PHYSICAL LABORATORY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY. 101 



with wliite ants the whole of the buikliug is tirst floored by a tliiu 

 layer of concrete — even wliere wooden floors are in use. In these 

 cases the wooden flooi's are high enough above the cencrete to 

 allow of a periodical examination botli of the floors themselves — 

 and of such pipes as we have been forced to place there. As a 

 rule however tlie pipes are all in siglit on the walls, and have been 

 painted diflerent colours to enable them to be easily distinguished. 

 About the drain pipes great care has been taken. These are 

 entirely of glazed earthenware and are practically without bends 

 of any kind. They run from below each sink straight to the wall 

 at the nearest convenient place ; terminating about a foot above 

 a trapped sink in connection with the main drains — which are all 

 outside. The lavatories, closets, etc., are di-ained by a long inde- 

 pendent drain into the sewer, below the point where a tinal large 

 trap empties the waste water from the sinks. This portion of the 

 system is also ventilated by a pipe running up in the brickwork 

 of the tower. Great trouble has been taken to make the system 

 pei'fect, and it is believed to be so. 



The Instrument room is placed dii'ectly benind the Lecture 

 room and opens into it. There are also two doors from it leading 

 into the corridor — one at each end. This room is thirty -four feet 

 by forty feet, and is not a bit too large. It is fitted round the 

 whole Avall space with cases and drawers, and three large cases 

 stand transversely across the floor. I consider that plenty of 

 accommodation for storing instruments is one very important way 

 of saving time. There is not much need to go into any of the 

 details of the room. I am beginning however to wish that it 

 was even larger. 



The Library is a small room situated immediately behind the 

 Instrument room in the centre of the building ; it has good book- 

 cases, a long table, and is lighted by a sun-light, wall brackets and 

 electric brackets, and pendants. In case it should ever be required 

 as a laboratory it has been fitted with the usual slate table 

 shelving, and gas and water supply. 



Before going on to the Laboratories seriatim it may be as well 

 to describe what is common to all of them. First as before 

 mentioned they can all be got absolutely dark either by shutters 

 or blinds. The artificial lighting is accomplished by triple brackets 

 for gas and electric light. The gas globes are opalescent and one 

 out of every three is blue so as to tend to correct the yellowness 

 of the gas. The electric lighting is by means of 100 volt Swan 

 lamps covered with globes mostly white, but relieved here and 

 there where any special effect is to be attained. The sinks 

 have already been alluded to — the water supply to these is the 

 same throughout as it is in the Lecture room. The same may be 

 said of the electric supply — though the leads are in general of 

 somewhat thinner cable. There is a cut-out switch on the electric 

 light circuit just inside the door of each room, so that one set of 



