struction of this masterpiece, he justly remarks, would be a distinct blow to the citj of Pittsburgh, and one which would cause the loyal Pittsburgh citizen to hang his head in shame. Richardson’s work is universally admired by architects, and Mr. Beatty quotes emphatic words of praise for it from many distinguished American and foreign authorities. The Architectural League of America passed resolutions last spring to the effect that this building was one of the most noted monumental public edifices in this country, the best example of Romanesque architecture in America, a great source of inspiration to all lovers of art, the most representative work of Richardson in existence, a possession of which the city of Pittsburgh may be justly proud, and that any action such as the contemplated addition to it was to be deplored, as it would undoubtedly ruin the beauty, dignity and grandeur of the structure. Similar resolutions have been passed by the Fine Arts Federation of New York, the Pittsburgh T- Square Club, the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and the international jury of award in Pittsburgh in the autumn of 1904. Mr. Ashbee, of London, president of the Society for the Preservation of Places of Historic and Artistic Interest, when in Pittsburgh several years ago, expressed the opinion that this building was one of the most important architectural monuments in America. Mr. Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the eminent sculptor, deplored the destruction of the jail adjacent to the court-house, and expressed the earnest hope that the work of destruction might not reach the noble main building, or court-house. Mr. Beatty believes that only a very general and earnest protest against the proposed changes will save the court-house even now. He is doing a valuable service to the cause of art in endeavoring to arouse public opinion against the threatened vandalism.
Fire-tests in a Model Theatre.—Consul- General Rublee, of Vienna, furnishes an interesting report on tests that have been made in that city with a model theatre for guarding against loss of life in case of fire. He writes:
“At a meeting of the Austrian Engineers and Architects’ Association held in Vienna, Feb. 13, 1904, a committee was appointed to make a study of the question and to raise funds for the erection of a model
theatre where experiments could be conducted with theatre fires. Subsequently the funds for this purpose were provided by the Austrian Government and a model thea tre was constructed on the outskirts of the city. This model theatre is built of iron concrete and consists of a small stage and auditorium, patterned after the usual theatre buildings, but provided with certain innovations, the value of which for minimizing the danger from fires was to be tested. The model theatre is only one twentyseventh the size of the ordinary theatre building, but provides sufficient room for a satisfactory test of fire conditions.
“About forty tests have been held at the model theatre. To make these tests as nearly as possible exact reproductions of theatre fires, old theatrical scenery and hangings have been used on the stage and saturated with kerosene, so as to cause a rapid spread of the fire. The observations made were with reference to the possibility of remaining in the auditorium during a theatre fire, concerning the atmospheric pressure in the auditorium and on the stage, the temperature at different heights, the condition of the air, the action of the iron curtain, as well as of the other curtains; the effect on gas, petroleum, and candle lights; the direction of the flames, and the smoke conditions.
“The results obtained from the fire-tests have led to the conclusion that the most effective means of reducing the danger from theatre fires is to provide means for the escape of the dangerous gases and smoke generated by the fire on the stage through ventilators on the roof of the stage. Such ventilators on the stage, working, if possible, automatically, as soon as the fire breaks out, have been proved to be the most certain means of protection to the public, and the greater the number of such ventilators the greater is the success of confining the fire to the stage.
“Experiments conducted, on the other hand, with closed ventilators showed that the auditorium was, in an incredibly short space of time, filled with gases, smoke and flames to such an extent that it would hardly be possible to save the lives of the spectators. The iron curtain in such cases proved an inadequate protection, as the pressure of gases from the stage interfered with its descent.”
The Trinidad Pitch Lake.—It was for
years, says Mr. Winthrop Packard in the Boston Transcript, thought that the supply of pitch here was inexhaustible, as it seemed to well up from the supposed crater beneath as fast as dug out. Now, however, there are doubts of this, as after constant digging for twenty-five years, measurements show the general surface to have receded about seven feet. Up to the year 1894 the asphalt was dug out and carted to the beach a mile away, whence it was lightered to the vessels waiting off shore. Things have changed of late years, however. Now the output of asphalt is controlled by the New Trinidad Lake Asphalt Co., Ltd., of London, and everything is done after the most approved methods of modern engineering. A railroad circles the lake and great tubs are loaded on flat cars, which hurry with them to a 1,700-foot pier, whence they are dumped right into the hold of the waiting vessel. They return to the bed of the lake by an aerial tramway, where the negroes again load them, picking out the chunks of pitch with their long,-one-tined picks. The negro and the one-tined pick are the only remnants of the old primitive methods of work; all else is steam, machinery, trolleywire and applied mechanics. These methods have greatly increased the output of the lake, which amounts on good warm days to eighty or more tons an hour. The yearly weight of asphalt dug from the lake varies from 150,000 to nearly 200,000 tons.
A New Form of Heat Engine.—The steam engine and the ordinary internal combustion motor by no means exhaust the range of possibilities of using heat as a source of power, and it would seem that besides developing mechanical features something could be accomplished by devising new principles on which heat engines might be operated. A suggestion in this direction has recently been made in Europe by M. Cantor, who proposes to use as an oxidizing material some solid such as oxide of copper. He would heat this substance to incandescence, and then would spray, on it some fuel such as petroleum or alcohol. This would be burned and gas produced which would .expand, and in so doing would perform work as in any ordinary form of engine. In the meantime the oxygen taken from the copper oxide by the combustion of the fuel would be restored through the agency of an air jet. Theoretically it is claimed that the highest possible rate of
Fire-tests in a Model Theatre.—Consul- General Rublee, of Vienna, furnishes an interesting report on tests that have been made in that city with a model theatre for guarding against loss of life in case of fire. He writes:
“At a meeting of the Austrian Engineers and Architects’ Association held in Vienna, Feb. 13, 1904, a committee was appointed to make a study of the question and to raise funds for the erection of a model
theatre where experiments could be conducted with theatre fires. Subsequently the funds for this purpose were provided by the Austrian Government and a model thea tre was constructed on the outskirts of the city. This model theatre is built of iron concrete and consists of a small stage and auditorium, patterned after the usual theatre buildings, but provided with certain innovations, the value of which for minimizing the danger from fires was to be tested. The model theatre is only one twentyseventh the size of the ordinary theatre building, but provides sufficient room for a satisfactory test of fire conditions.
“About forty tests have been held at the model theatre. To make these tests as nearly as possible exact reproductions of theatre fires, old theatrical scenery and hangings have been used on the stage and saturated with kerosene, so as to cause a rapid spread of the fire. The observations made were with reference to the possibility of remaining in the auditorium during a theatre fire, concerning the atmospheric pressure in the auditorium and on the stage, the temperature at different heights, the condition of the air, the action of the iron curtain, as well as of the other curtains; the effect on gas, petroleum, and candle lights; the direction of the flames, and the smoke conditions.
“The results obtained from the fire-tests have led to the conclusion that the most effective means of reducing the danger from theatre fires is to provide means for the escape of the dangerous gases and smoke generated by the fire on the stage through ventilators on the roof of the stage. Such ventilators on the stage, working, if possible, automatically, as soon as the fire breaks out, have been proved to be the most certain means of protection to the public, and the greater the number of such ventilators the greater is the success of confining the fire to the stage.
“Experiments conducted, on the other hand, with closed ventilators showed that the auditorium was, in an incredibly short space of time, filled with gases, smoke and flames to such an extent that it would hardly be possible to save the lives of the spectators. The iron curtain in such cases proved an inadequate protection, as the pressure of gases from the stage interfered with its descent.”
The Trinidad Pitch Lake.—It was for
years, says Mr. Winthrop Packard in the Boston Transcript, thought that the supply of pitch here was inexhaustible, as it seemed to well up from the supposed crater beneath as fast as dug out. Now, however, there are doubts of this, as after constant digging for twenty-five years, measurements show the general surface to have receded about seven feet. Up to the year 1894 the asphalt was dug out and carted to the beach a mile away, whence it was lightered to the vessels waiting off shore. Things have changed of late years, however. Now the output of asphalt is controlled by the New Trinidad Lake Asphalt Co., Ltd., of London, and everything is done after the most approved methods of modern engineering. A railroad circles the lake and great tubs are loaded on flat cars, which hurry with them to a 1,700-foot pier, whence they are dumped right into the hold of the waiting vessel. They return to the bed of the lake by an aerial tramway, where the negroes again load them, picking out the chunks of pitch with their long,-one-tined picks. The negro and the one-tined pick are the only remnants of the old primitive methods of work; all else is steam, machinery, trolleywire and applied mechanics. These methods have greatly increased the output of the lake, which amounts on good warm days to eighty or more tons an hour. The yearly weight of asphalt dug from the lake varies from 150,000 to nearly 200,000 tons.
A New Form of Heat Engine.—The steam engine and the ordinary internal combustion motor by no means exhaust the range of possibilities of using heat as a source of power, and it would seem that besides developing mechanical features something could be accomplished by devising new principles on which heat engines might be operated. A suggestion in this direction has recently been made in Europe by M. Cantor, who proposes to use as an oxidizing material some solid such as oxide of copper. He would heat this substance to incandescence, and then would spray, on it some fuel such as petroleum or alcohol. This would be burned and gas produced which would .expand, and in so doing would perform work as in any ordinary form of engine. In the meantime the oxygen taken from the copper oxide by the combustion of the fuel would be restored through the agency of an air jet. Theoretically it is claimed that the highest possible rate of