ARCHITECTURE AND ORNAMENTATION. 319 



as it were of great massiveness by arching between the posts 

 of the trusses, the arches springing from large Roman sheet- 

 iron capitals about half -way down the posts. The result is that 

 at a little distance the spectator beholds an arcade without 

 any visible means of support for a distance of 340 feet. To be 

 thoroughly consistent, the architect (Heaven save the name !) of 

 this constructed 'decoration' should have at least sanded his 

 sheet iron when painted and marked out in strong lines the joints 

 that masonry of similar forms suggests. 



" About one mile north of this bridge a noble structure spans 

 the Schuylkill, the Girard Avenue Bridge, as it is called. As 

 an engineering accomplishment it stands in no comparison with 

 the bridge at Fairmount, the spans being much smaller, and 

 only a single roadway (of paved granite) is carried on the upper 

 chord, it being a 'deck bridge.' Architecturally it is certainly 

 one of the finest, if not the finest, bridges in America; while in 

 the same sense the Fairmount bridge is the worst, and probably 

 the worst in the world. The Girard Avenue is an example of 

 pure decorated construction, and the writer is aware of no place 

 in this country where the principles for which he has been con- 

 tending can be so well illustrated as in the case of these two 

 Philadelphia bridges." 



A modern and notable instance of an effort to secure a 

 pleasing architectural effect for a utilitarian structure is the 

 beautifying of a large steel water tower at Gary, Ind., by enclos- 

 ing it in an ornamental concrete tower, as shown in the photo- 

 graphic reproduction. A 3oo,ooo-gallon tank on steel tower, 

 having vertical columns, was enclosed by a reinforced concrete 

 tower, octagonal in plan, 34 feet in diameter inside the faces, 

 and standing 133 feet above the grade line. 



It is of monolithic construction with architectural features of 

 cast concrete blocks. The block work is applied as 4-inch 

 veneering to a height of 29 J feet, and is also used for the cornice 



