The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-24
FEAR EXPRESSED
 FOR ST. PAUL'S
Old Cathedral Showing Signs Of The Wear Of

LONDON, Feb. 23.-(By Associated Press.)--Old St. Paul's cathedral, that for centuries has lorded 1t over all Lon don from the peak of Ludgate Hill, isl showing signs of fatigue. Its stones, blackened by the fog and soot of bygone ages, are getting weary from the con- stant vibration caused by the roaring traffic that swiris all around the 'strnc- ture, and the unrefenting pull of the Thames upon its foundatio .ar@ s.i The south transept has begun to lean toward the river and the south west. tow, CT has dropped several inches from the perpendicular. Something must be done soon to preserve this crowning achievement of the architect Wren. Mervin Mccartney, architectural ad-' wiser to the dean, says a large sum of money will have to be spent on the ca thedral before very long, and the board of commissioners, at present, is con sidering proposals for it's preservation.
 An American firm which underpinned some of New York's great skyscrapers has examined St. Pauls and recommend ed underpinning as a cure for it's ar chitectufal maladies, but the commis- sioners are set against. such a method. :, In the eighteenth century iron straps were put around the cornices of thef transepts to hold the building together and since then. it has been necessary at various times to make other repairs to the malalignments caused by the movement of the cathedral. Twenty years ago it was: discovered that; the roof under the western pedimert had dropped a few inches and within the present decade it has. been necessary to repair two of the. piers. It, is ex. pected that repairs to the. other six piers. some of the masonry. of which has routed, will require 30 years to com plete. HS..s ,G'. ,a.%
 Meanwhile the stream of busses and motor lorries, which flows past the building, becomes larger and larger, with consequent increase, in the devas-a tating vibration, st $-.ti. 9s. 2,
 The labor members of the Kings household are finding their new job of wearing gold braid and velvet and bending the knee before His Imperial Majesty less Airksome than they ex- rected. In anticipation of the royal leyees to be held, on March II and IS they have already secured velvet jack cts, knee brooches, embroiderd tunics, silver-buckled slippers, swords and cooked hats.
 John A. Parkinson, comptroller of the household, and John F. Dayison, vice chamberlain, seem as much at home, in their new court regalia as they were in overalls and jumper, when they were working as common laborers in English coal pits and iron Boundaries.
 Describing their first visit to the palace, Tom Griffiths, treasurer of the household said: ..a, ".E,-'r
 "We were struck immediately by the Kings wonderful democracy, simplicity and affability. We didn't feel at all shy in the presence of such q kindly host. He made us feel like one of the family. He gripped our. hands and gave them real. good British shake. .,.', ',i
 There was no feeling of restraint. ha laughed and chatted with us as though he had known us all our lives.
 Then he gave us instructions in our new duties, which, for clearness and terseness, could not be yexcelled. He told us plainly that court dress would be required for our new functions.
 It will all come quite naturally to you,' he said. you'll soon feel quite at home, just as at any other function. I am anxious to arrange. the leyees as oOpAit uS HOSAptCs SO T uOlS yVu VIII .uh get the necessary attire without delay"
 If American radio enthusiasts keep their ears, and receiving sets properly attuned on the afternoon of March IS, they will hear the Prince of Wales talk. ing across the ocean on the subject of the great British empire exhibition, of which he. is president, Wales vii, be- gin speaking at about 8 p. n. London time, which is 4 o'clock in the after noon in New York city, and will point out some of the attractions, which the empire exhibition :, holds for Yankee visitors. rt .4.3. 5es: < s&.
 Efforts are being made to complete the high-powered broadcasting station of 1900 meters wave length, just out side London so it will be working in time to transmit the Princes speech. The new station will use 25 kilowatts, or 16 times the power of the present sending stations.
 The idea of the new station is to reach areas now inadeDuately served by the British broadcasting stations. Users of multiple-tubeA sets in the United States have no difficulty in hearing London distinctly ftom this atatien.