422 eee
very good: allat Rome. It is the Farnese Palace by which he is usually judged; but it is to be remembered that the upper portion, including the cornice and the court-yard, were erected after his death by Michael Angelo; and the river front was designed later still by Giacomo della Porta. ‘The general effect of the palace is, no doubt, due to San Gallo: itis massive and grand. We cannot, however, but think that the windows are brought much too near the angles of the wall, giving an idea of weakness in that par- ticular, whilst the vertical spaces between the windows are too great. ‘The cornice forms a noble finish to the building; and we confess to liking the river front by Giacomo della Porta better than the portions by San Gallo or Michael Angelo. The works of Antonio and his uncles, in architecture, however open to criticism, were so numerous and important that they deserve all honourable mention, and, if not distin- guished by the highest sense of artistic beauty, are still commendable for their massive solidity, excellent and ingenious construction, good proportion, and a judicious modera- tion in the use of ornament, whilst the per- sonal influence they exercised on the art and artists of their time was in every way whole- some and good, and they have left behind them characters honourable to them, both as men and artists, leaving such worthy disciples in the art as Jacopo Sansovino, Simone Mosca, Antonio Labacco, Nanno di Baccio Bigio, Battista Picconi (il Gobbo), brother of the younger Antonio da San Gallo, and Francesco, the son of Giuliano da San Gallo, one of the Academicians in Vasari’s time, a sculptor of no mean merit, and the successor of Baccio d’Agnolo as architect to the Cathedral at Florence. <6 THE BERLIN COMPETITION. A CORRESPONDENT of the Scotsman, writing about the competition for the erection of the new Houses of Parliament at Berlin, says:—‘‘ There are one hundred and two from all parts of Europe and America—even Paris has not excluded itself, though it cannot be said to shine, any more than America. Of the Continental contributors most are men of Berlin and Vienna, and then follows Eng- land, who has gone in for the prize with a will, occupying more than one large hall, and that the best. It is quite true, as I heard oneof the committee men remarking, ‘The English exhibitors have no need to complain of their treatment.’ But they deserve it. It is acknowledged that their work is of a very superior order, and it makes, besides, the most im- posing impression. The figures of the Germans are, almost without an exception, in the Classical and Renaissance styles, while England is about as ex- clusively Gothic. If an Englishman does gain a prize, that Englishman will be Gilbert Scott, whose design is grand and noble, and the effect delicious. Some other English names are Spanten, Sang, and Green. I can offer no judgment on the practicality of any of the designsI saw. It seemed to me, how- ever, that not one of all the hundred and two could be translated into brick and mortar as it there stood. The principal architects both of Vienna (Hansten and Tenstel) and Berlin were unrepresented, as Adler, Lucal, Hitzig—the two last being of the number of the judges.” ——_—_—__ SCHOOLS OF ART. Crorpox.—The annual soirée of the Croydon School of Art took place yesterday (Thursday) wweek, Arthur Helps, Esq., in the chair. <A testi- monial of esteem and respect (consisting of a writing table, clock, and volume of Milton’s works) was pre- sented by Mr. Henry Moore, in the name of his fellow students, to Mr. Wigzell, the head master of the school. The works executed by the students during the past year were thrown open to public exhibition in the new Public Hall on Friday and Saturday last. : Marpstone.—The following students of the Maidstone School of Art have obtained Government prizes of drawings sent up to South Kensington :— Ellen Hargrave, Eliza Goodwin, Bertha Case, Jane Day, Frederick Elphick, Frederick Ruck, W. T. Shrubsole, James Waters, John Bartholomew, and Frederick G. Green.
THE BUILDING NEWS.
PRESERVING WOOD.
HE following are the conclusions arrived at by
Herman Haupt, C.E., after an elaborate in-
vestigation as to the best means of preserving wood
from decay, which we extract from Van Nostrand’s
Magazine :—
1. That so long as the cells of wood are occupied
by air and moisture, no preservative solutions can
be introduced, and the expulsion of air and water
must be the first step in any effective process for
preserving timber from decay.
2. That water can be expelled by a long-con-
tinued application of heat, but air only by expansion
in a vacuum, and the combination of heat and
vacuum will secure the most rapid expansion both
of water and air.
3. The preservative fluid must be introduced
while the cells are empty, consequently the process
must be carried on in vacuo.
4, That no pressure, however great, applied ex-
ternally to the surface of timber, can force any fluid
into the interior so long as air or water is contained
in the cells. When air alone is present there may
be penetration to a limited extent, superficially, but
water is practically incompressible. If, however,
the pressure is applied at one end only of a log, as
in the Boucherie process, a fluid may be forced
through and exude from the other end.
An apparatus to fulfil the conditions which, from
the preceding discussion, appear to be essential to
success, must be founded on a process similar to
distillation in vacuo, It must consist of at least
two vessels—one a receiver corresponding to a re-
tort, in which the material can be placed, and sub-
jected to the action of heat; the other a condenser,
in which all escaping vapours can be condensed, and
the vacuum maintained during the process in both
vessels.
The condenser may be of much smaller capacity
than the receiver; they should communicate by
pipes furnished with stopcocks, and both be supplied
with thermometers, vacuum gauges, and pumps.
As an illustration, suppose wood is to be impreg-
nated with dead oil or any other fluid. The receiver
must be filled with the wood to be operated on, the
door closed air-tight, and the air expelled from both
the receiver and condenser.
The expulsion of the air may be effected in various
ways.
1. Steam may be admitted at one end to drive
out the air at the other end; the subsequent conden-
sation of the steam should leave a vacuum,*but, in
the experiments of the writer, this plan has been
only partially successful.
2. The air may be exhausted by an air-pump, but
a perfect yacuum cannot in this way be secured.
3. The vessels may be filled with water, and the
water removed by a pump below the level of the
bottom into which the water flows. This should
remove all the air excepting that which escapes
from the cells.
4. As the atmosphere supports a column of water
33ft. high, pipes may lead to a tank at a_ level
about 40ft. lower, where the location is favourable,
and thus by filling the vessels with water and open-
ing cocks to allow the water to flow by gravity into
the tank, a very perfect vacuum could be produced.
This arrangement would be particularly favourable
for maintaining a vacuum in the condenser: a pipe
in the condenser could throw jets of water in spray
from numerous fine perforations, and the water
would consequently flow into the tank 40ft. lower,
maintaining a constant vacuum without the aid of
pumps. ‘This object can be accomplished in almost
any locality by placing the condenser at the top of
a building or on trestle work.
Assuming thata vacuum has been created and
provision made for maintaining it during the whole
process, the next step will consist in the application
of heat, which may be done most conveniently by
steam-pipes introduced in the receiver. The length
of time during which the timber must be subjected
to the baking process will depend upon the
dimensions of the logs, and can only be determined
by experiment.
It is obvious, however, that the circumstances
are favourable to the most rapid evaporation pos-
sible; the temperature can be regulated at pleasure,
and the removal of pressure by vacuum will give
a very low boiling point. As the vapours pass over
they will be immediately condensed.
Should the vacuum become vitiated by the escape
of air from the cells, it may be improved by the use
of an air-pump. The condition of the vacuum will
be indicated by the gauges.
When suflicient time has been allowed for the
wood to dry thoroughly, cocks must be opened con-
May 24, 1872.
necting the bottom of the receiver with a tank of
dead oil at a lower level. As a vacuum exists in
the receiver, the atmospheric pressure will force up
the oil, and the timber will be immersed in the fluid.
When the immersion has continued a sufficient length
of time, which also must be determined by careful.
experiment, cocks may be opened at the top of the
receiver to admit air. The oil not absorbed will
immediately flow back to the tank from which
it was taken, the air pressing upon the ex-
terior of the cells, which are partially filled
with oil, while a vacuum exists in the in-
terior, will force the oil before it, and thus
coat in its progress the interior of the cells. It is
probable that in this way a sufficient amount of
dead oil may be introduced into the cells to prevent
fermentation anddecomposition, while still far below
the point of saturation, and the process may prove
rapid and economical.
Instead of admitting air in the manner proposed
to expel the oil from the receiver, it is possible that
better results may be obtained by allowing the oil to
remain until it becomes heated by the steam coils,
and the vapour collecting at the top expels the oil
and penetrates the pores.
Too much oil might be introduced by this mode
of treatment, and it is probable that the introduction
of air, followed, perhaps, by a second bath of oil to
close the cells superficially and exclude moisture,
would give the best results. All these and other
questions that may arise can be promptly settled by
experiment, and in no other way.
This process of drying in vacuo would be well
adapted to the rapid desiccation of fruits, vegetables,
fish, meats, &c., with a view to preservation. The
writer does not claim that he has solved the im-
portant problem of preserving timber from decay.
Before he could satisfy himself or others, a series of
continued experiments with suitable apparatus would
be required; but it will not be considered egotistical
to assume that, in several months of experiment,
something has been learned. He is satisfied, at least,
that none of the ordinary processes will preserve wood
economically, and there is, in his opinion, no surer
avenue to success in any investigation than the
study of failures and their cause. He has witnessed
too many failures to be sure of anything until it has
been proven, but believes that in the processes indi-
cated there are strong reasons to expect success.
—___—_—_—__—_.
ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION.
T the usual fortnightly meeting of this Associa-
tion on Friday evening last, the President,
Mr. Rowland Plumbe, F.R.I.B.A., in the chair,
Messrs. E. H. Crutchley and G. Sherring were
elected members.
Mr. J. S. Qummrer, hon. sec., read a letter from the
President of the Class of Construction and Practice,
expressing the concurrence of the members of the
Class with the suggestion made at the last business
meeting of the Association that a Committee of past-
Presidents of the Class should be appointed to inquire
into the working of the Class. Mr. Quilter, there-
fore, begged to move ‘“That the following gentlemen
be a Committee to consider the best method of fur-
thering the interests of the Class of Construction—
viz., Messrs. Rowland Plumbe, Lacy W. Ridge,
Gilbert R. Redgrave, L. C. Riddett, and T. E. Mun-
dey, with power to add to their number.”
Mr. Pownaxu seconded the motion, which was
unanimously adopted.
Tt was announced that the Water-Colour Class had
been commenced, although there was still room for
one or two more members. The only other class
which seemed to have a chance of being formed this
session was the Surveying Class, for which several
applications to join had been received. Only one
name had been received for the proposed class for
the study of geology.
It was further announced that Mr. G. H. West,
A.R.LB.A., who was to have read a paper “On
Modern French Architecture,” was at present in
Paris, and had failed to transmit his paper, How-
ever, that circumstance was not altogether to be
regretted, as very important business was to come
before the meeting—viz., the consideration of the
reports proposed to be presented to the approaching
Architectural Conference by the Committees ap-
pointed by last year’s Architectural Conference to
inquire into the subjects of ‘ Professional Practice
and Charges,” ‘“‘Competitions,” and the ‘“Employ-
ment of Surveyors.” As, however, these reports
were not finally adopted and revised, they could not
then be made public, and the reporters were there-
fore requested to retire when the discussion on the
reports came on. We are informed, however, that
the reports will be issued in a day or two.
