85; FLAASTONB ROOF. 



Attempt to One o£ those men of practice, as they are called, front 



a cement ^ having been employed practically in building, undertook 



for forty or fifty pounds to remedy the evil, and by sicurious 



cement to render the roof impervious to water. He laid on 



his hot cement of resin, and wax, and brick-duat, &c. The 



first summer shower passed off without penetrating through 



the joints, and the undertaker received his money ; but in a 



did not sue- short time things were as bad. as ever, and the miferable 



^^ ' creatures under confinement were drenched with rain and 



snow in every part of the prison. 



Expense of a In the year 1809 the Grand Jury of the county of Long- 



coTering ^^^^^ desired, that I would endeavour to staunch this roof at 



any expense, that might be required, I received proposals 



for^ covering it with lead, and with copper: this could not 



be done for less than seven hundred pounds. 



»nd of slatinf . I then proposed to belt down rafters upon the brick 



arch, so as to form a polygonous roof, upon which slates 



might be laid in the usual manner; but this I found would 



cost above four hundred pounds. It then occurred to me, 



that the flags on the roof might be so ordered, as to effec^ 



the intended purpose. 



Managem«nt I took off a portion of the flaers in fine weather, and with- 



of the flaes . 



themselves to ®"* removing them from the top of the building I had them 



keepoutihc cutinthe following manner ; the flags (a a, PI. Ill, fig. 3) were 

 about three feet long, two feet or two feet six inches broad, 

 and two inches and a half thick. The upper course was of 

 fine even flags four feet broad, and each of considerable 

 length, and under this course the roof was secure every 

 \fhere, except between the lateral joints. To prevent the 

 rain or snow from penetrating between the upper and under 

 courses or horizontal joints of the flags was the first object. 

 For this purpose a groove was cut an inch deep in theaJir- 

 face of the upper part or top of those flags that were next 

 the eaves; this groove was cut within one inch of the top 

 of the flag. A similar groove was cut in the under side of 

 tlie next course that lapped upon the lower course, and so 

 ..•nfrom the eave to the ridge; so that the upper flag or 

 » "Stone could hook upon the. under one, as may be seen in the 

 section, fig. l.PU III. 



Jfie lateral r^^ ngjj^ object was to secure the lateral joints. T^ 



•*^ effect 



1 



