| Show St Pauls in in Peril of Collapse The Tl e condition of St Pauls cathedral la ts eminently l unsatisfactory The Dully Mirror Minor London has hns fre Ire frequently published articles showing that the cracks and fissures which occur generally the th structure ture turo constitute a danger not only to the cathedral but to the public The Tho foundations of time the great grent edt edi edifice fice are aro Insecure the time building may mn last for years yearn or it may fall fail like Ilke a o apack pack of cards curds tomorrow Many of its towers are out of plumb to an 1111 extent alarming to the tho mind ot pf en The Time great grent dome supported by b cracked pillars and but buttresses buttresses tresses In a u condition which would be he condemned by any ony ordinary borough council surveyor is a n constant menace to the tho safety of the people who wor won worship worship ship beneath its majestic roof A J 1 Barry the engineer appointed by b the th denn dean timid and capter captor to inquire In Into Into into to the condition of or the cathedral was interviewed by the Dall Mirror Minor yes yesterday He explained in detail tho the reason for or the existence of tho the cracks and end fissures and the tho curious and buildings The rime cathedral said suld Mr Barry Is for the most part built on potters pollera clay When Wren ren started on his work he found that toward the tho cast east of or the time site the potters clay has been removed and ordinary rubbish substituted This rubbish was of course an all impossible foundation So the time eat east end of ot the structure Is III built buill on London clay and rests on n ti a foundation lower than the of the cathedral it tt Is ls significant that In this portion of time the building there Is no sign signor of or weakness The rest of the mighty structure Is founded on potters clay Even Evon the dome heaviest part ot or tho the building rests on this foundation Be De Beneath neath the potters p clay cIa there theno Is a strata of gravel gravell below this is the London clay cla Gravel oravel of ot course is III Water Vater percolates through this strata of gravel and end as II the gravel contains or releases time the water M so is the time den density sity sIt of time the strata affected When you Oll remember that the great weight eight of the time cathedral building is supported by the clay which lies Ues above this gravel It can easily be understood that such a weight must be affected by density of the strata below time the foundation pillars pors Of course course continued Mr Ir Barry Darry time the weight of the cathedral Is un tin unevenly evenly distributed th The dome donte and the towers mire are heavier than han the body of the building All rest on the time some foundation The Al alternating condi conditions of thet gravel now waterlog waterlogged waterlogged ged tons now 01 dry tend to give ghe the build buildIng of unstable equilibrium um urn Ing lug a condition Various parts of the tho structure set settle sette the tle because though resting nesting on tho the same te foundation they differ diner In weight from other parts As witness partle particularly time the dome and und the time west towers Mr Mn r Barry would not commit him himself self to a 11 statement as an n to whether the cathedral Is lu safe or unsafe It Is no use indulging in theories I We 0 are going to put the matter later to n a practical test We e havo recommended that metal disks dIak should be placed In Inthe inthe the pillars in the time crypt and anil elsewhere and by accurate measurement we shall be able to determine whether 01 cm not the building Is stable Tho Thu fact remains that serious senius sub have occurred St Pauls cathedral raIls is hi built buit on a 0 shifting foun bait foundation foundation dation The buttresses and pillars liae hae not yet been strained to breaking point No one knows no one can cnn know how h far they ore arc oft off or breaking point There is only one way wn of insuring the tIme soundness of the tIme great reat edifice The Time foundation Inundation must bo be carried down through the time potters poter cloy clai ca and amid the time gravel to the tho London clay ca cia A costly and amid lengthy length business but one otis which must be curried carried CIrl d out omit ont Tho Time great cathedral which cost to build la Is i insured for Its Is fire lre appliances are Ire are ludl ludi y inadequate its ito La management Is vested In iii time the dean deun and atmil chapter and the dean deall and und chapter a body bod com coin comparatively speaking entirely without resources the problem endeavor to grapple with wih |
