354 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[November, 



on either side, and so arranffed that the eye can traverse freely to 

 every part of the buildiiipr, must have a very grand apiiearanco. 

 Care has been taken to have the columns u])on which tlie whole 

 fabric rests distributed with such rejj-ularity that no confusion or 

 forest-like effect can he produced hy them. It will he the same in 

 all the avenues as in the central one, althouijh there, from its pro- 

 portions and the entire absence of iralleries or upper flooring to 

 break the perspective, the view presented will be most imposinff. 



IJesides the immense space thus devoted to the{;eneral ]inrposes 

 of the K.xhibition, there will be on the north side of the building a 

 room set apart for the reception of machinery. The dimensions 

 of this apartment are on a scale proportionate to the important 

 hrandi of inventive industry to which it is to be de<licated. It 

 will be 9 to feet long, 48 feet broad, and 21 feet high. Another 

 feature of the building will be the Kefre.-hment Courts, which, in 

 accordance with the aristocratic spirit of the country, are to he 

 divided into three classes. Those wliose means and tastes incline 

 them to patronise the first will discuss the delicacies of the season 

 under the branches of the trees wliich occupy the north end of the 

 transejit; tliose whose habits of life are less ambitious, or whose 

 palates are less discriminating, must move westward; while for the 

 crow d of humble visitors the requisite accommodation will be pro- 

 videil on tlie n(prth-east side of the building. 



To enter into further details with reference to the interior plan 

 would needlessly complicate this description, and would be inap- 

 l)ropriate at present. It may, however, be right to mention that 

 while from north to south and across the breadth of the structure 

 the flooring will he perfectly level, from west to east it will be 

 slightly inclined, like the stage of a theatre, though not of course 

 to the same extent. This, it is believed, will add much to the 

 efl'ect of the interior, by enabling visitors at the lower end to see 

 almost at a glance over the whole edifice. Though from north to 

 south the flooring will be quite horizontal, the land slopes a little, 

 and this enables the architect to give the building on that side the 

 appearance of a raised foundation, which will be faced with green 

 sod. The advantage of this to the external beauty of the jirincipal 

 facade it is almost unnecessary to point out. A light iron railuig 

 will inclose the building at a distance of 8 feet from its exterior, 

 and beyond that will be a footpath. The grand entrance will be 

 nearly opposite the Prince's gateway, and will have seven pairs of 

 doors. Ample arrangements have been made, however, for the 

 entry and exit of visitors at other points. The exterior surfaces 

 of the first or ground tier will not be of glass, but of wood, for the 

 purpose of greater security, and also to aft'ord a wall space for such 

 articles as require to be hi'ing up in order to be seen to advantage. 

 To enumerate in detail all that tliis great undertaking embraces 

 would be an endless and perhaps rather a tedious task, but some 

 conception of the work to be performed may be gathered from 

 this— that the calculations of Messrs. Fox, Henderson, and Co., 

 the contractors, estimate, among other requisites, 34 miles of gut- 

 ters, 202 miles of sash bars, and 8 miles of table for exhibiting. 



Turning from the building as it is to be to what has already 

 been performed, it will be found that considerable progress has 

 been made. It is now a month exactly since the actual work of 

 construction commenced. In that time the foundation pieces on 

 which the ctdiimns rest have nearly all been fixed upon their beds 

 of concrete, and the earth filled in around them. The columns 

 required for a large section of the southern and central parts of 

 the buildintr have been put up and connected togetlier hy girders. 

 The framework begins to indicate the form of the future structure, 

 just as the ribs and liones of the mammoth at tlie British Museum 

 shadow forth what the animal nuist have been when alive. The 

 graduated outlines of the structure ascending tier above tier, the 

 cathedral-like ettect of the transept, and the long-extended 

 avenues and rows of slender jiillars, branching ofl^ svnnuetrically 

 on either side of them, can already be discerned. Sleepers and 

 joists for the flooring have been laid in one or two parts, and one 

 small piece of window framing has been fixed in its jdace. The 

 external facing of tin' ground tier has been C(unmenced, and while 

 the framework of about one-third of tlie structure is in a An-ward 

 state nearly every <letail of the work has been begun. Messrs. 

 Fox and Henderson have already one small crane established on 

 the girders for hoisting up materials, and in a few days they will 

 have several more. The rajiidity with which the building pro- 

 gresses may be estimated fmm the fact, that two columns and 

 three girders can be fixed in about 15 minutes. AV'hile the actual 

 labour of construction jiroceeds, a vast amount of iireparatory 

 work goes on simultaneously. Nearly all the wooden arches 

 required to sjian the transept 'are completed. Sash bars, window 

 frames, intermediate bearers and gutters, are got ready by liundreds 



of workmen under sheds, formed hastily of floor plankintr. The 

 hydraulic press is at work testing the strength of girders, and a 

 few fires are lighted to prepare the wrouijht-iron holts by which 

 the columns are made fast to the connecting pieces between them. 

 Piles of materials of every kind are collected in every part of the 

 ground, and it is believed that three-fourths of all that will be 

 reijuired are already deposited within the hoarding. There is a 

 stable for 20 horses, which are employed in drawing. At present 

 yuo hands are at work within the inclosed space, but it is estimated 

 that the number must yet be raised to 1500. No difficulty is found 

 liy the contractors in procuring the requisite supplies either of 

 material or labour. The iron work is all br(night from Birming- 

 ham, where it is prepared by Messrs. Fox and Henderson, assisted 

 by two other houses. One firm furnishes the whole amount of glass 

 required. The timber used is from the Baltic, and of excellent 

 quality. A portion of it is prepared at mills taken for the purpose 

 at Chelsea, and the rest on the grounds. AVhen the weather is 

 wet, this part of the ivork, which is carried on under cover, is 

 pushed forward. When it is dry the fixing of columns and girders 

 is proceeded with. Gas has been laid on in the gnninds, and 

 the toils of the day are continued frequently as late as 11 o'clock 

 at night. AVithin a commodious set of offices the heads of depart- 

 ments regulate the woik and prescribe the division of labour to be 

 pursued. Here, too, a room has been established for draughting 

 plans of the building, in conformity with which it is to he completed. 

 A considerable jiortion of the work is done by the piece, and no 

 difliculty is found in jirocuring any amount of hands that may 

 from time to time be re(|uired. Every morning they assemble in 

 great numbers at the entrance ready for employment, and when 

 engaged they turn out very eflficient workmen. Such a supply 

 must be regarded as one of the most important facilities which a 

 great city like London presents for the execution of an under- 

 taking like this. An ingenious system of checks by means of 

 varituislv shaped brass tokens has been introduced to determine 

 the number of hours jier day for which each man has been occupied, 

 ;iiid the remuneration to wliich he is entitled. The whide business 

 of the contractors seems to he carried on the most systematic and 

 orderly manner; and what is very remarkable is the little noise or 

 bustle with which the work proceeds. AVhen the materials of 

 which the building are chiefly composed are reccdlected this will 

 be the more easily understood. Nearly everything is brought on 

 the ground ready to be put up, and the loudest sound that reaches 

 the ear is the occasional clink of a hammer 'closing rivets up.' 

 Over so large a space the noise of labour is lost, and the building 

 ries almost as silently as did Solomon's temple. 



'I"he contractors still speak with perfect confidence of their 

 ability to construct and roof-in the whole before New Year's-day. 

 They'have within the last month done a good deal, but in the two 

 that" still remain to them they will find their energies fully taxed 

 to do all that still remains 'to be accomplished. If within the 

 limits of time prescribed to them they succeed in carrying out so 

 extensive and elalmrate a jilan as that' which they at present con- 

 template, thev will merit the utmost praise; but before even the 

 letter of tliei'r contract the safety of the public must be placed, 

 and we do trust that every precau'tion w ill he adopted to prevent 

 the possibility of accident's hereafter. Of late years many circum- 

 stances have occurred to shake the confidence which was at first 

 re])0sed in iron structures. Suspension bridges and railway termini 

 have been giving way and falling in from comparatively slight 

 ojiuses— the smallest defect in a jiart, the snapping of a rod. or the 

 shaking of a pillar, by disturbing the distribution of forces, often 

 brings down the whol'e fabric. 'I'lie new building in Hyde-park is 

 a novelty in architecture — and a novelty upon a grand scale. It 

 is to be provided with many galleries, w'here specimens of industry 

 will be exhibited, and wliere, therefore, crowds of visitors will 

 ussemble to inspect. Considering the materials used, therefore, 

 it is most important that every care should be taken to insure the 

 safety of these galleries. Messrs. Fox and Henderson say that 

 they have adopted every precaution in this respect, and that their 

 calculations of strength are such as to render an accident from the 

 crowding of spectators impossible. We trust that it may be so, 

 and we think it due to them to state that a minute examination 

 of the progress already made in the work has impressed us with 

 a high sense of the efficient, orderly, and expeditious manner 

 in which it is carried on. This is the more remarkable when the 

 novel character of tlie structure is remembered, that novelty 

 removing it out of the routine habits of those engaged in the 

 labour of construction." 



