The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-23 00:00:00

THE VICTIMS OF INCOMPETENTS.

The origin of the fearful calamity which recently
occurred in Richmond is a question of public importance
everywhere. There is no better illustration of the neces-
sity for the thorough and scientific instruction of our
young mechanics and artisans than what the people so
frequently read of concerning the falling of houses and the
consequent destruction of life and limb. We have had
accounts of two such accidents since the dreadful occur-
rence in Richmond. But it is only when some disaster
occurs that destroys scores or hundreds of lives that the
public mind is so strongly aroused as to take effective
means to guard against the recurrence of such terrible
tragedies. The construction of a building that can by any
possibility be made use of for the congregation of large
numbers of people, is an important matter that
should always be placed in unquestionably com-
petent hands. As a general rule, such men are
chosen ; too often, however, they are not. But it very
frequently happens, in the course of years, that buildings
carefully constructed by the original architects and
builders are put in charge of inferior architects or ignorant
persons, to be altered to suit other purposes. This is
nearly always a fatal mistake, for if there is any dis-
crimination to be made, there should be more care in the
selection of the directing head, where alterations are .to be
made in a large building, than if it were to be an entirely
new structure. But the safe rule is to employ only the
best men in all cases where large numbers of persons may
be placed in peril, whether the proposed building is
either entirely new or only an altered one. It
is quite too common to take serious risks to
save material, workmanship, and cost. Such
buildings should always be subjected to the tests, and
constructed upon the principles applied to railway bridges
or first-class roads—that is, the maximum load which by
any possibility can be placed upon them, whether of
freight, or merchandise in store, or the more precious
burden of human beings, should be first carefully ascer-
tained, and then the walls and floors, and every part on
which any part of the strain can rest, should, be so con-
structed as to bear five or ten times the maximum load so
ascertained. When a new building falls down, it is
nearly always because the architect or builder is ignorant,
or because he recklessly disregards the plainest principles-
of mechanical science. When this happens with an
altered old building, it is most frequently through pure
ignorance. Some men who take charge of such operations
seem to have no idea that those parts of a building upon
which nearly the whole weight of the structure rests
should be firm and strong, and continuous from the
foundation trenches to the uppermost girder, rafter or
joist at the top of the house. They do their work as if
the weight of a building has some inherent magical pro-
perty of sustaining itself in the air without other support.
Thus we find such blunders as were perpetrated some
years ago in one of the hospital building at the Blockley
Almshouses, in cutting through the piers on which the
floors rested, to make some " improvements" in heating,
leaving the unfortunate inmates in daily peril of their
lives until one day this house without legs went down,
burying a score or so of helpless victims in the ruins. So,
too, in a recent case in St. Louis, where a reckless
or ignorant contractor cut away the corner pier
from under a building- to make some altera-
tions, and had his men working away at it, the
same as if it were still as firm as the hills, when the
house went . down with a crash, killing and maiming
workmen and street passengers alike. These are always
the products of pure ignorance, even when there is reck-

lessnessas well. We could multiply such illustrations
far beyond our available space. As to the breaking down
of the Richmond Court-room, it is not quite clear which
part gave way first, whether the gallery or the middle of
the floor. The latter was supported by three timber
girders, about thirty-four feet long, twenty inches by
twelve, and placed fourteen feet apart. They were not
supported by pillars below, and the middle one, which
broke down, had " settled" about nine inches before the
disaster. Some think it gave way first under the weight
of the crowd upon it, andcarriedthe gallery along. Others
and among them one of our own experienced mechanics who
was in Richmond at the time, and narrowly escaped the
disaster, believe that the gallery and the crowd of people
upon it fell first, and by the additional weight thus preci-
pitated suddenly upon the middle of the weak girder
broke that and carried all down together. In either case
there were lamentable defects of construction for such a
building, for the gallery, as this gentleman describes it,
was supported by a heavy girder, which in its turn was
supported by nothing, for all it had under it was a meagre
wooden post at either end, and was nowhere supported by
the wall. It is a wonder it did not go down long ago.
Thorough instruction of our young artisans in the prin-
ciples of mechanical science, and the utmost care in the
selection of competent architects and builders for public
building, and especially for alterations in old buildings
used, or to be used, for public purposes, are the true
remedies for these shocking tragedies.— Philadelphia
Ledger.

ALARMING PROSPECTS.—PeopIe who are partial
to Chinese gongs will be delighted to hear that the secret
of their composition, long deemed impenetrable, has been
discovered by two industrious Frenchmen, called Julien
and Champion. The Celestials, one of whose most
favoured tricks in war is to beat gongs and run down hill
with a sword in each hand will be proportionately dis-
gusted. A new and terrific means of making a noise on
the Fourth of July, and during political meetings and
processions-will thus become accessible even to the most
moderate purse. Little boys who are tired of thumping
drums aed blowing horns, and who yearn for some fresh
instrument of torture, ought to offer up a sacrifice to
Messrs. Julien and Champion.—New York Times.
The working men's appeal to Congress, recently
presented to that body by General Schenck, recommends
the passage of laws to carry out the following measures :
—First, to compel street railway companies to pay the
internal revenue tax of one-eighth per cent. per passenger
by deducting it from the legal fare of five cents., or to
pay the whole of one cent extra which they collect from
the passenger. The petition further asserts that where
the legal fare is five cents, and the tax is one-eighth of a
frotmhe ctohmepanipesustoongceroal:
seven-eighthsrnint moreheentallows
regulation a great benefit
lwceehci them aGksve
ich
to the companies instead of a tax. The me-
morial alleges that two million dollars are made
annually by New York companies out of this tax alone.
Second, the petitioners further ask Congress to abolish the.
five-cent stamp duty on pawnbrokers' tickets, which has
to be paid by each pawner, and therefore comes out of
the most destitute classes. Third, to coin one-half cent
pieces and one-and-a-half cent pieces for the benefit of the
poorer classes. The petition gives as a reason for this
request that grocery and other dealers fix the price of
their articles per pound, or quarter, dozen, or peck, at an
odd number of cents, as say twenty-five cents for a pound
of anything. If the poor man wants half-a-pound he is
charged thirteen cents for it, not being able to make
change. If a quarter-of-a-pound, he is charged seven
cents, for the same reason. The memorial has been
referred to the Committee of Was and Means.

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