Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1851-05-17

WI SUOuIu Ndil upUu Uiiil dt ouShlh ''"'i
Palace to explain the details.
Sir Robert Peel greatly admired the de-
sign for its unity and simplicity; remarking
with pleasure that if il were accepted, it
would occasion the first great operation in
glass since the introduction of his own new
tariff. Alas this Tas The last connected
remark which that great statesman was des
tined 10 utter. He almost Immediately left
Westminster Palace on horseback for an air
ing, was thrown on Constitution Hill, and 3
days after he ceased 10 exist.
The Paxton scheme was referred TO the
Building Committee which, in TIE regular
routine of business, could not entertain it,
having rejected all the designs it had invited
for competition, and having devised plan
of its own. Nothing daun!ed, however, Mr..
Paxton determined to appeal to a tribunal
which TO borrow the tag of most modern
comedies is "never sought in vain y name.
ly, TO the British public. This he did by the
aid of the wood-cuts in the pages of the
London Illustrated News.n Never was an
appeal more promptly or satisfactorily an
swered! The praclcdblily, simplicity and
beauty of the scheme convinced every MEM
Der Of the many-hsaded court Of appeal of
lis efficacy.
Meanw bile the protector Of the building
waited on the protector of the entire eXhibi-
lion, Prince Albert on another memorable
morning-lha, of the christening day of
! pri,,rn D,,,iyl- IVh,, 10
divulaed but the encouragement vouch.
saled, added 10 the expression Of public
opinion daily gathering strength, induced
MIR. Paxton 10 decide on procuring n tender
10 be sent TO the Building Committee for
his design. He therefore went straight TO
Messrs. Fox & Henderson, and these gentle
men Immediately engaged TO prepare ten
der. 1t happened that the Building Com
mllt0e in their advertisement had invited
the candidates for raising their ediiice, TO
suggest any Improvements in it that may
occur to them. This opened crevice, into
which Messrs. Fox & Henderson were able
thrust their tender for Mr. Paxton's pan.--
Seeing al once it was of all other plans, the
plan The supreme desidera,um-rhey ten
t"red Tor it as an Improvement" Oh The
Committees design.
Here a new and formidable difficulty arose
Il was now Saturday, aud only few days
more were allowed for receiving tenders
Yet before an Approximate e7'imate Of ex-
pcnse could be formed, the great glass manu-
laCiuers and iron masers Of Ike north had
to b" consulted. This happened 10 be dies
mrGLliS the third, for it was the identical
Saturday on which the Sunday postage ques-
ton had reached its crisis; and there was 10
he no delivery next day! But in a country
Of electric tc!egraphs and of indomilable
energy, Lime and difficulties are aunihilaled.
and it is not the least of the marvels wrought
in connection with the great edifice, that by
the aid Of railway parcels and the electric
telegraph, not only did all the gentlemen
summoned out OF Warwickshire and Stafford
shire appear On Monday morning at Messrs.
Fox & Henderaon's office, in Spring Gar
deus, London, TO contribute their several es-
Inmates to The tender for the whole but,
within week, the contractors had calcula-
ted the cost oi every pound Of iron Ct every
inch Of wood, and of every pane Of glass.
There is no one Circumstance in the his
tory Of the manufacturing enterprise Of tha
English nation which places in so strong a
lahl as this Is sound.ess resources in mate
rials, to say nothing Of The arirhmelical skill
in computing at what cost, and in how short
r a time, those materials could be converted
into special purpose. What was done in
those few daysl Two parties in Loudon re.
lying on the accuracy and good faith of GER
lain iron masters, glass-wOrkers in he pro-
viuces, and of one master carpenter in Lon.
don, bound Themselves for certain sum oi
: money, and in the course of some foul
months, to cover ls acres of ground, with a
5 huilliug upwatds Of third of mile long
1851 feet--lhe exact date Of the year,l auc
some 450 feet broad. In order to do this
T. The glass-nlaker promised 10 supply in the
: required time, nine hundred thousand square
, feet Of glass, (weiGhiug more than four hun
:, GreG tous( in separate panes, and these The
a largest that ever were made Of sheet glass
/ each being 40 inches long. The iron mase
v passed his word in like manner to cast il
due time three thousand three hundred ror
Il columns, varying from II and half feet Il
90 feet IN length; - miles Of guflerlns
ube, to Join every individual column TO
=, gelher under the ground; Two thousand tive
!, hundred and twenty four girders, tbut some
- of these are OF wrought lion y besides clever
+ hundred and ,wenry-eght bearers for sup
. porting galleries The carpenter undertook
to get ready within the specified period twt
n hundred and FIVE miles of sash bar hoorin!
e for an area of ihitty-ihree millions of cub
n feet besides enormous quantities of wood
e en- wallng, louvre work and partition"
'' It Is nos till we reflect on The vast sum
- - of money involved in transactions of lhi
> magnitude, that we can form even slign
70 notion of the great, almost ruinous loss,