1841.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



24.3 



under what circumstances, so a^vful a catastrophe would have occurred, of 

 course not even those hest acquainted with the subject could pretend to 

 describe. Mr. Cottingham has caused about 150 wagon-loads of rubbish to 

 be removed from the tower in order fully to ascertain its state, and there can 

 be no doubt that the measures he intends to adopt will give full seearity. 

 One great advantage, too, of his plans will Ijc to expose the 52 stone columns 

 of the tower (a remarkably fine piece of masonry) to the view of persons in 

 the church. In the mean time, so imminent does he consider the danger, 

 that he will not suffer the bells to be rung, and all attention to the other 

 parts of the works is suspended until satisfactory reparation has been made. 

 The restoration will now be effected at a comparatively trifling expense; had 

 the discovery not thus timely taken i)lace, the cost would have been enormous. 

 It is worthy' of remark that so httle were these subjects understood only a 

 comparatively short period ago, that the western front was declared to be 

 secured for hundreds of years, and yet in six weeks only from the time of 

 that declaration it was a mass of ruins. — Hereford Journal, 



LIVERPOOL DOCKS. 



It will be recollected that In the last February number of the Journal, we 

 gave a letter of Mr. Hartley's, the Dock Suneyor, addressed to the Liver- 

 pool Dock Committee, in consequence of certain charges being brought 

 against liim by a Member of the Committee, whereupon a Sub-Committee was 

 appointed to inquire into the charges. This Committee have lately made their 

 report which is now before us, we are happy to announce, what we feel assured 

 the whole of the profession were prepared for, that it completely vindicates 

 Mr. Hartley from the charges. The report is too long for insertion in our 

 Journal, but the following announcement we are sure will be all that is ne- 

 cessary for us to give. 



" The sub-committee, having personally examined the accounts at the Dock- 

 yard, and the system of checks on labour and expenditure of stores, are unani- 

 mously of opinion, after a very strict investigation of the stock accounts, and 

 careful examination of the books, which show in detail the expenses incurred 

 in every department of work, and making allowance for the expense of the 

 establishment and maintenance of a large stock, that the various works hav.; 

 been executed on very reasonable terms, and at lower rates than they could 

 have been in any other way. The interests ef the Dock Trust, in the conduct 

 and management of the mechanical departments of the Surveyor's establish- 

 ment, have been materially promoted by the system which has been pursued ; 

 and, as long as that system is kept up in the same orderly, vigorous, and 

 efficient manner, no better system can be demised for the general benefit of 

 the trust, the establishment being liighly creditable to the Dock Surveyor, 

 whose indefatigable zeal, honour, and industry cannot ie too hi(jhhj com- 

 mended." 



Remov-vl of Son'derlaxd Light House. — At a late meeting of the 

 Commissioners of the river Wear, the taking down of the Light House being 

 discussed, as part of the plan of building the new North pier at the mo\ith of 

 the harbour, Mr. Murray, the engineer, suggested the removal of the Light 

 House, in its present entire state, to the eastern extremity of the new Pier, 

 a distance of about 420 feet, so as to make it serve the double purpose of a 

 stationary and a tide-light. Mr. Murray exhibited a model of the building, 

 and after explaining how he proposed to effect this undertaking, the Board 

 decided that he should proceed foithwith to remove it. This Light House 

 was erected about 40 yeai's ago, by the late Mr. Pickernell, then engijieer to 

 the Harbour Commissioners. It is wholly composed of stone ; its form is 

 octagonal, 15 feet in breadth across its base. G2 feet in height from the sur- 

 face of the pier to the top of the cornice, where it is 9 feet in breadth across, 

 and the top of the dome is 16 feet above the cornice, making a total height 

 of 78 feet ; and its calculated weight is 250 tons. Mr. Murray intends to 

 cut through the masonry near its foundation, and insert whole timbers, one 

 after another, through the buildhig, and extending 7 feet beyond it. Above 

 and at right angles to them, another tier of timbers is to be inserted in hke 

 manner, so as to make the cradle or base a square of 29 feet ; and this cradle 

 is to be supported upon bearers, with about 250 wheels of G inches diametei-, 

 intended to traverse ou 6 lines of railway to be laid on the new Pier for that 

 purpose. The shaft of the Light House is to be tied together with bands, 

 and its eight sides are to be supported with timber braces from the cradle 

 upwards to the cornice. The cradle is to be drawn and pushed forward by 

 powerful screws, along the railway above mentioned, on the principle of 

 ilorton's patent slip for the repairing of vessels. However surprising the 

 removal of such a building may appear to many, yet in Xew York, for some 

 years past, large houses have been removed from their original situation to a 

 considerable distance, without sustaining any injiuy. The immense block of 

 granite, serving as the pedestal of the equestrian statue of Peter the Great, at 

 St. Petersburgh, was conveyed four miles by land, and tliirtecn by water. 

 Several ObeUsks have Ukewise been transported at different times from Egypt 

 to E\u-ope ; and lately, one was conveyed from Thebes, and erected by the 

 French at Paris. But the fact that the Light House on our Nortli Pier is 

 composed of stones of comparatively small dimension, its great heiglit, and 

 small base, make the operation of removing it much more difficult than any 

 thing of the sort ever attempted. We heartily wish the enterprising engineer 

 every success in his bold and novel undertaking, which is to be carried into 

 execution in the course erf a few weeks from this date. — Sunderland Herald. 



COMPETITION FOR THE MARSEILLES EXCHANGE. 



The following conchtions of competition for designing an Exchange at 

 Marseilles, we have translated from Revue Generate de V Architecture. 



1st. Tlie situation will be chosen in uperimetre commencing at the "Rue 

 de la Prison," and proceeding up to the " Place de Justice," the Grand Rue 

 as far as the Courts. 



2nd. The competition designs must contain, not only the Exchange strictly 

 so called, hut also the Chamber and Tribunal of Commerce, the syndicat of 

 the money-changers, the royal brokers, the merchant counsel, and all the 

 necessary appendages to these, such as peristyle porticos, vestibules, vestries 

 secretary's office, registry office, bureaux, counting houses, &c. &c. Also a 

 dwelling place for the porter, a guard-house for a detachment, and a place to 

 deposit cloaks, rmibrellas, and walking sticks. 



3rd. The great hall of the Exchange, including the interior porticos must 

 contain at least 3000 persons, and consequently have a superficies of not less 

 than 1000 square metres. 



4th. The drawings must be done with care, the sections to be in a pale 

 colour, tlie horizontal sections in Indian ink, and carmine for the vertical 

 sections, yellow for the wood, Pussian blue for the ii-ou, grey for the metallic 

 roofs, and brick red for the tile roofs. 



5th. Each design must be composed of the following separate pieces. 



1. An explanatory and justifiable report. 



2. A general plan of the whole. 



3. A plan of the ground floors at one or two metres above the level of 

 the great hall, and tlie same of the first floor. 



4. Longitudinal and a transverse section through the interior of the edi- 

 fice. 



5. Front and back elevations. 



6. Profiles and details of execution (this need not he paid so much at- 

 tention to). 



7. A descriptive device containing a scale of the works, and the cost 

 after the current price of the country ; the whole exactly and summarily 

 expressed. 



6th. As to the order of architecture, the best in whatever order it may- 

 happen to be chosen, and even the several orders may be blended, but keep- 

 ing at the same time a tone of convenience, soHdity,' elegance, good taste, a 

 noble simplicity, and a wise economy. 



"th. The scale of the general plan to be, 2 millimetres to a metre, that of 

 the sections and separate plans a centimetre to a metre, and that of the de- 

 tails of execution 5 centimetres to a metre. 



8th. The competition is fixed at six months date from the 1st April. Dur- 

 ing the following fortnight the competitors to deposit their designs at the 

 secretary's office, at the Chamber of Commerce, where they will receive a 

 certain number according to the order of presentation, the names and address 

 of the competitors must be enclosed in an envelope carefully closed, to which 

 the same number will he affixed. Each competitor to have a receipt stating 

 the formal deposition, the number of plans, and the particular number given 

 them, but without indicating name or person. 



9th. When the term for the preparation of the plans has expired, the de- 

 signs will be submitted to the judgment of a committee chosen from the 

 members of the Chamber of Commerce, and an equal number of artists. 

 The decision will not be definitive until the sanction of competent authorities 

 he given, and then the names only of the authors of the three best designs 

 will be announced. 



10th. The first design will receive the prize of 3000 francs (120/.), and 

 then, without further remuneration or honours, will remain the property of 

 the Chamber, who will have the right to alter it at their will, and to confide 

 the execution to whom they please. The names of the other two authors of 

 the second and third best designs will be honourably mentioned. 



11th. Every design (No. 1 excepted), will be restored (o their authors, as 

 well as the sealed envelopes containing their names, Oa t'.e production of the 

 previously delivered receipts. 



Marseilles, March 30, 1841. 



CANAL STEAMER FITTED WITH MR. P. TAYLOR'S REVOLVING 



SCREW PROPELLERS. 



Ox Wednesday the 5th of May, we had the pleasure of inspecting a new 

 steam boat on the river Irwell, fitted by Messrs. Peter Taylor and Co., of 

 Uolhnwood, near Manchester, with steam engines and propellers of an en- 

 tirely new construction, both inventions of Mr. Peter Taylor, and for whicli 

 he has obtained patents. The vessel is 75 feet long and 10 feet wide, and 

 built (with the exception of the gunwale and paddle-box.) entirely of iron. 

 She appeared to perform very satisfactorily; at a speed varying according to 

 the depth of water firom about eight to nine miles per hour, which upon a 

 confined water we believe has never been attained by any steam vessel. In 

 noticing a trial some months ago of another vessel belonging to Messrs. Tay- 

 lor and Co., which had then been newly fitted with similar propellers, we 

 gave a description of the apparatus, which consists of a number of continuous 

 curved vanes or segments of screws, or \i'ings on two axes. In the instance 

 now under notice five pairs are affixed upon one axis, and five pairs upon the 

 other; the number being regulated by, and varied according to, the power of 



2 L 2 



