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HOTHOUSE-BUILDING. 



fig. 9, in which the heating apparatus, 

 &c, is placed. Along each side of the 

 two centre walks, and the inner side of 

 the outer surrounding one, are placed 

 highly ornamental cast-iron vases, (fig. 8,) 

 supplied with hot water from the boilers 

 underneath ; a line also of vases is carried 

 diagonally across the space from the 

 centre to each corner, their use being to 

 act as radiators of heat during autumn, 

 winter, and spring — those by the sides of 

 the walks to be furnished with specimen 

 plants in pots during summer, when not 

 required for heating. These vases have 

 movable tops which fit into grooves par- 

 tially filled with water, which renders 

 them steam-proof when a dry atmosphere 

 is required; while, by removing these 

 tops, or even a portion of them, a humid 

 atmosphere is at the command of the 

 owner. 



This mode of heating may startle some, 

 and therefore requires explanation. The 

 mains which proceed from the boilers are 

 4-inch pipes laid 4 inches clear of the 

 surface ; those which run parallel with 

 the walks serve for margins to them ; 

 those in the diagonal lines are the same 

 height above it. The vases are placed 

 over the mains, which have nozzles cast 

 on them at the proper distances ; the hot 

 water rising from the mains ascends up 

 the centre of the vases, as shown by the 

 arrows; and as the heat is given off by 

 radiation round the outer surface, and 

 the water becomes cooled, it descends 

 round the sides of the vases into a hollow 

 moulding, which, communicating with 

 four 1-inch pipes, two only of which can 

 be shown in the section, (fig. 8,) delivers 

 the colder water into the conducting hot- 

 water pipe from whence it came. Three 

 distinct boilers are placed, as shown in 

 fig. 10, for each quarter of the structure — 

 being twelve in all — one of which commu- 

 nicates with the diagonal line, the other 

 two deliver their water along two sides of 

 the division, all three terminating at the 

 corners a a a a on ground-plan fig. 7, 

 and, descending, enter one general return- 

 pipe under the diagonal line, back to- 

 wards the boilers, where they branch off 

 into three separate pipes, one to each 

 boiler. By this means there are ninety- 

 six radiating vases to heat the atmosphere 

 of the structure, in addition to the extent 

 of piping. To lessen the amount of heat, 



the flow-pipes in the diagonal lines may 

 be left unheated, or indeed, any number 

 of the others may be shut off by stop- 

 cocks. From the extent of radiating sur- 

 face offered by these ninety-six radiators, 

 we presume that most of the heat taken 

 from the furnaces will be diffused through 

 the atmosphere to be heated; and this, 

 with the great length of pipes laid round 

 the sides of the walks, and supplied by 

 twelve boilers, must give heat sufficient 

 for the purpose intended. 



At the bottom of each column for the 

 conveyance of the rain-water should be 

 placed a reservoir under ground, and 

 from each of these should be laid a pipe 

 to convey their superfluous water to the 

 grand reservoir a in fig. 9, from which the 

 supply for the boilers may be taken. 

 Each of the smaller reservoirs should be 

 covered with a piece of pavement, as a 

 plinth on which the column is to stand; 

 and in it should be a small hole into 

 which a pipe attached to a portable pump 

 can be introduced, for the purpose of draw- 

 ing up the water for watering, syringing, 

 or even for filling up the vases while heat- 

 ing is going on. 



These vases are employed under the 

 impression that they will be more orna- 

 mental, and will give out more heat by 

 radiation, than if the heat depended en- 

 tirely on the pipes laid parallel to the 

 surface. 



Fig. 9 shows a section of the vault 

 under ground ; a being the reservoir for 

 receiving the whole of the superfluous 

 water; bb the direction of the flow-pipes 

 from the boiler; c c the flues; d the stair 

 leading to the vault; e e the area for at- 

 tending the furnaces, &c. 



Fig. 10 shows the ground-plan of the 

 vault ; a a, &c, the boilers, of which there 

 are twelve; b b, &c, the flow- pipes rising 

 perpendicularly from the boilers to the 

 horizontal mains ; c c, &c, the direction 

 of the smoke -flues after leaving the fur- 

 nace and circulating towards d — the main 

 flue into which they all unite, and which 

 is carried under ground parallel to the 

 tunnel or passage, and close to it — being 

 also furnished with smoke-traps for the 

 purpose of extracting the soot, till it 

 reaches beyond the garden, where the 

 level rises, and the smoke is carried up 

 into a shaft in an adjoining wood; e e is 

 the general reservoir ; ffff are spaces 



