841.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



141 



NEW AND USEFUL INVENTIONS, No. 3. 



By Philotechxicos. 



( With. 8 pages of Wood Engravings.) 



Having been prevented from continuing the series of papers which 

 I hari commenced in some of the earl)- numbers of the Journal, and 

 having been advised by some of my friends that notices of this kind 

 were not only of value to the profession, as pointing out many things 

 highly useful to them, and well deserving of encouragement, but also 

 to the student and inventor by keeping a record of the attempts of 

 others, I have been induced to resume my peripatetic exertions. My 

 object being to bring before the worlil not only present scientific 

 novelties, but many valuable inventions, which either lie dormant or 

 are comparatively unknown, from their merits not liaving been suffi- 

 ciently brought befcre the public ; it is my intention to continue my 

 visit to the studio, the workshop, and the manufactory, to search out 

 and bring to light what 1 consider deserving of the patronage of the 

 profession, at the same time that I rely upon their assistance to enable 

 ine satisfactorily to carry out my inquiries. Any communication there- 

 fore on tliese subjects, forwarded through the Editor of this Journal, 

 I shall be hap|)y to receive, so as to make this series of papers an in- 

 teresting ami valuable record of the meritorious exertions of ingenious 

 individuals. From my present notes, I have contributed this paper, 

 in which, if I have only been able to do justice to the labours of one, 

 it must be remembered that it is not subjects which are wanting, but 

 space. 



AUSTIN AND SEELEV'S ARTIFICIAL sTONE-WORKS, NEW ROAD, 

 regent's PARK. 



The excellence of the composition, the symmetrical forms of the many 

 elegant vases and tazzas, the well modelled and numerous architectural 

 ornaments at this establishment claim particular attention. Those 

 two noble vases the Borghese and Medici have been restored from the 

 originals to their full size, and while without serious alteration they 

 have been so managed as to pair together. The noted Warwick vase 

 reduced to half the original size, and several others from the antique, 

 are good specimens of the material and workmanship of this manutac- 

 tory, in which may be found vases of all sizes and design, from the 

 chaste Greek to the overwrought Maltese, many of which from their 

 moderate cost mav often be introduced with advantage. 



The several fountains exhibited display, great taste and ingenuity; 

 combinations of tazzas, dolphins, shells, and foliage, are cleverly con- 

 trived, with many bpautiful devices for jets d'eau, which by their in- 

 troduction will give great interest to the garden or conservatory, and 

 tend much to enliven the scenery. Tazzas in gardens may be used 

 for gold and silver fish, and serve as reservoirs for watering the garden. 

 Much labour might be avoided if water were laid on to pedestals placed 

 in several parts of the garden, and furnished with stop-cocks and 

 flexible tubes concealed in them ; the tube may be furnished with jets 

 and roses for watering the plants with greater facility, and for the 

 sake of ornament, a vase or tigure should surmount the pedestal, and 

 render it a pleasing object. Where a fountain is desired and water 



No. 44.— Vol. IV.— May, 1841. 



scarce, it may be so constructed as to use the same water over and 

 over again, by raising it up into a vase or reservoir by a force pump 

 hidden in the pedestal, or should there be a running stream in the 

 neighbourhood, a small water-wheel or hydraulic ram might be applied 

 by which the water can be raised to almost anv height. The hydraulic 

 ram is frequently used to force a portion of the waste water back again 

 to the reservoir, which it will do by self-action. Most of these con- 

 trivances may be seen in action, Mr. Austin having well studied this 

 interesting branch of his business, and expended great time in perfect- 

 ing it. 



The architectural ornaments consist of a variety of Gothic finials, 

 pinnacles, crosses, panels, fonts, traceries, parapets, co])ings, and other 

 decorations. The coinnussioners for building new churches might with 

 advantage pay a visit here, and be convinced that ornament and econo- 

 my may be combined, when they see that by the introduction of arti- 

 ficial stone, they would be enabled to enrich their buildings and avoid 

 that barn-like appearance of many of the modern churches. To eccle- 

 siastical buildings where repetition of ornament is so frequent, Austin 

 and Seeley's artificial stone is well adapted, and has been applied with 

 great success ; its appearance, although only half the cost, is nearly 

 equal to stone, and in point of durability far surpasses the softer kinds, 

 aud it is only equalled by the best Portland. All the dressings might 

 be of this material, wiiile by the building being faced with patent 

 pressed malms in lieu of the frigid looking white bricks, now fre- 

 quently used, a more cheerful appearance might be obtained and some 

 architectural character. 



There are manv other ornaments suitable for building purposes, such 

 as balustrades, columns, gate piers, porticos, brackets, trusses, &c., in 

 all styles. The chimney-shafts are of great variety, and I would here 

 beseech the architect to turn his particular attention to this subject, 

 and to use his utmost exertion to reform Ihose miserable looking spe- 

 cimens of ugliness, chimney pots, that now too frequently figure on the 

 tops of houses, being usually of a most common place form, and as 

 much disconnected from the style of the building as the figure of Nel- 

 son would be from a Corinthian column. They ought to be designed 

 for what they really are — terminations to the building — and conse- 

 quently finished as a sort of capping to the chimney shaft, and have 

 some decided connection therewith. Such the Italians generally 

 considered them, and thus has Mr. Barry very judiciously intro- 

 duced them at the Reform Club House, where the chimney shafts 

 are surmounted bv a projecting cornice supported by trusses, and form 

 truly ornamental objects, adding to the effect of the building rather 

 than detracting from it, as in too many cases chimney shafts and pots 

 usually do. Thus utility is reconciled with ornament, without any at- 

 tempt to disguise what all the world knows to be connected with the 

 greatest comfort in the house. 



The flat roofs, floors and steps exhibited at these works deserve 

 inspection; the front yards have been excavated, and workshops 

 formed below the surface of the ground, and covered with this mate- 

 rial, the lightness and strength of which is astonishing. The terrace 

 roofing is laid with plain tiles in three courses, and rendered on the 

 top, to the thickness in all of about four inches, carried over by arches 

 slightly cambered springing from small brick piers, and tied by light 

 iron rdds, which form their chord line. These flats have an immense 

 weight upon them, and are each, as it were, in one piece, having no 

 perceptible joint, by which they are made completely water tight, at 

 the same time that they can be easily cleaned. It may be well to re- 

 mark that many flats have been formed of cement and tiles, and after- 

 wards condemned as not being impervious to wet, this is, however, for 

 the most part, a mistaken notion— it is true wet frequently makes its 

 appearance, and is often seen dripping from the ceiling, but tins 

 almost invariably is caused by condensation— particularly over stables 

 where the vapour, arising from the horses put m warm, ascends to the 

 imniediately condensed and faUs in large drops. 1 his may be 



ceili 



avoided by firring out the ceiling, or laying the flat upon joists, and 

 lathine and plastering the underside. 



Tombs and monuments, with a variety of einereal urns, are among the 

 other objects of art, Jlr. Austin being seemingly as desirous to provide 

 for his dead customers as for his living ones. Many ol these memo- 

 rials of the dead are well adapted to produce an etlect in those ex- 

 cellent establishments, the cemeteries, which are now being t«""ed 'n 

 all parts of the neighbourliood of London. I hope the day ■? not tar 

 distant when that disgusting and unnatural custom «f '^"'•>'',"S , " '°;^"' 

 will be entirely dispensed with, as many of tl>« !^ '">■•=' Y;"/h 'Ceause 

 proved to emit a vapour destructive to animal life, -"'I /.^^'^^^t/f ""^^! 

 of much disease in densely peopled "^ >§ ''^""'^'^""'l^: ''"> "^ '^ 

 over most distasteful in their appearance, having he., m°"/ "^"^^^"^ 

 head and foot stones jumbled up together in heedless confu on. An 

 English church-yard which ought to be the pride of the F^l^'^P^' " 

 culf.rlv of the clergy, is mostly a jumble of broken stones, stift giaceless 



