1 04 BRICKWORK. 



I cannot give a better example of the value of concrete than by referring to 

 a chimney that was built by Mr. Clegg at Fulham, in 1829. The foundation 

 was a quicksand. After the excavation was got out to the depth of fifteen 

 feet, an iron rod sunk, with little more than its own weight, fifteen feet more ; 

 it was, in fact, as bad a foundation as could possibly occur. In Plate X. 

 I have given a representation of this chimney, which will explain the con- 

 struction. In about twelve days after it was built, it had settled bodily down 

 16^ inches, without a crack, or deviating in the least from the plumb. It there- 

 fore follows, that the only disadvantage attending a bad natural foundation is 

 the expense of making an artificial one. It perhaps will not be out of place 

 to insert here the following extract from Mr. Farcy's Treatise on the Steam- 

 Engine, which relates to the erection of an extensive building upon bad 

 ground. 



" The building for the Albion Mills was erected upon a very soft soil, consisting of the 

 ' made ground,' at the abutment of Blackfriars Bridge : to avoid the danger of settle- 

 ment in the walls, or the necessity of going to a very unusual depth with the foundations, 

 Mr. Rennie adopted the plan of forming inverted arches upon the ground over the whole 

 space upon which the building was to stand, and for the bottom of the dock. For this 

 purpose the ground upon which all the several walls were to be erected was rendered as 

 solid as is usual for building by driving piles where necessary, and then several courses 

 of large flat stones were laid to form the foundations of the several walls ; but to prevent 

 any chance of these foundations being pressed down in case of the soft earth yielding to 

 the incumbent weight, strong inverted arches were built upon the ground between the 

 foundation courses of all the walls, so as to cover the whole surface included between the 

 walls ; and the abutments or springings of the inverted arches being built solid into the 

 lower courses of the foundations, they could not sink unless all the ground beneath the 

 arches had yielded to compression, as well as the ground immediately beneath the foun- 

 dation of the walls. By this method the foundations of all the walls were joined toge- 

 ther so as to form one immense base, which would have been very capable of bearing 

 the required weight, even if the ground had been of the consistency of mud ; for the 

 whole building would have floated upon it as a ship floats in water ; and whatever sinking 

 might have taken place, would have affected the whole building equally, so as to have 

 avoided any partial depressions or derangement of the walls : but the ground being made 

 tolerably hard, in addition to this expedient of augmenting the bases by inverted arches, 

 the building stood quite firm." 



When the foundation has been properly disposed of, the brickwork may be 

 commenced. The bricks should be well burned, and sound stocks or paviors, 

 set with a thin joint, four courses not occupying more depth than 1 If inches. 



