CENTRAL SCHOOL OF ARTS AND CRAFTS

CENTRAL SCHOOL OF ARTS AND CRAFTSSource: Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, Vol. 56, No. 2914 (SEPTEMBER 25, 1908), pp.962-963Published by: Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and CommerceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41338038 .

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gô 2 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS. September 25, 1908.

body attached to a spring of any sort is dis- placed and let go with or without a push. Thus, for example, if the centre of an elastic string, such as a piano string, were plucked aside and let go, its centre or belly would describe an ellipse, in which the motion would be as above described. The shape of the ellipse would depend on the nature of the im- pulse. It might be very narrow, and almost a mere line, or it might be nearly or quite a circle. But the law of vibration is always the same, the circular motion as we have seen looked at sideways appears linear. The time of vibration (on which the pitch of the musical note produced depends) would remain con- stant, depending on the acceleration produced towards the position of rest by the elasticity of the spring. The amplitude of the vibrations would, however, diminish by reason of the friction of the air, and the communication to the air of the motion of the string. As the amplitude diminished, the strength of the im- pulses given to the air would diminish, and the loudness of the sound would decrease and die away, but the periodicity of the impulses would remain unchanged, and therefore the pitch would remain always the same. This property of the motion has caused it to be termed " harmonic." And, inasmuch as the vibrations of waves of light, electricity, air, and, in fact, all vibrations depending on elas- ticity, or elastic bodies, are harmonic, we can easily see why light as it fades away still retains the same colour, for the colour depends on the vibrations of a medium whose elasticity remains constant.

The theory of harmonic vibrations is the foundation of the theory of the pendulum and of the balance wheel, and unlocks the largest part of the problems of physical motions.

( To be continued ) Errata.- - In the appendix to the first part,

please read on page 933, first column, 1 centi- metre *39370113 inches. In second column, for - 256 C., read - 273o С. And under the density column, opposite invar, please read, 8*i, which figure has been supplied through the kindness of M. Guillaume, the distinguished Assistant Director of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, at Paris, who also observes that the figure of delata- tion for steel is put rather high, and that though it is correct for soft steel, yet for hard steel the co-efficient descends even to -0000105. The delatation figure of iron he considers as larger than that of steel. There is, in fact, no doubt that the delatation figures vary considerably, and that the со- efficient ought to be measured in every case, for a pendulum of precision.

CENTRAL SCHOOL OF ARTS AND CRAFTS.

The Central School of Arts and Crafts was esta- blished by the Technical Education Board in 1896, in temporary premises in 316, Regent-street, W., and Little Portland-street. By 1898 the number of students had so increased that the capàcity of the temporary premises was fully taxed and there was no room for any extension of the work. To meet the demand, additional premises were rented in the neigh- bourhood. In the meantime the search for more suitable premises continued, and ultimately the Council resolved to appropriate the present site in Southampton -row. Mr. W. E. Riley, F.R.I.B. A., has been the

superintending architect of the building and the work has been carried out from his designs and under his direction. The site, which is irregular in shape, has a frontage

to Southampton -row of 106 feet 9 inches, and to Theobald's-road and. Paxton-street of 106 feet 6- inches, and it has been necessary to cover practically the whole ground to give the required accommodation. The building contains a basement and six other storeys, which together give a floor space of about 74,000 square feet ; it contains in all 70 rooms, viz.,. 42 class-rooms or workshops, a large central hall, common rooms, administrative offices and staff rooms.

In the basement are the rooms for the heavy work, comprising lead work, stonework, ironwork, metal- casting, &c., the principal lavatory for the students, and the boilers for the heating system, which is common to this building and to the training college.

On the ground floor are the administrative offices, staff rooms, common rooms for the students, class rooms for architecture and wood-carving, and the central hall, which is lighted by a dome. A lecture theatre to accommodate 300 is situated

on the corresponding floor in the training college^; it is directly accessible Nfrom the school, and is intended to be used jointly by both departments.

On the first floor are the class rooms and workshops for goldsmiths' and silversmiths' work and allied crafts, including chasing and repoussé, modellings engraving and die- sinking. On the second floor are the class rooms for the arts-

and crafts in connection with book production, namely, illuminating, typography, lithography, wood engrav- ing and bookbinding.

On the third floor are the rooms devoted to the arts and crafts connected with cabinet work and furniture, namely, drawing and design, cabinet making, polishing and upholstery. On the fourth and fifth floors are the studios, class

rooms and workshops, which require special considera- tion in their lighting, viz., those for life drawing,, painting, modelling, stained glass, decorative plaster, embroidery, and weaving. Accommodation is provided for about 900 students

at one- time. Special arrangements háve been made for adequate means of escape in case of fire, and the

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September 25> 1908. JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS. 963

general construction of the building is fire -resisting throughout. The general height of the class rooms, from floor to

ceiling, is 13 feet ; that of the central hall is 23 feet to the underside of the dome. The height of the building from the street to the top of the cornice is 75 feet 6 inches, and 87 feet b inches to the ridge of the roof. The façades to the streets are of Cornish granite

from the Colcerrow quarries and Portland stone. The entrance and central hall are paved with Hopton wood stone.

The building has been designed, conjointly with the adjoining training college, in a plain and substan- tial manner with the intention of giving expression to the purposes for which it is used. The work of erecting the building has been carried

out by the Works Committee of the Council under the immediate direction of Mr. G. W. Humphreys, the Council's manager of works. The work in connection with the heating and

electrical equipment has been carried out under the supervision of Mr. Maurice Fitzmaurice, C.M.G., the Council's chief engineer.

The electrical energy for both lighting and power purposes in this building is supplied by means of two distinct services, and in the event of failure of either of these, an automatic switch will bring the other into use. Inverted arc lamps have been largely installed and incandescent lamps, where used, are of metallic filament type. Electrical energy also drives the two large exhaust fans which deal with the ventilation of the building and a goods lift for serving each floor. Fire alarms have been fitted throughout the building and a system of electric clocks is provided for the principal rooms. Provision is also made in some of the class-rooms for the use of electrical power for the purpose of driving mechanical tools, heating small furnaces, &c.

Special consideration has been given to heating and ventilation, the heating apparatus consisting of radia- tors heated by low pressure steam on the vacuum system, fresh air being taken in through the outer walls and warmed before entering the rooms. Each radiator is separately controlled. The steam is raised by two large multi-tubular boilers, of the Cornish type, placed in the basement.

The equipment of the building, other than perma- nent fittings, has been selected by Mr. R. Blair, M.A., the Council's Executive Officer. The work of the school in assisting students

engaged in the typical London artistic crafts will in the future, as in the past, mainly be carried on in evening classes. During the day, however, classes have for some time existed for the benefit of students who were able to attend. These will now be further developed, and, in addition, the classes for many years carried on at Queen-square under the title of the Royal Female School of Art will be incorporated with the Central School, while the Day Technical School for Boys pieparatory to the Silversmiths' and

allied trades, started two years ago, will be ex- tended, and similar day schodls may probably be formed in connection with other departments. The school is under the direction of Professor W-

R. Lethaby. Prospectus and all particulars can be had on application to the Secretary, London County Council Central School of Arts and Crafts, South- ampton-row, W.C.

THE UTILISATION OF PEAT *

The much-discussed subject of the utilisation of peat has during the last few years been revived,, owing to developments in gas producers and in gasr engines, and at the moment it is of considerable interest in Ireland in connection with the Bill which has been promoted in Parliament to obtain powers to produce gas from peat, to use this gas for making electricity by means of gas engines and dynamos, and1 to distribute electric power to works which will pro- bably be established in the immediate neighbourhood of the power station and throughout a certain pre- scribed district. It is proposed to put the power station alongside the Grand Canal, not far from- Robertstown, about twenty-five miles from Dublin.

Previous attemtps to utilise peat for power failed because they were based on drying the peat, so as to contain no more than 25 per cent, of water, and in some cases the expense of " briquetting " was in- curred ; the peat was then transported to the place where power was required and burnt in boilers fitted with specially designed furnaces. Such peat could not compete with coal ; moreover the valuable by-products- were not recovered.

In the proposed scheme the peat will only be par- tially dried- that is, will still contain 60 per cent, of water ; it will be used on the spot to make gas, so as- get the benefit of the great thermal efficiency of gas engines and to save the cost of carriage. The by- products will be recovered, the profit on which will at least cover the cost of getting and drying the peat. It will be possible to supply power to works in the immediate neighbourhood of the power station as cheaply as can be done from water-power. Many of those industries which are dependent upon cheap power will undoubtedly be attracted.

Great progress has been made in Germany in the utilisation of peat. Although no complete electric power undertaking is at present working on the above lines, all the various links in the chain are separately and successfully in operation ; many of these links have been " made in Germany," why should not the complete chain be put together in Ireland ?

There are several methods of getting and drying- peat. Apparently, the most suitable, when it is desired to obtain peat nearly all the year round, is * Abstract of a paper read before the Mechanical Section

of the British Association, Dublin, 1908, by Capt. H. Riall Sänke)*, R.E. (ret.)» M.Inst.C.E.

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