Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-03-10
Preservation of St. Paap8.

st. PaulS Cathedral, London. MerVyn r. Ma
cartney, F. S. A., consulting architect, review
ing the work in the London Times, says the
fears OF those experts who were of opinion, a
few years ago, that very serious task awaited
the repairers have been more than justified;
and in particular the south transept has been
discovered to be in so shattered condition that
the cement used to strengthen and solidify the
walls has found its way out, in several cases
into the street and gardens beyond. The pres
ent article, however, deals with the completion
of the repairs to the southwest pier of the
dome, which marks a primary stage in the
work of restoration at ST. Paurs. Mr.. Ma
cartneY writes in part:
Nov that the boarding has been removed it
is possible for anyone to observe the extent Of
what has been practically the rebuilding of this
vital support of the dome. The whteness of
the substituted stones shows distinctly how the
5000 cubic feet of new masonry has been in
serted. 1t has only been possible to carry out
this work by using the greatest care to avoid
disturbance of the enormous weight of 5000 tons
which it is calculated that each pier carries.
Any sudden withdrawal of large extent of
support might have involved most serious dis
location of pressure and created an alarming
condition of affairs.
1T says great deal for the care and efficient
workmanship of the artiicers contractors and
expert advisers that no perceptible settlement
has occurred during the progress of the work.
alarm have existed while these operations have
been proceeding But fortunately, so much
diligence has been exercised that no untoward
accident has marred the steady march of restor-
alton during the four or five years that have
elapsed since the work has begun.
MANY interesting facts have come to light,
such as that the main stone on which the two
arches pitch proved to be huge block of Bur-
ford stone and not Portland which Wren en-
ployed in this pier This stone was cracked
right through. We know that great difficulties
beset the builders in obtaining large stones, and
evidently this block was utilized because there
was no other of that scantling available from
Portland. Its dimensions were feet by 6 feet
by feet, 3 inches. To replace it being impossi-
BILE, the shattered portions, weighing Az tons,
were removed and as large a piece of Port
land inserted as was practicable, which, grouted
in cement, has made sound base at this point.
another discovery was the fact that a great
many of the carved capitals were not the orig-
nails but poor copies insecurity fixed to the
stone behind them by cramps, bowels and lead.
In many cases so badly had they been fixed that
they fell off on the slightest attempt to examine
them. Although no positive evidence exists to
show when they were executed, we may assume
that they were of later date than Wren's build
ing. No work of such a "shoddy" description
would have been passed by Wren or Hawks
moor. When the full weight of the dome came
on to the piers it caused serious shatterings Of
the stone walling, and it clearly went on during
the first half of the 18th century, as the rubble
filling of the pier dried and became compressed.
The core or rubble is not of uniform quality. A
great deal of mortar was made With lime OBJ
tanned by burning chalk lime or shells Had
Wien used even a poorly hydraulic lime he
would have had much more satisfactory ag-
glomerate. Considering the extraordinary apti-
tude of this genius for experiments, more par
ticularly in chemistry, one is lost in wonder
that he should have used such poor cement
especially as he was always lauding the fine
Roman manner" and meant himself to build for
eternity" That he was imposed on by some of
the contractors is likely; we know that there
were eight or nine, not all of them of the same
excellence as the Strongs. For instance, in
the construction Of the southeast pier the work
is not nearly so good as that of southwest pier;
the mortar is worse and the masonry of very
inferior character. To improve the power of e.
sistance OF the filling in the southwest pier the
method was employed of solidfying by liquid
grout By this means it is believed that in addi-
tion to the two feet of reliable stonework on
each side of the pier, we have consolidated at
least an extra inches of the core and possible
one foot. Taking a mean of nine inches this
means that the reconstructed work on the pier
represents about half of the sectional area of
the pier tie, two feet on each face equals four
feet, and nine inches of grouted core on each
face equals one foot, six inches. Total, five
IeeL, SIX inches out OF ulle teel, SIX lnCneS.J
another discovery was the method of con-
struction of the building. The piers were built
up with setoffs-thst is to say, the masonry was
reduced in area as the work gained height The
foundations are set on bed of very hard clay
and consist of two layers of stone each two feet
thick and spreading out four feet all around the
crypt-piers. The piers in the crypt are set back
Ii. e., reduced from this to 10 feet by % feet
This size is carried up to the impost or modng
from which the vaulting of the crypt starts. We
discovered that at this point. e., the level of
the mpost-the piers were set back or reduced
two feet. They then continued perpendiculary
till within two feet of the floor of the church.
AT that point they went back to the face of the
pier.
One more discovery may be noted, though
strictly professional one, and that is that in the
construction of the main arches Wren built the
voussors at the springings of the arches on
level bed with only short portion of the stone
worked to a radius
THE urgently needed reparation, of which
the first stage is now completed, has taken five
years of unremitting labor
I'VE have learnt much as to the condition of
this pier, and in particular we have come to
realize that holder method of procedure than
has been hitherto possible would save both time
and money By employing steel centering the
work could be materially quckened and expense
saved The difficulties of working so as not to
interrupt the services would be enormously
lessened and the evef-present fear of failure
eliminated"
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