DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1327#0038
THE CRYSTAL PALACE AND ITS CONTENTS.
sioncrs, tho Exhibition of Industry of all Nations would never have token
pin cc.
■ "Povhaps tlio most difficult and hazardous, and certainly the most inte-
resting portion of the work, was raising
the sixteen ribs of the transept to their
places. A month was the shortest time
assigned by any one for this operation.
We commenced on tho Jth of Bee.,
and succeeded in raising two in the
course of that day.
"Two more were safely deposited in
their places in the presence of his Royal
Highness Prince Albert on the follow-
ing day, and the last pair on December
the 12th; so that the sixteen ribswere
all placed in eight working days.
"As tho Building progressed, I was
assailed on all sides, nob only by un-
professional persons, but by men of
high scientific attainments, who, not-
withstanding tho careful calculations
which had been made, and the satis-
factory proofs to which all the im-
portant parts wore individually sub-
jected, as soon as these parts were put
together, producing a structure of
unparalleled lightness, doubted tho
possibility of possessing, as a whole,
that strength which was necessary to
make it safe against the many trying
influences to which it must necessarily
bo subjected.
"One gentleman, after compliment-
ing me upon the beautiful appearance
of the Building, stated his belief that
it would never come down unless it
tumbled
that the
Another
down, and which ho bad no doubt, in his own mind, it would; or
first gust of wind would blow it down like a pack of cards.
holding a high scientific appointment under Government, after'a
long investigation of the various parte
of the Building, expressed at tho
Institution of Civil Engineers, a belief
in the entire want of' safety in fa
construction ; and after explaining tile
mode of connecting tho girders with
the columns by means of projection!
technically called snugs, went on to
indulge in an airy prophecy that a
wind exerting a force equal to 10 lbs.
per superficial foot would bring such
a strain upon these snugs as to break
them all off, and cause them to fall
down iu showers. I may just remark, '
that, since the expression of this
opinion the wind-gauges around Lon-
don have registered, in the late storms,
upwards of 20 lbs. per foot; and I .
have pleasure in informing you that
the encouraging predictions of this
gentleman, as well as those of many
others, liavo not been fulfilled.
'■In fact, statements of this kind
were so frequent and pointed, that we
were often seriously advised to reply
to them; but fe.uuigconlidciitwewcre .
right, and that we should succeed in
all we had undertaken, and that the
more people spoke against us the more
complete would be the reaction in our
favour, wo abstained from taking any
notice of what was said, leaving the pub-
lic to judge of the matter by the result,"
-" - ■■-. ^^^SB^Sia-
sioncrs, tho Exhibition of Industry of all Nations would never have token
pin cc.
■ "Povhaps tlio most difficult and hazardous, and certainly the most inte-
resting portion of the work, was raising
the sixteen ribs of the transept to their
places. A month was the shortest time
assigned by any one for this operation.
We commenced on tho Jth of Bee.,
and succeeded in raising two in the
course of that day.
"Two more were safely deposited in
their places in the presence of his Royal
Highness Prince Albert on the follow-
ing day, and the last pair on December
the 12th; so that the sixteen ribswere
all placed in eight working days.
"As tho Building progressed, I was
assailed on all sides, nob only by un-
professional persons, but by men of
high scientific attainments, who, not-
withstanding tho careful calculations
which had been made, and the satis-
factory proofs to which all the im-
portant parts wore individually sub-
jected, as soon as these parts were put
together, producing a structure of
unparalleled lightness, doubted tho
possibility of possessing, as a whole,
that strength which was necessary to
make it safe against the many trying
influences to which it must necessarily
bo subjected.
"One gentleman, after compliment-
ing me upon the beautiful appearance
of the Building, stated his belief that
it would never come down unless it
tumbled
that the
Another
down, and which ho bad no doubt, in his own mind, it would; or
first gust of wind would blow it down like a pack of cards.
holding a high scientific appointment under Government, after'a
long investigation of the various parte
of the Building, expressed at tho
Institution of Civil Engineers, a belief
in the entire want of' safety in fa
construction ; and after explaining tile
mode of connecting tho girders with
the columns by means of projection!
technically called snugs, went on to
indulge in an airy prophecy that a
wind exerting a force equal to 10 lbs.
per superficial foot would bring such
a strain upon these snugs as to break
them all off, and cause them to fall
down iu showers. I may just remark, '
that, since the expression of this
opinion the wind-gauges around Lon-
don have registered, in the late storms,
upwards of 20 lbs. per foot; and I .
have pleasure in informing you that
the encouraging predictions of this
gentleman, as well as those of many
others, liavo not been fulfilled.
'■In fact, statements of this kind
were so frequent and pointed, that we
were often seriously advised to reply
to them; but fe.uuigconlidciitwewcre .
right, and that we should succeed in
all we had undertaken, and that the
more people spoke against us the more
complete would be the reaction in our
favour, wo abstained from taking any
notice of what was said, leaving the pub-
lic to judge of the matter by the result,"
-" - ■■-. ^^^SB^Sia-