The mode of fixing the squares of glass was this: a sash-bar having been
nailed down between the ridge and the gutter, the workman inserted one long
edge of a square of glass into the groove in the sash-bar, he then placed a
loose bar against the other long edge of the glass and brought the whole
down to bear upon the ridge and gutter, the second sash-bar fitting into
the notches prepared for it; the glass was then pressed up a little, in
order to insert its upper edge into the groove in the ridge, and the
workman then filled in the grooves on the outside of the glass with putty,
the lower edge of the glass having been also bedded on putty where it bears
on the edge of the gutter. The ends of each sash-bar were fixed with a nail
driven into the holes previously drilled.
Stage for Repairing Glass.
As it might naturally be expected that out of the thousands of panes of
glass employed, particularly in the flat roof of the building, many would
be broken in the course of the works, subsequently to their being fixed, it
was necessary that a ready means should be devised for repairing any such
damage, as the glazing-waggons used for the first execution of the work
would not be available for that purpose. A light stage was therefore
constructed, travelling with wooden wheels upon the ridges instead of in
the gutters; and from this the men were able to perform their work without
walking along the narrow gutters, which would have been attended with much
risk. This stage was also used for fixing the canvass on the outside of the
roofing, where it is nailed along the ridges, and allowed to bag down
slightly between them. The object of the canvass, which covers externally
the whole of the roof except the transept, is twofold: it preserves the
glass from damage, and also protects the objects exhibited from the direct
rays of the sun, which would, of course, in many instances, be very
prejudicial; for the latter purpose the upright sashes on the south side
are also covered with canvass on the inside.
Hoisting the Ribs for Transept Roof.
One of the most interesting operations which attracted the attention of the
numerous visitors to the works was the raising the ribs for the
semicircular roof of the transept, the description of which we give from
Mr. Wyatt's paper:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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