The Devils Lake world., 1922-12-13
BUGS EAT ROOF
OF ANCIENT HALL
Westminster Saved From Ruin
+. by Steel Girders.
was LAST REPAIRED IN 1899

" ,s.:;s"
Famous Building WIthstands Weather
for Centuries Only to Have Its Safe.
ty menaced by Deaths Head Beetle
Adventurous Boy Discovers Havoc
Wrought by Insects and When He
Grows Up the Job Of Renovatino the
Building Falls to Him.
= Back in. 1899, Master Hugh Her.
land, the kings carpenter, carried out
job Of renovation. His work was to
repair the roof of Westminster hall,
which had been erected by William
Rufus, some. 800 years previously, in
the village of Westminster, then sep.
arated from the city of London by a
mile or so Of open country, writes Har-
old E. Scarborough in the New York
Tribune.
1t is not on record whether Master
Hugh. on surveying his work, remarked
that he guessed that would hold 'em
Tor while, or voiced similar senti-
ment In the phrasing of his time. But
In the 600 years that followed nobody
ever accused Hugh Herland of being
jerry-builder. The storms and suns
Of six centuries played upon the oaken
covering that he had erected for this
palace Of kings, but still 1t fulfilled
its allotted functions.
"Now, it Is exceedingly doubtful
whether Master Herland ever had
heard Of little fellow named Xesto-
blum Tessellatum. People of the pres
ent day know of this chap as the
deaths head BEETLE" His food and
his home alike are wood; nice, dry,
mellowed oak, for preference. For un-
told years thousands Of insects Of this
species had been busily devouring
Master Herland's timbers, and early
In the present century it was discov-
cred that, technically speaking, there
was no reason why the famous oak
beamed roof should not have collapsed
long since.
Found by Boy.
That discovery was made by boy
named Frank Baines, who had climbed
as an adventure up among the top
most rafters Of the famous old hall,
which now, almost surrounded by the
modern houses of parliament, is to the
casual observer scarcely distinguish.
able from the rest of the Gothic pile
Years passed, and 1t befell that the
boy became Sir Frank Baines and the
principal architect Of the office Of
works.
One Of his first acts in his new
capacity was to carry out thorough
investigation Of the roof of Westmin.
ster hall and to report that, unless the
ravages Of the beetles were checked,
the arches and hammer beams and
trusses could not possibly remain in
position much longer. In 1914, start
) was made on the work Of restoration;
but, Of course, the war cut 1t short.
After the war, the necessary funds
being Forthcoming, the work was again
taken up. It had been decided to build
what virtually amounted to skeleton
roof Of steel under the old oak girders,
In such fashion that from the ground
the alteration would be practically in
visible. Previous to this, however, the
boring insects had to be considered
since it was obvious that the rest of
the ancient oak would soon disappear
were this not DONE The suggestion
was made that the hall be sealed up
and filled with chloroform; but men,
bers Of parliament, perhaps scenting
a new Guy Fawlles plot, vetoed it.
Next a disinfectant called "tetrachlor.
ethane" was used with some success
until the smell Of it penetrated into
the chamber of the house Of commons
Then 1t, too, had to be abandoned
Finally, mixture was found which
did not possess too offensive a smell,
and from tall towers, reminiscent of
fire towers in an American cities, the
rafters and beams were deluged with
this preparation.
Job Is Completed.
AS each beam and truss was thor.
oughly soaked with the insecticide, the
work Of placing a steel frame behind
1t continued; and now the last one is
In place. From the floor of the hall,
where the most notable state trials of
England, including those of William
Wallace, Sir Thomas More, Anne b.
leyn, Somerset Strafford, Charles l.
the Seven Bishops, Lovat, Ferrers and
Warren Hastings, have been held. very
little of the work of restoration is WIS.,
ible. Here and there bit Of light
oak shows up against the golden-col.
ored wood placed in position in 1899 (;
but all the new wood used has come
from the Weald Of Sussex (where the
original timbers grew, and should
soon 60 into harmony with its sur.
roundings.
An idea of the magnitude of the in
visible repairs may be gained from the
fact that they cost approximately
100000