The daily union., 1852-03-17

and forms, throw 10 ndsclimina,ey These sdl remain
and 50 hard as TO be almost impeneuaole
The Romans constructed their walls Of two faces OF ma
sonry filed 10 with cement consisting oi pVqaea
or tiles rough hnts, and lime well incorporates
surrounding The town. $40 years before our era arr
wholly OF his description. Al Rome l. was eyeYwneese
ms aud OF Dlocletan, The Coliseum the Aqnedncis, -
Peters, and many others serving as instances me "sn
was eonstruc,ed in somewhat similar manner and, not
whstanding numerous vicssitndes, Is stl wondfousy
strong. discovering no signs oi rum
The Romans brought their arts TO England, and there
practsed hem
The foundations OF lhs Roman station. Aldborougs,
Yorkshrehe upper parts OF which are formed o round
Severns wall consists of rough and pebbles CON
pactrd in Gays while In several ln-tahees we unu ey
used perfect OF gravel sand or pounded
bricks and me precisely similar TO the concrete oil our
day y,,
OF ,ls Barton Cnutcd; that of 81 Peters Church, AZ Bar
upon Humber Lincoln hire. and building al warm.
several an9uares, composed, some OF round pebble
stones united by mortar and others OF rubbe stone ana
hins well gronied--afe still OF amazing sodity ana aP
pear 10 defy time"
Sir Christopher Wren discovered that the foundation
OF ST. Paus Cathedral. upon which had STOOD an lnpo
sing pe destroy ed by the great fire. was composed OF
mass OF Kensh rubbe slone, cenented with extremely
hard mortar.
''Tne foundation OF the north ransept OF Westminster
Abbey, bull, 2i5, is composed of flns irregular
aThe ioandations Of the public baid,ngs In Westminster
tho law coar,s The additional buildings the House OF
orned of ganit, other hard store broken in small
pieces none exceeding in size an ordinary hens egg and
laid in layers closely ranmcd and groned; every Third
layer Of Dorking lime and sharp river sand
The new Parliament House of Great Britain recently
built, upon foundations ten feet inches in
height, composed entirely of Concrete On this mass OF
small stone broken up for the purpose and groued the
walls OF that massive structure erected. and yet
stunned with the cry that The stone in these
foundations are not large enough to give II proper
yhaf Iat., ,f tha
work at Westminster, learn from the reports OF the
architect. happened TO mention il few days ago in
the presence OF some OF the workmen lately engaged on
the Capitol, when two OF them informed me that the re-
port stated the matter correctly for they had each worked
upon these very foundations.
The walls laid. aud which the objects Of daily OBJ
servaton by the members OF this House, subjects OF
admiration 10 every scientific and practical man who has
seen them. Such sodily such strength, and such ad
mrable skill in their construction, have never been man
esled before in any work done IN this city, and doub
whether better work of the kind be found in any part
OF the Union. Yet we told by the honorable chair
man OF the special committee that the walls are of no
value, and should be torn up. am aslonished at the
conclusion 10 which he has arrived. II makes me blush
for the intelligence of my fellow members this floor
upon matters OF such practical character When gen.
iemen the report OF the special committee il the evi
dence accompanies H. they will find that some OF the
most scientific engineers and architects in the naon-n-
deed might say the world-as well as The most expe-
renced practical have testified after examining the
work that IL is OF sufficient strength and sodity TO bear
an infinitely greater weight than can possibly be put upon
IT,
The mortar OF which these walls are built is said not
TO be OF good quality, because il has not yet hard.
ened. The fact tna such complaint is made IS proof
only that there men lnrused with the legislation oil
this country who lamentaby deficient in those prac
tical matters which familiar 10 the com OF
men. Who in his sober senses could imagine that NOR
tar IN the centre OF thick wall, seven ieet thick ex
posed 10 the severity OF rigorous winter, and only two
months laid would be dry and hardened The very
best mortar ever used could not have hardened IN such
a situation in so shori lime, Twenty years will MOI
suffice 10 make II dry and solid will become and
every practical as well as scientific man knows that IL is
better IL should be AK the common laborer who
has been accustomed to attend upon masons and will
tell you that the longer the process OF evaporation
inues The stronger Will be The adhesion oil The mortar
IL Is TACT well demonstrated by the experience OF
those who accustomed work motar that IL needs
scientific experiments 10 prove II The fact nen that
IN digging into these foundations the mortar found
not 10 be dry and hard no evidence that IS oil bad
quality. Onthe contrary, assert, without fear OF
lfadIcton by any OF intelligence the subject
the mortar - as good as could have been made IL is
made oi good lime clean, sharp sand and mixed in prop
er proportions. The practical and scientific who
have examined IL concur with me IN opinion, aud rid.
eule The ioliy which pronounces II OF bad quality
hold in my hand OF the taken from the very
place IN which the honorable gentleman tore up the wall
Mr.. McNAIR. That is not as il was taken on, Of the
wall
Mr. STANTON. II was taken from that very place
in the WALL and nothing has been added TO il but water
The action OF the atmosphere has dried --thai is all
IL dried because 1t thus exposed How, in the
OF all that is reasonable, could be expected dry
short time, ii II had remained in the centre OF a wall
feet thick Near earth, too where there
more likely 10 be absorption OF moisture, rather than
evaporation, the probabilities all against its drying
ndeed from my practical knowledge OF MORTAR having
worked ia IL for twelve years. should have doubted the
qUaty OF this, bad 1t no, been just IL
The honorable gentleman says these walls are mere
shell on the outsdes and filled up with small stone and
bad mortar in the centre. | have shown how they are
built; but even II IT were the gentleman To
think they are, cannot how they could even then
be liable to bulge press out Every one knows thai
walls not liable 10 split crack cross wise.
They crack because OF the neq uaes OF the
foundation. But these wallis will be sustained on the
walls and the arches that il will be impossible for them
10 give way by spluting bulgng.
air. McNAlR. VIII the gentleman permit me 10 ask
him question
Mr.. STANTON. With peasure--as many as you
may choose 10 ask
AIR. McNAtR. desire TO ask II certain very in
eresllng article, which appeared long slnce did
supply you with information on this subject
Mir. STANTON | do not know TO wha article the
gentleman xlludes The extracts have gwen are OBJ
tanned from books the rest derive from my prac-
uca experience, which | think qualities me TO speak
OF subjects like this with knowledge more Than
the gentleman possesses after the he has
had Of this very important inyesig aton.
A VoIcs. How many applicants for contracts were
there from Pennsy lvania
Mf STANTON. | do not know how many from
Pennsy applied for cJnirac,s but this an
informed is trus thai Disappointed applicants tor con-
tracts have been active stimulating this Investigation
believe sone OF them before the comnitee. and
suppose were the persons who attempted throw dJab
upon the stability OF the WORK.
Tue gentleman takes exception 10 the fact that the
architect OF the edihce, r Wallet has control of the
funds used cannot see that this sany part OF the duty