35 



. This lecture was given on the 12th Dec, 1908, by 



The ^^avmg of Francis Fox, Esq., M.Inst.C.E., whohas had charge 



®* of the recent work undertaken for the saving of 



th H- t • I Winchester Cathedral and is a member of the 



Bi .ff. eminent firm of engineers. The chair was taken 



Buildings. Q^^^ jy^j.^ roughly outlining 



the methods of strengthening decaying buildings: first, the threatened 

 portions are shored up with strong timbers so as to prevent their 

 collapse while the repairs are in progress. Next, all cracks and 

 defects are filled in with grout," or liquid cement; this is done with 

 the grouting machine, which forces the cement under pressure into 

 all the voids, thus binding the whole into a solid mass. The last stage 

 is the underpinning, or replacing of defective foundations. At 

 Winchester the trouble is due to bad foundations. The cathedral 

 stands on a peat bog, and the old builders laid great balks of timber 

 on this, building their masonry on the timber. This timber has in 

 course of time decayed, and the superincumbent masonry is gradu- 

 ally sinking. The recent operations consisted of the removal of the 

 peat, piece by piece, from underneath the building and the substitu- 

 tion for it of concrete, deposited by the grouting machine. The 

 continual presence of water made the work very difficult and 

 dangerous, a diver being required to do most of the underground 

 work. Mr. Fox also described the reparation of the old walls at 

 Chester, and the restoration, of Trinity Church, Hull, by strutting 

 up the roof, taking down the pillars, and rebuilding them on a 

 proper foundation. The lecture throughout was illustrated by very 

 fine lantern slides, showing the nature of the work at Winchester 

 and the other places referred to. 



. A lecture given on the 30th Jan., 1909, by H. St. 



eo ogy in Barbe, Esq., of Lymington, the chair being taken 

 reSation to jj^^ q^^^ rj.^^ lecturer began by pointing out 



cenery in immensely the appreciation of scenery is in- 



ting an . creased by a knowledge of the causes that have 



brought about the various eftects of mountain, valley, river, etc. 

 The four chief causes that have brought, or are brmging about the 

 present conformation of the earth's surface are, first, the gradual 

 contraction of the earth's crust, accompanied by crumpling or 

 folding ; second, the action of water ; third, the action of fire, more 

 in evidence in earlier stages of the earth's history than now ; and 

 lastly, glacial action, by which masses of rock have been transported 

 from their original locality. Fine mountain scenery is always found 

 in an area in which there once existed volcanoes, which threw up 

 immense masses of lava, etc., the remains and effects of which now 

 go to make up our mountains ; as an example, the mountains of 

 Carnarvon are largely due to this cause. The terms anticlinal and 

 synclinal were defined, an anticline being a series of strata in arched 

 form, while a syncline is a series in hollow form, that is, concave 

 towards the top. The weald of Kent and Sussex is the top of an 



