The louvre-frames, which form part of the face-work in all the different
storeys, consist of a deal frame in which bent louvre-blades are hung on
pivots at each end. These blades are of galvanised iron of an [S section]
form. On the back of each blade is fixed a loop of thin iron, to which a
rack is fitted; and by these means all the blades in each frame are moved
simultaneously. A considerable number of these racks may also be connected,
so that a large area of ventilation may be regulated at once.
The Diagonal Bracing.
From the total absence in this building of any internal division-walls,
which in ordinary structures considerably add to their stability, it was
thought desirable to introduce into the construction something to
compensate for this deficiency. At several points in the length of the
building, where a continuous connexion could be established transversely,
the squares formed by the columns and girders on the different storeys have
their four corners connected by diagonal rods, seven-eighths of an inch in
diameter, having eyes at the ends, by which they are secured to the bolts
connecting the different parts of the columns. In the centre of the square
the four rods meet in a cast-iron ring, and are screwed up with nuts;
ornamental faces are fitted into the rings, so that this addition to the
construction is by no means detrimental to the general effect.
In a similar manner this diagonal bracing is introduced in a horizontal
direction immediately under the floor of some portions of the galleries; of
these there are twenty-two sets, and of those placed vertically there are,
altogether, 220 sets in the building, and the manner of their introduction
will be readily understood from the views of the interior.
The Staircases.
The double staircases, of which it has been mentioned there are eight in
the building, consist each of four flights, about eight feet wide; two
parallel ones, leading from the ground-floor to a landing, at the
half-height, and the other two branching in opposite directions from the
landing to the two galleries. The treads of the steps are made of a species
of mahogany called sabicu, which is much harder than oak, and therefore
peculiarly suited to the purpose for which it is here employed. The risers,
or faces of the steps, are of deal. The stairs are supported by cast-iron
girders, following the slope, the lower ones being fixed at the foot to
stout timbers under the flooring, and the upper ends bolted to the
cast-iron columns which support the landing. These columns are of the same
pattern as the rest throughout the building, but only five inches in
diameter. They are supported on concrete, and eight of them are required
for each staircase. The floor of the landing is carried by lesser cast-iron
girders, with flooring-joists.
[Illustration: VIEW OF STAIRCASE.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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