322 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[September, 



spire of St. Paul's church at Birkiiishavv, one at Fanilcy, and one to 

 Trinity church steeple in this town, (the latter 173 feet high), and one 

 to the new church at Hendingley, 3 miles from hence ; the joints are 

 made more perfect than in my first, by soldering a portion of smaller 

 tube about one inch down into the lower tube 

 and inches long into the upper tubefsee fig.4) 

 below which part I fix the holdfast of painted 

 iron, insulated with silk ; the neck of a bottle 

 would be perhaps still better as more perfectly 

 insulating the tube, or a block of cast glass the 

 size of half a brick, with a loop or an eye, would 

 be more secure (see tig. G); upon the lesser 

 tube the upper one slides, and allows of ex- 

 pansion and coutraction without separating 

 the parts of the tube, which is desirable for 

 its gravity as were the parts separated, an 

 explosion would take place at each termina- 

 S lion though slight, unless there were other 

 metal nearer. 



The advantage of a tube is that a greater 

 surface is exposed to the action of the elec- 

 tric fluid, an inch rod presenting little more 

 than a surface of 3 inches, whereas the | inch 

 bored tube gives 2i inches inside and 3 out- 

 side, or from 5i to 5^ inches together, and 

 the rapidity with which the fluid passes over 

 it, ensures it from fusion. In all cases the 

 rod or point should be gilt to prevent oxida- 

 tion, and were the tube also gilt it might 

 be more advantageous. .Since the erection 

 of these conductors, very heavy thunder 

 storms have passed over all the places 

 without effecting them, whereas the new 

 church at Doncaster had its spire partly 

 destroyed although armed with a glass 

 globular repeller. .St. Paul's church and 



|- s,^ the new Infirmary at Huddersfield which 



ISV. \. have conductors erected under Mr. Mur- 



t ''jv ^ ray's directions have escaped. .So many 



I ' I ^ -^ churches have been struck by lightning in 



different parts of the country, that no archi- 

 tect should attempt to construct a spire 

 without one of these conductors, especially 

 as the cost is so trifling, and any village blacksmith or tinman could 

 make the machine and attach it to either tower or spire ; to ascend 

 the sjiire, a short ladder may be easily raised against the face of one 

 plane of the octagon or other figure or plan, the ladder being prepared 

 by nailing a cross piece of wood at each end ; this will give foot hold, 

 and the rope fastened to the bottom, tightened round the base of the 

 spire, and another rope tightened round the top of the ladder, will 

 give a secure foot hold for raising a longer ladder to be prepared and 

 secured in the same manner as the first, so that two or more ladders 

 lashed together, when the height is more than can be reached by an 

 ordinary ladder, will enable the workmen to get to the summit of any 

 spire in the kingdom without the necessity of erecting an expensive 

 scaffolding, should the spire have been left unprovided with a con- 

 ductor, or in the case of many of our beautiful old spires, several of 

 ■which have been injured. The total cost when put np before scaffold- 

 ing has been removed, has not in any case exceeded 18rf. per foot 

 lineal, including 'the tank ; it has been considered in the case of a tower 

 with pinnacles, that each pinnacle should have a conductor : I think 

 one would suffice, the other pinnacles being immediately upon their 

 apex, a glass repeller. Murray observes of the lightning conductor or 

 paratonnerre, like the paragreie or hail rod, that it protects a surface 

 around it having a radius equal to double the height of the point from 

 the surface of the earth, or that 150 feet in height would protect a 

 circular area 600 feet in diameter. I send you a sketch of Kirkstal 

 church spire as it appeared after struck by lightning, with a tracing 

 from a sketch of New Mills churoh, in Derbyshire, which is of the 

 same form and dimensions as Kirkstal, having no drawing of the 

 latter. 



I am, .Sir, your most obedient servant, 



R. Dennis Chantrell. 



Leeds, 30/A July, 1842. 



' A steam frigate, launched on the 8th ult. at Cherbourg, is the largest 

 steamer ever built there. Another of the same power is to be launched in 

 September. Altogether the French Government has, say the French railway 

 papers, five first class steam frigates in hand. 



YORKSHIRE ARCHITECTURAL SOCIETY. 



We learn with pleasure that active steps have been taken for tlie esta- 

 l)lishmeiit of a " Yorkshire Jrchitertural Society," under the patronage 

 of his Grace the Archbishop of York, and the Lord Bishop of Ripen. At a 

 preparatory meeting, held in Leeds on the 26th July last, Ur. Hook in the 

 chair, the following resolutions were adopted : — 



" 1. That a Societv be formed, entitled THE YORKSHIRE ARCHITEC- 

 TURAL SOCIETY. 



" 2. That the objects of the Society be, to promote the Study of Ecclesiastical 

 Architecture, .\ntiquities, and Design, the restoration of mutilated Archi- 

 tectural Remains, and of Churches or parts of Churches which may have been 

 desecrated, within the county of York ; and to improve, as far as may he 

 within its province, the character of Ecclesiastical Edifices to be erected in 

 future. 



" 3. That the Society he composed of Patrons, Presidents, and Vice-Pre- 

 sidents ; and of ordinary Members to consist of such Clergymen and Lay 

 Members of the Church as shall he admitted according to the subsequent 

 rules. 



" 4. That His Grace the Lord Archbishop of York, and the Lord Bishop 

 of Ripon, be requested to extend their patronage to this Society. 



" 5. That the Lord Lieutenants of the three Ridings of the County of 

 Yojk be requested to accept the office of Presidents. 



" 6. That the following Noblemen and Gentlemen be requested to accept 

 the office of Vice-Presidents : — 



****** 



" 7. That new Members be proposed and seconded by Members of the 

 Society at one of the meetings, and elected at the next, and that Honorary 

 Members be elected only on the nomination of the Committee. 



" 8. That Rural Deans within the County of York be considered on their 

 signifying their intention to become Members, as ex officio Members of the 

 Committee. 



" 9. That each Member shall pay ten shiUings at his admission, besides an 

 annual subscription of ten shiUings, to be due on the first of January in each 

 year; but that the admission fee of those who may become Members before 

 the 31st December next, be considered as their subscriptions for the current 

 year. 



" 10. That any Member may compound for all future subscriptions by one 

 payment of five pounds. 



" 11. The affairs of the Society shall be conducted by a Committee, com- 

 posed of the President, Vice-President, and thirty-six ordinary Members, (of 

 whom five shall be a quorum), who shall be elected at the Annual Meeting, 

 and of whom twelve at least shall have been Members of the Committee of 

 the preceding year. 



" 12. That the Committee elect out of their own body, a Chairman, and 

 so many Secretaries as may be rendered necessary by the large extent of the 

 county. 



" 13. That the Society meet for the reading of papers, and the dispatch of 

 ordinary business, in the spring and autumn of each year : the meeting in 

 autumn to be considered the public annual Meeting. 



" 14. That each Member be allowed to introduce a friend to the ordinary 

 Meetings of the Society. 



" 15. That donations, both of money and of books, plans, casts, and draw- 

 ings, be solicited, and that the Committee be empowered to make such addi- 

 tions to the collection of the Society as may be deemed necessary. 



" 16. That the library, casts, and portfolios of the Society, he under the 

 charge of the Secretaries. 



"17. When the Committee shall consider any paper worthy of being printed 

 at the expense of the Society, they shall request the author to furnish a copy, 

 and shall decide upon the number of copies to be printed ; provided always 

 that the number be sufficient to supply each member with one copy, and the 

 author and secretaries with twenty-five copies each ; the remaining copies 

 may he sold at a price fixed upon by the Committee. All other questions 

 relating to publishing papers, and illustrating them with engravings, shall he 

 decided by the Committee. 



" 18. That Christopher Beckett, Esq., be requested to accept the office of 

 Treasurer; that E. J. Teale, Esq., be requested to accept the office of auditor 

 of the Society's accounts ; and that the Rev. Geo. .\yUfl'e Poole, Rev. Joshua 

 Fawcett, and Samuel Wilkinson, Esq., be provisional Secretaries, until the 

 office be filled according to rule 12. 



" 19. That the Oxford Architectural Society, the Cambridge Camden So- 

 ciety, the Exeter and Lichfield Diocesan Societies for Promoting the Study of 

 Ecclesiastical Architecture, and the Durham Architectural Society, be re- 

 quested to accept free admission for their Members to all the meetings of 

 this Society ; and that every attempt be made to reciprocate in all good 

 offices with Societies of kindred objects and constitution." 



CAOUTCHOUC CEMENT. 



Specification of a Patent granted to AtFRED Jeffery, of No. 8, Lloyd- 

 street, Pentoncille, Gent., for a new method of defending the sheathing of 

 ships, and of protecting their sides and bottoms. — [Sealed 29th April, 1841.] 



This invention consists in the production of various solutions and mix- 

 tures, for preparing oakum for caulking, and paying the seams, and coating 



