expansion would be produced in the working gas, and increased thermodynamic efficiency would be secured. It is, of course, too earl}- to announce any practical result from this proposition, and a number of objections must be faced, but it surely does indicate that power can be produced along other than the orthodox lines,, and the present low efficiency of the steam engine improved upon.—Harper’s Weekly.
Welsh Slate Industry.—Consul Williams, of- Cardiff, furnishes the following report on the slate industry of Wales:
“The depression in the slate industry of Wales, which has continued for many months, is becoming severe. Stocks amounting to thousands of tons have accumulated at Port Penrhyn and Port Maaoc, and many of the slaters have gone elsewhere to seek steadier employment. The men had been anticipating a reduction of wages, and when the manager of the Penrhyn quarries announced a reduction of 10 per cent., to take effect January 1, 1906, no one was surprised. The loss in wages will amount to about $100,000, and will affect fully 4,000 men, or nearly one third of the slaters in the United Kingdom. The number in the Kingdom in 1904 was 12,265, but the great majority were employed in Carnarvon, Merioneth, and Denbigh shires in North Wales. The town most affected will be Bangor.
The slate output of Wales for 1904 amounted to 427,730 tons, valued at $6,991,- 072.77. Three-fifths of this output was mined in open quarries in Carnarvonshire, and nearly two-fifths from mines in Merionethshire. The largest quarries are the Penrhyn, near Bangor, where the reduction has been announced, and the Dinorwic, near Carnarvon. The largest slate mine, which had an output of 49,192 tons m 1904, is near Festiniog. Most of the slate finds a market in Great Britain, as the exports amounted to only 29,357 tons, of which 25,- 181 tons were exported from the port of Carnarvon. The total output of slates in the United Kingdom in 1904 was 563,170 tons. This was an increase over 1903, but it was more than 100,000 tons short of the output in 1898, when the high-water mark was reached. The industry nas never recovered from the effect of the strike of several years ago. French slate then entered the British market, and it has retained a hold to this day. This combined competition, with the present depression in the building trade, accounts for the dull market for the Welsh slate. The cost of production is, perhaps, another element to be considered, for the French slaters receive lower wages than the Welsh.
Away with the Old.—“But as it is in London so it is also in every town in England,” says Mr. L. N. Parker, in a paper on “Pageants,” recently read before the Society of Arts. “In each of them there is a small handful of men who value the town’s treasures, who are steeped in its history and its traditions, but, beyond that handful, the vast majority of the inhabitants never let these matters bother them. Until quite recently the ancient buildings in a town were considered unsightly nuisances, to be swept away, just as the magnificent old furniture of our forefathers was consigned to the lumber-room. I could sit down and cry when I think of the lovely and venerable things the first half of the
nineteenth century sent to limbo. I could cry when I think how the clergy were let loose in the land to play havoc among the lovely and venerable churches in their charge. I could cry when 1 think of the lovely old houses, old manor-houses, moated granges, timbered mansions, ruthlessly torn down to make room for this desirable residence and those commodious premises. Think of what Park Lane was, and realize what it is! Think of the High street, Kensington, of no more than ten years ago, and,see it now! When you find yourself in some quiet country town which went to sleep when the stage-coaches died and has not yet been disturbed by motors, and amidst Queen Anne mansions, Elizabethan mansions, stately Georgian mansions, halftimbered mansions, you are suddenly confronted with the latest steel-frame six or seven storied emporium, the basement of which is all plate-glass and ginger-bread, covered with horrible advertisements of monstrous comestibles, quack nostrums, foods for the fat, pale pills for pink people, all labeled with hideous outrages on the English language in the shape of new words—clenol for a soap, quicklite for a match, ritefast for an ink—you do realize that here is a ghastly thing which kills and murders the beauties of its surroundings, which ought to be torn down, burnt, trodden under foot. Yes, you realize it, but the inhabitants of the town in which it stands do not. They are proud of it, for it is a symptom that their town is moving with the times. They feel that London has no longer the monopoly of great establishments.”
Oregon Trees in Austria.—A. F. Miller, of Sellwood, lately made a shipment of 750 pounds of the seeds of fir and spruce trees to replenish the depleted forests of Austria. One thousand pounds were wanted, but these were all that were gathered. About 600 sacks of cones were picked from young trees, from which the seeds were carefully taken. Between 200 and 300 pounds of seeds were sifted from the whole bulk that did not promise, only the very best being sent across the sea. Oregon fir and spruce are growing on thousands of acres of territory in Germany and Austria that had been denuded of trees. Mr. Miller has been gathering seeds of these trees for several years. 1-Ie says that the fir is the most popular tree and the seeds are eagerly sought for, the demand being greater than can be supplied.—Portland Oregonian.
Sale of the Oregon Fair Buildings.— Persons represented by Lafe Pence have purchased the buildings erected by the Oregon State commission at the Lewis and Clark Fair grounds for $3,500. The lumber will be shipped to the interior of the State, where it will be sold or used in making irrigation sluices. The buildings include the Administration, Oriental Exhibits, Foreign Exhibits, Agricultural and Liberal Arts Buildings, the Auditorium and several smaller buildings. The structures cost about $300,000.—Exchange.
Model for Hanna Statue Finished.—A plaster-of-Paris model of the statue of the late Senator M. A. Hanna has been completed by Augustus St. Gaudens, sculptor. The final cost of the work is estimated at
$65,000, which has been raised. The statue is to be placed in Cleveland.—Exchange.
BUILDING NEWS.
(The editors greatly desire to receive information from the smaller and outlying towns as well as from the larger cities.)
Albion, N. Y.—It is reported that a new $75,000 school building is under consideration for this city. Albert C. Burrows is Chn. Com.
Albany, N. Y.—Sealed proposals will be received by L. E. Welch, County School Commissioner of Dougherty County, up to noon of the 2d day of February, 1906, for the erection of a high school building, according to the plans and specifications of Bruce & Everett, architects. Address County Commissioner.
Allegheny, Pa.—Architects Thomas W. Boyd & Co., House Bldg., Pittsburgh, have plans for a 5-story brick apartment house at Termon and Fleming Aves., Allegheny, Pa. Cost, $75,000. Owner’s name withheld, l
Architects Bilquist & Lee, Stevenson Bldg., Pittsburgh, will take bids about Jan. 23 on the erection of the 6-story brick and stone building of the Presbyterian Hospital at Sherman and Montgomery Aves., Allegheny. Cost, $100,000.
L.
Allentown, Pa.—Plans are in progress for remodeling the Academy of Music at this place. A. E. Westover, Keith Bldg., Philadelphia, is architect. Cost, $75,000.
Argenta, Ark.—Bids are asked by Robert R. Stevens, Ch. Q. M., until noon, Jan. 26, for installing plumbing, heating and electric wiring at Fort Logan.
Ambler, Pa.—Horace Trumbauer, Philadelphia, has completed plans for a $50,000 residence and stable at Ambler, for Dr. Norton Downs. The house will be 3 stories high, 182x70 feet; the stable 2 stories high, 165x77 feet.
Avalon, Pa.—The Avalon Bank will have plans prepared for a 3-story brick and stone bank and office building. Address president of the bank.
L.
Avondale (Cincinnati P. O.), O.—John C. Hollingsworth, it is reported, has secured a site on Reading Road and Hickman St., and will erect a $200,000 apartment house.
Avondale, O.—Bids will be opened about Jan. 29 for a 3-story school building, 196x 235 feet, to be erected here for the Board of Education, 910 Main St., Cincinnati, O. E. H. Dornette, Cincinnati, O., architect. Cost, $200,000.
Bakersfield, Cal.—-It is reported that plans are being prepared for a 10-room high school, estimated to cost $50,000.
Birmingham, Ala.—Empire Construction Co., recently incorporated with Ross C. Smith, president, has purchased site on which to erect a 15-story office building.
The Lauderdale College at North Birmingham will be rebuilt at once. W. L. Lauderdale, professor. Cost, $100,000.
Baltimore, Md.—Frederick T. Dorton, Maryland Life Bldg., and Edwin W. Herrmann. 1425 West Lexington St., representing the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, have purchased a lot on Madison Ave., near Bloom St., for the erection of church, parsonage and parish house; architect not as yet selected.
Welsh Slate Industry.—Consul Williams, of- Cardiff, furnishes the following report on the slate industry of Wales:
“The depression in the slate industry of Wales, which has continued for many months, is becoming severe. Stocks amounting to thousands of tons have accumulated at Port Penrhyn and Port Maaoc, and many of the slaters have gone elsewhere to seek steadier employment. The men had been anticipating a reduction of wages, and when the manager of the Penrhyn quarries announced a reduction of 10 per cent., to take effect January 1, 1906, no one was surprised. The loss in wages will amount to about $100,000, and will affect fully 4,000 men, or nearly one third of the slaters in the United Kingdom. The number in the Kingdom in 1904 was 12,265, but the great majority were employed in Carnarvon, Merioneth, and Denbigh shires in North Wales. The town most affected will be Bangor.
The slate output of Wales for 1904 amounted to 427,730 tons, valued at $6,991,- 072.77. Three-fifths of this output was mined in open quarries in Carnarvonshire, and nearly two-fifths from mines in Merionethshire. The largest quarries are the Penrhyn, near Bangor, where the reduction has been announced, and the Dinorwic, near Carnarvon. The largest slate mine, which had an output of 49,192 tons m 1904, is near Festiniog. Most of the slate finds a market in Great Britain, as the exports amounted to only 29,357 tons, of which 25,- 181 tons were exported from the port of Carnarvon. The total output of slates in the United Kingdom in 1904 was 563,170 tons. This was an increase over 1903, but it was more than 100,000 tons short of the output in 1898, when the high-water mark was reached. The industry nas never recovered from the effect of the strike of several years ago. French slate then entered the British market, and it has retained a hold to this day. This combined competition, with the present depression in the building trade, accounts for the dull market for the Welsh slate. The cost of production is, perhaps, another element to be considered, for the French slaters receive lower wages than the Welsh.
Away with the Old.—“But as it is in London so it is also in every town in England,” says Mr. L. N. Parker, in a paper on “Pageants,” recently read before the Society of Arts. “In each of them there is a small handful of men who value the town’s treasures, who are steeped in its history and its traditions, but, beyond that handful, the vast majority of the inhabitants never let these matters bother them. Until quite recently the ancient buildings in a town were considered unsightly nuisances, to be swept away, just as the magnificent old furniture of our forefathers was consigned to the lumber-room. I could sit down and cry when I think of the lovely and venerable things the first half of the
nineteenth century sent to limbo. I could cry when I think how the clergy were let loose in the land to play havoc among the lovely and venerable churches in their charge. I could cry when 1 think of the lovely old houses, old manor-houses, moated granges, timbered mansions, ruthlessly torn down to make room for this desirable residence and those commodious premises. Think of what Park Lane was, and realize what it is! Think of the High street, Kensington, of no more than ten years ago, and,see it now! When you find yourself in some quiet country town which went to sleep when the stage-coaches died and has not yet been disturbed by motors, and amidst Queen Anne mansions, Elizabethan mansions, stately Georgian mansions, halftimbered mansions, you are suddenly confronted with the latest steel-frame six or seven storied emporium, the basement of which is all plate-glass and ginger-bread, covered with horrible advertisements of monstrous comestibles, quack nostrums, foods for the fat, pale pills for pink people, all labeled with hideous outrages on the English language in the shape of new words—clenol for a soap, quicklite for a match, ritefast for an ink—you do realize that here is a ghastly thing which kills and murders the beauties of its surroundings, which ought to be torn down, burnt, trodden under foot. Yes, you realize it, but the inhabitants of the town in which it stands do not. They are proud of it, for it is a symptom that their town is moving with the times. They feel that London has no longer the monopoly of great establishments.”
Oregon Trees in Austria.—A. F. Miller, of Sellwood, lately made a shipment of 750 pounds of the seeds of fir and spruce trees to replenish the depleted forests of Austria. One thousand pounds were wanted, but these were all that were gathered. About 600 sacks of cones were picked from young trees, from which the seeds were carefully taken. Between 200 and 300 pounds of seeds were sifted from the whole bulk that did not promise, only the very best being sent across the sea. Oregon fir and spruce are growing on thousands of acres of territory in Germany and Austria that had been denuded of trees. Mr. Miller has been gathering seeds of these trees for several years. 1-Ie says that the fir is the most popular tree and the seeds are eagerly sought for, the demand being greater than can be supplied.—Portland Oregonian.
Sale of the Oregon Fair Buildings.— Persons represented by Lafe Pence have purchased the buildings erected by the Oregon State commission at the Lewis and Clark Fair grounds for $3,500. The lumber will be shipped to the interior of the State, where it will be sold or used in making irrigation sluices. The buildings include the Administration, Oriental Exhibits, Foreign Exhibits, Agricultural and Liberal Arts Buildings, the Auditorium and several smaller buildings. The structures cost about $300,000.—Exchange.
Model for Hanna Statue Finished.—A plaster-of-Paris model of the statue of the late Senator M. A. Hanna has been completed by Augustus St. Gaudens, sculptor. The final cost of the work is estimated at
$65,000, which has been raised. The statue is to be placed in Cleveland.—Exchange.
BUILDING NEWS.
(The editors greatly desire to receive information from the smaller and outlying towns as well as from the larger cities.)
Albion, N. Y.—It is reported that a new $75,000 school building is under consideration for this city. Albert C. Burrows is Chn. Com.
Albany, N. Y.—Sealed proposals will be received by L. E. Welch, County School Commissioner of Dougherty County, up to noon of the 2d day of February, 1906, for the erection of a high school building, according to the plans and specifications of Bruce & Everett, architects. Address County Commissioner.
Allegheny, Pa.—Architects Thomas W. Boyd & Co., House Bldg., Pittsburgh, have plans for a 5-story brick apartment house at Termon and Fleming Aves., Allegheny, Pa. Cost, $75,000. Owner’s name withheld, l
Architects Bilquist & Lee, Stevenson Bldg., Pittsburgh, will take bids about Jan. 23 on the erection of the 6-story brick and stone building of the Presbyterian Hospital at Sherman and Montgomery Aves., Allegheny. Cost, $100,000.
L.
Allentown, Pa.—Plans are in progress for remodeling the Academy of Music at this place. A. E. Westover, Keith Bldg., Philadelphia, is architect. Cost, $75,000.
Argenta, Ark.—Bids are asked by Robert R. Stevens, Ch. Q. M., until noon, Jan. 26, for installing plumbing, heating and electric wiring at Fort Logan.
Ambler, Pa.—Horace Trumbauer, Philadelphia, has completed plans for a $50,000 residence and stable at Ambler, for Dr. Norton Downs. The house will be 3 stories high, 182x70 feet; the stable 2 stories high, 165x77 feet.
Avalon, Pa.—The Avalon Bank will have plans prepared for a 3-story brick and stone bank and office building. Address president of the bank.
L.
Avondale (Cincinnati P. O.), O.—John C. Hollingsworth, it is reported, has secured a site on Reading Road and Hickman St., and will erect a $200,000 apartment house.
Avondale, O.—Bids will be opened about Jan. 29 for a 3-story school building, 196x 235 feet, to be erected here for the Board of Education, 910 Main St., Cincinnati, O. E. H. Dornette, Cincinnati, O., architect. Cost, $200,000.
Bakersfield, Cal.—-It is reported that plans are being prepared for a 10-room high school, estimated to cost $50,000.
Birmingham, Ala.—Empire Construction Co., recently incorporated with Ross C. Smith, president, has purchased site on which to erect a 15-story office building.
The Lauderdale College at North Birmingham will be rebuilt at once. W. L. Lauderdale, professor. Cost, $100,000.
Baltimore, Md.—Frederick T. Dorton, Maryland Life Bldg., and Edwin W. Herrmann. 1425 West Lexington St., representing the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, have purchased a lot on Madison Ave., near Bloom St., for the erection of church, parsonage and parish house; architect not as yet selected.