Before the “iron -period,” when our Washington Capitol, our City Hall, our old Exchange -and Custom House were built, the Roman Mediæval vaults only, were -used—either of stone or of brick plastered. When the width of a room -was too great for one span, granite columns or brick piers were used, -as in our old Exchange, now the Custom house. The floors above the -vaults were leveled up and paved with flags or marble tiles. As far -as grace, strength and absolute relief from the dangers of fire were -concerned, this was a perfect system. But now space is demanded; there -must be no more heavy piers and no great thickness of floors. We are -therefore forced to use a material which, though not combustible of -itself, will do little work if exposed to great heat; and in this is -seen the great difference between our fire-proof buildings of the -brick period and those of the iron period, and the inferior fire-proof -qualities of the latter. The problem now is, to use the minimum of -brick and the maximum of iron. I think, therefore, it must be conceded -that with the best we can do with this material, there is danger; and -the problem might be put thus: “Given Iron, make as nearly fire-proof -buildings as possible out of it.” What, then, has been done with it -thus far? For columns, we have used cast tubes of all shapes and sizes -and the wrought-iron pillars of the Phoenix Iron Company; for girders, -we have used compound beams of cast-iron, with wrought ties—built up -beams of various forms of rolled and plate iron, bolted and riveted -together—and common rolled beams, used double; for floor beams we first -used deck beams for wide spans and railroad iron for narrow spans; -these have now been superseded by the I beam of various sizes. The -Rolling Mills now have on their circulars I beams of great dimensions -and suitable for girders, but refuse to fill any but large orders; -indeed, I believe that only one mill has rollers for beams larger than -thirteen inches, while the others will not put up machinery until -they get large enough offers. So we are thus far deprived of large -smooth beams of one piece, for girders of long span—beams which no -one would desire to hide from view, but which might honestly tell -their use to every beholder. For supports between beams we have had -Peter Cooper’s _terra cotta_ pots and the four inch brick arches. The -former are out of use and the latter are almost universally employed. -Corrugated iron—first used in the Columbian Insurance building by Mr. -Diaper—has also gone out of use. The destruction of the Fulton Bank, -a so-called fire-proof building, sealed its fate as far as floors -are concerned.[B] We have also had the experiment of stone floors in -the American Exchange Bank, by Mr. Eidlitz, and repeated by another -architect in the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Building, at Newark, N. -J. The stone slabs, brick arches, and the Parisian floors—of plaster or -concrete, bedded upon bar iron gratings inserted between the beams—are -the only practical systems of fire-proof floor construction, now in -use. The only attempt to lay the floor _on_ the beams, of which I have -knowledge, is in the sugar house above mentioned. This has suggested to -me several methods of laying rigid floors upon beams at considerable -spaces (three to five feet) from one another. Preliminary to so doing, -I have above suggested the revival of the deck beam, or the I beam -with a better form for the bottom flange, and the adoption of cast-iron -shoes for the bearings. - -The objections to the brick arches are that their great weight requires -heavier beams than would otherwise be used, and that the form of their -soffits is not beautiful; for they have the appearance of a long -succession of little wagon vaults, requiring a resort to the doubtful -expedient of furring the ceiling with iron lath. I think it might be -objected to the French system of floors, that the expense would be too -great, plaster being a dear article with us in comparison with its -price in France, while our own cement has not the requisite properties -to enable it to be substituted, besides being almost equally costly. -The stone slabs, of Mr. Eidlitz, are the only rigid material thus -far used successfully with iron beams, and could be used to better -advantage if laid _on_ the beams rather than resting upon their lower -flanges, as is done in the American Exchange Bank. They are doubtless -the handsomest material that can be used for this purpose, but are -open to the objection of being heavy and expensive—where expense is a -question, and utility only is sought—requiring heavy beams and calling -for elaborate cutting on the under side. It will be pertinent to our -inquiry, therefore, to ask if there are any other rigid materials -adaptable to this purpose, and possessing the desired quality of -lightness and cheapness. A former draughtsman of mine, now a member of -the Institute, first suggested the use of slabs of slate, about two -inches in thickness, for spans of four feet, and thicker or thinner -in proportion to the distance of the beams from centres. I give his -suggestion for what it is worth. But it led me to believe that we would -eventually come to cast-iron as the practicable material for this -purpose, possessing the requisite qualities of lightness and cheapness -and capable of being bolted to the beams, thus answering all the -purposes of flooring and bridging. Cast-iron plates may be used for -flooring in two ways; first, when deafening and finished floor covering -are required; second, when neither is required, as in manufacturing -buildings, wherein a reasonably smooth flooring is required, and a few -planks, laid where workmen habitually stand, will answer the purpose -of non-conductors of heat. Experiment must determine the minimum -quantity of iron (in proportion to the strength required) to be used -in the floor plates. In obtaining the proper form for strength, and -to ensure true castings, the bottoms of the plates will naturally be -covered with raised flanges, except at the edges, where they bear on -the beams. These flanges or ribs may assume a decorative form, either -a plain diaper or a larger pattern to form a complete design for the -ceiling when many of them are combined. By a judicious arrangement -of the flanges the actual thickness of the iron may be reduced to -three-eighths, or a quarter of an inch. When deafening is required, -strengthening flanges may also be cast on top of the plates, and -consequently the beams can be placed at wide intervals. The flanges on -the top will then serve to keep the concrete, used for deafening, in -its place, and avoid the cracks which might occur in a large surface -of cement. The deafening may be of any thickness required, and will -serve as a bed for the floor tiles. All that is then required for the -underside is judicious decoration of the beams and floor plates. When -deafening is not required, as in manufacturing buildings, the tops -should be smooth. It has been objected by a manufacturer, to whom I -explained this system of construction, that the floors of iron would -be too cold for the feet of workmen. But it would be very easy to put -down platforms of wood where the men habitually stand. Besides, when -the lower story is heated, the stratum of hot air immediately under the -ceiling would naturally keep the floor at a higher temperature than -that of the air in the room, and the greater conductibility of the -iron would rather tend to warm the feet of those who stand upon it. -The plates, in all cases, being bolted to the flanges of the beams, -would serve as bridging for the floors. - -By the above-described construction of floors, I would attempt to get -rid of the obnoxious and expensive iron lath, so generally used. But -it is more difficult to avoid their use on side walls, when the walls -are to be plastered—and let me say here, that there can be no excuse -for plastering the side walls in a fire-proof building, except for -economy’s sake. The easiest and by all means the cheapest expedient -when plastering is required is to build four inch walls, secured to -the main exterior walls by iron straps. These will not conflict with -the building laws, provided you build your walls thick enough at the -outset. There is, however, no better way in which to finish interior -walls than to line them with stone or marble, or both combined. Where -decorative effect is desired, I would use stone with marble panels. -Our native quarries now afford stone light enough in color to set at -rest all objections that may be made to its use on the score of light. -But if those should hold good the material might be marble paneled -with marble, the former white, and the latter colored. Obviously the -cheapest material for wall covering in natural materials would be -slabs of white marble. Let us then make some comparison of figures, -and see what can be done with this material. Iron lath, of the form -generally used, cost $1.25 per foot. Three coat plastering costs nine -cents per foot. A responsible dealer in marble informs me that he will -put up inch slabs of Italian veined or Vermont marble for one dollar -and a half per foot. Which, then, would you choose, polished marble at -$1.50, or plaster, as good in appearance as that in any tenement house, -at $1.34? This is a fair comparison for exterior walls or ceilings. -Italian marble slabs can be procured in any quantity, from eight to -nine feet long and three feet wide. In a room fifteen feet high, -allowing four feet for wainscot and two feet for cornice, you may line -your walls with one length of marble. - -What treatment do we now give to doors? We build brick jambs with -wooden or iron lintels, as if we would trial the doors with wood. -We then put up cast-iron jambs, rivet to their edges pilasters or -architraves of the same material, and then surmount the whole perhaps, -with a cast-iron cornice and pediment. Some have gone so far as to -inlay the panels of the iron work with bits of colored marble, thus -heightening the effect of the already rough finish of the iron, a -roughness which the best foundrymen have been unable to prevent, and -which, it would cost untold money to reduce down to the smoothness of -ordinary work in pine wood. In one of our most pretentious houses on -Fifth Avenue, they are now putting up jambs, architraves and cornices -made of sawn slabs of marble or marble boards, in the same manner in -which wood and iron have been used. And what does all this amount -to? In the category of shams, there is no equal to this monstrous -succession. You have imitated a Greek or Roman architrave and cornice -by a wooden sham, your wooden sham has been imitated by an iron sham, -your iron sham has been imitated by a marble sham; and what is the -result? You have kept the form all along; you have come back to the -original material by a succession of imitations, and have at last a -shell without meat, marble carpentry instead of marble architecture. -In all the stages of your attempt to revive the old forms, you have -sham imitation of shams down to the final achievement of your carpenter -in marble. Next must follow, I suppose, the imitation marble-vender, -who will crown the whole fabric of shams and give you something which -can as much be called architecture as Mr. Shoddy’s painted “red -backs” and “blue backs” resemble standard literature. I offer no -original suggestion to remedy this condition of affairs. Go back to -your old Greek, go back to your old Roman models, if you like them, -and seeing how they are built, go and do likewise; but spare us these -sham contrivances. Set up your door posts and plant your lintel upon -them, whether for exterior or interior use, and carve them to suit your -fancy. They will be at least _good_ so long as they be genuine and -strong. Then figure up the cost of this kind of work, and see how much -you have saved for your clients. - -In conclusion, let me urge you to study diligently the various problems -affecting this subject, which, in your experience, are continually -offered for solution. In so doing, look mainly to a practical solution -of the questions which may arise, and free yourselves from all -consideration of so-called rules of art, which might control you. The -development of architectural design was no less affected by local and -circumstantial conditions, with the ancients, than it is with us; but -the conditions at the present time are essentially different from, -and decidedly more various than those which controlled our ancestors, -whether of the classic or mediæval period. Whatever may have been -achieved by art in those times, was the result of, and co-ordinate with -the practical solution of problems then offered. - -We have ignored the conditions which specially affect us, and the -result is that our architecture, for whatever purpose, is without -originality, and wholly irrational. As long as we allow ourselves to -be governed by rules of art founded on the experience of the past, and -precedents established by conditions which now do not exist, we need -hope neither for good construction nor good art. The attempt to engraft -the traditions of the past upon the practical work of this century has -resulted in failures involving the waste of hundreds of millions of -capital in this country alone; I might name from memory a score of -buildings, many of them the most prominent, and all the most costly -that have been erected, in proof of this assertion. I would commence -with our national Capitol, in whose dome may be seen the most flagrant -attempt in all modern time to perpetuate a traditionary style in a -material entirely different from that in which the style was developed; -so different that the foundations under it could not carry the -superstructure, if it were erected of the material for which it would -appear to have been designed; and for want of foundations of sufficient -breadth, even to carry the iron work, it has been necessary to carry -the whole exterior iron colonnade upon iron brackets, concealed -beneath what appears to be the podium for the whole dome, but which -is in reality a box of thin plates of cast-iron, secured to a light -framework, built out over the roof of the building. - -In erecting modern fire-proof buildings, especially in so far as iron -work is concerned, all the conditions imposed upon the architect are -different from those which existed in past ages. The same may be said -of the use of iron in any building. Subserviency to style, when the -material used is not such as was the controlling element of that style, -is destructive to all good art; for there can be no truly artistic -effect except that which is produced by the best use of material, and -its decoration in best accordance with its nature. If the use of iron -is ever to lead to the erection of buildings worthy of being called -works of art, such a result must be attained only by the recognition of -this principle. - -The best thinkers have doubted whether there can be any such thing -as architecture in iron, assuming, of course, that to be called -architecture, the material must be constructively used; and there -is good reason for these doubts. An iron building does not always -require the force of gravity to maintain the cohesion of its parts; it -possesses such properties that it may be swung in the air or balanced -on a single point, if it is necessary so to do. It is a machine -admitting of as little decoration as a steam engine or a printing -press. If iron alone were used for buildings, constructive necessity -and economy combined, might lead us to build houses like steam boilers -or water tanks. - -What has been done thus far toward the erection of iron buildings on -constructive principles? We can only recur to the buildings of the -Crystal Palace pattern. We had a beautiful one in New York, admirably -constructed, and well designed for its purpose; but even that building -was decorated in the Moresque style, perhaps as nearly appropriate -to the material employed as any that could have been selected. Here -originality in treatment failed, just where it was wanted. The same -constructive principles were involved in the design of this building -which would have been involved in the erection of a fire-proof -building. In this respect it was a success. - -In the erection of fire-proof buildings, we are forced to do the best -we can with iron while using it in the most varied capacities; but when -its use can be spared, let me entreat you to rid yourselves of it; -where it must be employed, use it rationally and constructively; but -better not decorate it at all, than imitate styles not in harmony with -its constructive properties. As all iron must be painted, I am inclined -to believe that the best method of decorating it is in colors; for -this treatment the iron must be plain and simple, and the colors may -be proportionately brilliant. With regard to other materials, I would -suggest nothing more than is said above—in all things build rationally. -First, let your work be strong and well balanced—no part too heavy—no -part too light. Then decorate it in harmony with its constructive -features, never concealing materials, except where necessary to -protect them, and emphasizing the main lines of the construction by -ornamentation. Thus only can the great problem of the day be solved, -and the fire-proof architecture of the nineteenth century be made -worthy of a rational and progressive age. - - NOTE.—An inspection of HARPER & BROTHERS’ - building, since writing this paper, has convinced me that - the principle of division into horizontal compartments - has been carried out more thoroughly in it than in any - other building of the kind. There are no openings through - the floors. It contains neither interior stairs nor - hoistway; both are on the exterior. The stairs are in an - isolated tower approached by bridges, and the hoistway is - without enclosure. This arrangement is however extremely - inconvenient. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[A] But by combustible material, I do not by any means intend what the -insurance companies call hazardous, but dry goods, books, and similar -things, which will burn independently of the building in which they are -contained. - -[B] (That disaster was owing also to the fact that the beams, other -than girders, were made only of No. 12 sheet iron with flanges of 2 -inch angle iron). - - - - -THE NEW MERCANTILE LIBRARY, PHILADELPHIA. - - -The history of the origin of public libraries is simple. Very few -persons who possessed a desire to own books of great value could, in -early times, afford to gratify their wish, owing either to want of the -necessary means, or the very great scarcity of many works of intrinsic -value. Before the invention of the great art of printing it is well -known that all communicated learning was, of necessity, confined to -manuscript on vellum. And that the only mode of repeating books was by -transcription. The number of copies being extremely limited, it became -necessary to have public places at each of which a copy might be placed -for the use of those who desired to read, and as that number was in -those days limited also, it was customary for some man of learning to -read aloud to an audience. - -These folios of manuscript, in time, accumulated to thousands, and the -places of their deposit became institutions, and received the name -of _librarium_. The term “librarian,” however, was applied in those -days to the transcriber of books (_librarius_), rather than to the -custodian, the latter officer being entitled _custos librariarum_, and -who was nothing more than a janitor. - -The enormous impetus given to education by the invention of printing, -although it multiplied copies of books to such an extent as to render -them cheap enough to become the property of individuals, still public -libraries suffered no diminution, and the very increase of the draught -seemed to promote the thirst for information, especially in that -class in whom a taste for reading was controlled by a limit of means -to become possessed of the necessary books. And although in our day -the newspaper, the journal, and the serial, do much to disseminate -knowledge among the millions, yet are libraries as much an institution -of positive necessity as ever; for, in fact they whet the appetite for -reading, and the brief paragraphs and condensed essays editorial are -but so many stimulants to more extensive acquisitions of information. -The taste grows, and the patronage of libraries increases, and such -a progress must continue and enlarge whilst the mind of man lives to -accomplish the task set by Him in whose likeness the favored being is -made. - -The history of libraries is one of great interest to the lover of -mental progress and the active civilization of our race, and might -well call out the most industrious efforts of learned writers to do -it justice. However, our business just now is with a local event—the -inauguration of a new building by a most popular institution, the -MERCANTILE LIBRARY of this city, which took place on the 15th of the -past month, in the presence of a large and intellectual number of -visitors of both sexes. - -The rise and progress of this admirable institution is interesting. -Started in 1822 in a small second-story room, with few books and fewer -members, pinched to pay the rent of $150 per annum, by degrees it -gained vigor and steadily advanced to its present position, occupying -now a building admirable in all the arrangements of room, light, heat, -and ventilation. - -This spacious building, occupying a prominent position on Tenth street, -north of Chestnut, in this city, was purchased and fitted up at a cost -of a quarter of a million dollars, and possesses a choice collection of -books amounting to fifty-two thousand volumes, besides a well supplied -news room, where will be found a great variety of journals from all -parts of the civilized world, together with magazines, reviews, -quarterlies, and annuals in abundance. The ladies having a separate -department to themselves, unapproachable by the masculines. - -The arrangement by which the reading rooms have been studiously kept in -the rear of the building out of the reach of street disturbances, is -one which gives it a great advantage over the public libraries of most -other cities. - -There is a well furnished chess room for the lovers of that mental -game, and conversation, waiting and other rooms requisite to perfectly -complete a truly desirable city institution. - -We understand that the membership exceeds fifty thousand, and judging -from what has been done, there is no reason to doubt its ultimately -doubling that number in so large a city as this. - - * * * * * - -ARTIFICIAL STONE.—At the recent meeting of the Polytechnic Association -of the American Institute, Mr. Thomas Hodgson exhibited and explained -two methods of manufacturing and moulding artificial stone ornaments, -blocks, etc., for buildings. One of these is prepared by treating -lime with a solution of four ounces of oxalic acid in a gallon of -water, thus producing an oxalate of lime, which is mixed with from -two to four times its weight of sand. In this condition the material -is a moist, friable powder. It is then moulded to the required form -in Plaster-of-Paris moulds, removed from the latter, and suffered to -dry. It is then preferably placed in a bath of dilute oxalic acid, -which causes it to harden throughout, after which it is ready for use. -In making the other variety, the inventor treats the oxalate of lime -with a solution of silicate of potash, thus bringing it to a semi-fluid -condition, whereupon it is poured into moulds and suffered to indurate. - -Dr. Van der Weyde said that the oxalate of lime, being one of the -most insoluble substances known in chemistry, its employment in the -fabrication of artificial stone was a lucky thought. The use of -potash and soda compounds for such purposes had been extensively -attempted with very poor results, but the oxalate of lime was free from -objections which hold good against such compounds.—_Railroad and Mining -Register._ - - * * * * * - -THE NEW TREASURY BUILDING, at Washington, D. C., is now completed. -This addition or north wing of the Treasury building is 65 by 195 -feet, and occupies the site of the old State Department. The entire -Treasury building covers an area of 520 by 278 feet, that is 144,550 -square feet, or three acres and a half, including two large courts. -On the eastern side of the building is a colonnade of thirty pillars, -extending 336 feet north and south. On each of the other sides is a -portico, each shaft of the columns of which is a monolith or single -block of stone, 32 feet in height, and 4 feet 6 inches in diameter, -that is 14 feet in circumference. The buttress caps, which partially -inclose the steps of the porticoes, are single slabs of granite, 20 -feet square by 2 feet thick. The granite was quarried on Dix’s island, -off the coast of Maine, and the larger slabs were taken to Washington -in the rough, and there dressed. Fronting the north entrance is a -fountain, the base of which is 12 feet in diameter, and the height 5 -feet. It was cut from a single block of granite. - - - - -CORRESPONDENCE. - - -_It must be distinctly understood that we do not hold ourselves -accountable for the opinions of correspondents._ - - WASHINGTON, - July 20th, 1869. - - “DEAR SIR:—Give your readers in your notes on - Drawing and Drawing Materials, information that if a little - powdered borax (borate of soda) is put into the water with - which India Ink is rubbed up, and the mixture is kept in a - tight bottle when not in use, it will keep sweet for months. - - “The ink with which this is written was rubbed one year - ago, and has sufficed for all my drawing during the past - twelve months. A hard rubber ink bottle and screwed top has - preserved, and it flows well, and the fragrance of the musk - is as pleasant as when it was first rubbed. - - “I have used the drawing pen for nearly forty years, and - only a year ago was, by this receipt given me by a friend, - relieved from the trouble of rubbing ink for every day’s - work. - “Yours respectfully, - “M. C. MEIGS.” - -[Illustration] - -We have assumed the liberty of giving the name of the writer of the -foregoing excellent suggestions, in order to inspire learners with -additional enthusiasm by showing them what an interest is taken in -their progress by one who has attained to such a high position as the -Quarter Master General of the United States Army, and we trust that -Major General MEIGS’ solicitude for art education may be emulated by -many others, capable (if willing) of doing the cause an occasional -service. - - * * * * * - -OMISSION.—In the preceding number of the REVIEW we overlooked the name -of the architect who designed and super-intended the _Atlantic_ Hotel, -of which we gave an illustrated description in the article on our “Sea -Bathing Resorts.” Unrequested by that gentleman, we think it but proper -to give the credit to Mr. JOHN STEWART, Architect, of this city. - - WEST PHILADELPHIA, - June 21st, 1869. - - SIR:—It is to be hoped that at some time or - other, before the appearance of cholera shall compel - attention to the matter, we may see a move made in the - direction of public baths. Is it not a little singular that - our people of means who acknowledge the healthful necessity - of bathing, and are lavish of expenditure to secure it in - its utmost salt-water purity, do not seem to be aware of the - advantage that blessing would be to hundreds of thousands of - their fellow-beings, too poor to provide it for themselves. - In winter we have Soup Associations, and other charitable - societies. In summer can we not have Public Bathing - Societies, just as necessary to the health of our community? - - There are surely thousands who would subscribe their mite - towards it; will not the millionaires lead off and set the - ball in motion? - A CITIZEN. - -Yes, we certainly think they ought, and we have not the slightest doubt -but that they will, as soon as the coming man, who is to lead in this -matter, shall make his appearance. Let us hope that person will soon be -on hand. - - - - -_Queries and Responses._ - - - NEW YORK, - July 8th, 1869. - - MR. EDITOR:—Is it not a most unaccountable - fact that the New York Post Office structure, which was to - have been commenced some two years since, is as seemingly - a myth as one of those “castles in Spain,” of which we all - have had at some time of our lives an idea. The site was - duly purchased by the United States Government, designs - were called for and provided in most eccentric profusion, - and the select, if not elect, among the eighth-inch sealed - suggestions were liberally paid for in awarded premiums. - In fact all that is necessary to trumpet forth an advance - was done. Where, then, is the new POST OFFICE? - Out of sight—for, even the purchased site itself is not a - certainty, then how should we expect to find the Post Office - over ground when the ground is not yet decided on. - - That Treasury Building at Washington is just now finished, - after a lapse of time which makes gray hairs come on in - unbidden numbers. Will the infant born this year, behold the - promised New York Post Office before his growth of manhood - is doubled into - - “Lean and slipper’d Pantaloons?” - - Alas, the “temporary” addition to that old Dutch church - on Nassau street has but too truly proved a prediction, and - we of the Empire city will either have to put up with the - present arrangement, or build a postal structure of our own. - It is evident now that the act of Congress, in this case - made and provided, is but - A DEAD LETTER. - - SARAH B.—In the case you mention, the lightning - rod was secured to the wall of the house by iron staples. - There was nothing to hinder the electric fluid from turning - off on one of these, as it actually did. Accidents of a - like nature are constantly happening, and where sufficient - precaution is not taken it would be far safer to have no - conductor. - - S. T., asks, is there any bank lock, of how many, and - whatever combinations, that is absolutely secure against - thoroughly posted and prepared burglars? We doubt that there - is. For years the Bank of England trusted its vaults, filled - with treasures, to the celebrated _Chubb_ lock. Yet that - ingenious Yankee, Hobbs, opened it in a surprising short - time. The fact is—what man’s ingenuity can make, man’s - ingenuity can also unmake. - - C. G., Cincinnati.—We perfectly agree with you; the - dwellings of this day are really combustible, and highly - dangerous; much more so in fact than before burning fluids - came so much into use. We also agree with you that the roofs - of houses should not be of a material so liable to take fire - on the occasion of a pyrotechnical display, or the passing - of a spark-emitting locomotive. - - Shingles could be easily rendered fire-proof by steeping - them, before use, in a strong solution of alum. But most - people would willingly “lose the sheep, to save the - pennyworth of tar.” - - R. D., Baltimore.—The silica coating of any building - material renders it very durable. It is the combination of - carbonate of lime, or chalk, with silicate of soda, or what - is more commonly known as “soluble glass,” and by the old - chemists called “oil of flint,” which, under heavy pressure, - produces extraordinary hardness, and causes the great - adherence of this cement to iron, brick, stone, or wood. And - it is but one more proof of the practical property of the - silicate, when applied to purposes such as those in which - building most requires its valuable aid. - - W. A., Ellsworth, Maine, asks for information as to the - best manner of polishing instruments. We would recommend his - getting a piece of buckskin and straining it on a square - stick, covering one surface with pulverized rotten-stone, or - whiting, perfectly free from “grit.” For the instruments in - which ink is used, having unscrewed and opened the hinged - joints, clean off the ink first with a wet, then with a dry - rag. Next rub the blades on the coated side of the buckskin, - and lastly on the plain buckskin, until the appearance is - satisfactory. We repeat that the pens should not be put away - wet, but be carefully dried and rubbed on the buckskin after - use. A drop of watchmakers’ oil on the screws and springs - occasionally, will tend to insure the long and good service - of instruments. Velvet is the best bed for them in the - box; and the mould of their tray would be better cut - out of cork than of wood. Any one can fit up his own - instrument-case to suit his wants. Our advice is to buy - only the instruments you have use for, _and get the best_, - keeping them in constant order. - - L., New York.—We agree with you, the names of streets - should be painted on the lamps, and when a light of glass is - broken and replaced the name should also be replaced. - - S. R., Reading, Pa.—The idea is not new. Nay, it is as - old as the hills. The ancients used hot air flues under - their tiled floors. As long as we use boarded flooring we - cannot do likewise, for reasons which any insurance office - will freely give you. - - - - -PUBLICATIONS. - - -We have pleasure in acknowledging the receipt of the first number of -THE ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, a weekly publication which was most -desirable to our civil engineers in this country, who have hitherto -had to depend for professional information on European sources. The -American Journal of Mining was a popular periodical, and this prefixed -addition to and modification of its title will go far to increase its -well earned fame; for, judging by the specimen number, (and we know -that cannot do its future full justice,) this new effort of Messrs. -Western & Company is already a success as a most welcome co-laborer in -the great constructive art. We tender it our best wishes, and place it -on our exchange list. - -MOORE’S RURAL NEW YORKER is an old and well tried friend of everything -pertaining to agriculture and domestic economy. No country can boast of -better serials of this class than ours, and foremost amongst the best -we conscientiously place the Rural New Yorker. In its issue of July -10th, we find an illustrated suggestion for “a roomy house,” in which -we detect some defects which render its execution inadvisable. There -is no provision for chimnies, and the stairs are impracticable. Such -a house would be far more expensive than comfortable. However, it is -pleasing to see men ready to contribute their mite to the general fund -of information on a subject so intimately connected with home life and -happiness. - -THE SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN comes to us with its full share of the -practical and the useful, amongst which we would particularly note an -improved brick kiln. It has often surprised us to see the clumsy way in -which bricks are usually burned and the serious waste of fuel arising -from the loss of such a large percentage of heat, not to speak of want -of uniformity in baking or burning. The kiln to which we allude is -decidedly good and greatly superior to all its foreign predecessors, -even Hoffman’s, which it more nearly resembles. - -HEARTH AND HOME, with all its attractiveness, is regularly on our -table. This periodical is most creditable to the illustrated serial -literature of our country, and we are satisfied of its being a fixed -fact, from the evidence before us of the liberality of its publishers -and zeal of its gifted editors and staff of contributors. The prize -song is a gem well worthy of a fitting setting in music equal to its -own. - -THE PRINTER’S CIRCULAR for July is filled with the interesting -proceedings and intense enjoyment of the recent meeting of the National -Union at Albany. - -THE AMERICAN BUILDER for July has its usual amount of racy readings, -its smart comments, and general information. It speaks well for the -spirit of the western architects that our Chicago contemporary has laid -in its foundation, and goes on with the work. - -DESIGNS FOR STREET FRONTS, SUBURBAN HOUSES AND COTTAGES. By Cummings -and Miller. This is a quarto volume containing fifty-two plates, with -letter-press description of details for interior and exterior ornaments -required in domestic architecture and the designs for the same. The -former to a scale of a quarter inch, and the latter three-quarters of -an inch to the foot. Besides this several designs are given for villas, -country houses, and cottages. But the main advantage this work has over -most of its predecessors, is in the very full and exhaustive hints, -suggestions and instructions it gives to those in need of such; by -which any practical man can readily apply any required embellishment -to the house he proposes to construct. In fact the book before us -supplies a very great want, by presenting to the builder remote from -the professional aid of city architects an array of useful practical -information which is inestimable to him, and is most desirable to the -progress of tasteful construction throughout this wide country. The -plates are unexceptionably executed, and the evident care with which -this excellent guide to practical building has been put through the -press renders it a most fitting work for those to whose wants it is so -well adapted. - -We highly recommend it as a faithful monitor and admirable assistant -of the carpenter and builder. A. J. Bicknell, Troy, N. Y., is the -publisher. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Architectural Review and American -Builders' Journal, Aug. 1869, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARCHTECTURAL REVIEW, AUGUST 1869 *** - -***** This file should be named 60997-0.txt or 60997-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/9/9/60997/ - -Produced by Paul Marshall and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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