Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1817-05-08

on the laths.
If the flooring boards require to be laid
very soon, fourth or fifth part of quick
|inpowder, very well mixed with the roug
plaster just before it is used, will cause il
to dry very fast; but in three weeks The
rough plaster grows perfectly dry.
Lord MAHoN made prodigious mum
Der Of experiments upon every part Of
these different methods.
At Chesening, in Kent, he caused q
wooden building to be erected, in order
to perform them in the most natural man
ncr. The methods of ExTRA-LATHINo
and DOUBLE UNDERFLooRING were the
only ones made use of in that building.
Son the Goth of September, (says his
Lordship) I ad the honor to repeat some
of MY experiments before the President
and some of the fellows of the Royal So
ciety, the lord mayor and aldermen OF the
city Of London, the committee of city
lands, several of the foreign ministers
and great number of other persons"
IS The first experiment was to fill the
lower room of the building (Which was
e6 feet long by l6 feet wide) full of shaw
ings and faggots, mkt with combusti,
bles, and to set them all on fire. The
heat was so Intense, that the glass of the
windows was melted like so much sealing
wax, and run down in drops, yet the
flooring boards Of tina! very room were
not burnt through-nor was one Of the
side timbers, floor joists or ceiling joist;
damaged in the smallest degree and the
persons who went into the room immedi.
ately over the room filled with fire, did
not perceive an, i'll effects from it what
ever even the foor of that room being
perfectly cool during that enormous con.
Hagration Immediately underneath"
q" then CONTINUES his Lordshio) caus.
ed wooden building of fifty feet in
length aud three stories high in the mil
die. to be erected quite close to one end
of the secured wooden house, filled
and covered this building with above ele.
ven hundred large kiln faggots, aad seve.
raj loads of dry shavings, and set THU
pile on fire. The height OF the flame was
no less than eighty-seven feet perpendi,
cular from the ground; and the grass up
on bank at hundred and fifty feet from
the fire was all scorched.-Yet the secured
wooden building was not at all damaged,
except some parts OF the outer coat of
plaster work. This experiment was in
tended to repre-: ent wooden town on
fire, and to show how effectualIy even a
wooden building, If secured according to
nv method, would stop the progress Of
the flames on that de, without any as
sistance from fire engines. &c"
" The last experiment made that day
proceeds his lordship) was attempting to
burn a wooden stair case secured accord
ing to my simple method of UNDERTOOK.
ing. The underside Of the staircase was
pxtYG-lGtbed. Several very large kiln
laggofs were laid and kindIed under the
star case, round the stairs and upon the
steps This wooden stair case notwith-
standing resisted, as II it had been of fire
stone, all he attempts that were made TO
it, have since made FIVE other
sill stronger fires upon this same stair
case, without having repaired it, having
filed the place in which this
staircase is, entirely with shavings a.
large iaggcts; but tire staircase is still!
,tanding, and but little damaged.
:. In most houses iadds his lordshipl
t is necessary emily to secure the floors,
md that according to the method of sim
ic nndelfl"nring already described
The e.rtra eHpense OF it (all the materials
ncluded) is only about nine pence a
square gard. When quick lime is made
Use OF, The expense is trife more. The
,xirr expense of the method Of extra
mixing is no more than six pence square
gard, Tor the timber, side walls and par
,iticns but Cor the ceiling, about nine
o>ace mr. square yard. No extra Iathing
8 necessary 10 the generality Of houses"