The final Stage in stabilising the great dome of St. Paul's and consolidating 25 22?**''* K how °«in* approached. It was Wren's intention that the 23,000 ton* of the dome structures should be spread throughout the eight mam piers, but their inferior filling of rubble defeated this by disintegrating under the vast compression. As shown in the drawing above, cracks "!?Plr b**w^en the ""»«*■ »»d outer drums, the latter becoming practically an independent structure. The radial buttresses were therefore deprived off their function. The weight has in consequence been borne -LJ-7' th* mner. ed*« of *« P«rs. The work off grouting and reinforcing these into homogeneous masse* was completed last year. The inner and outer drums are now being bound together by the system of tie-bars depicted above. Then will come the insertion of the great rustless steel chain; which has been made at Sheffield, to complete the scheme, thus realising: Wren's intention practically for the first time and preserving his masterpiece for all time. The drums are found to have bulged out of the circular over the four greater arches, and this disastrous tendency will also be checked. There is no distortion at Wren's chain, which thus still functions perfectly. The new chain has thirty links of alternately three bars and two-and-a-half bars. The total length is 441 ft 3in and weight 30 tons.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 225, 22 September 1928, Page 1 (Supplement)

The final Stage in stabilising the great dome of St. Paul's and consolidating 25 22?**''* K how °« in * approached. It was Wren's intention that the 23,000 ton* of the dome structures should be spread throughout the eight mam piers, but their inferior filling of rubble defeated this by disintegrating under the vast compression. As shown in the drawing above, cracks "!? P lr b ** w^ en the ""»«*■ »»d outer drums, the latter becoming practically an independent structure. The radial buttresses were therefore deprived off their function. The weight has in consequence been borne -LJ- 7 ' th * mner . ed *« of *« P«rs. The work off grouting and reinforcing these into homogeneous masse* was completed last year.

The inner and outer drums are now being bound together by the system of tie-bars depicted above. Then will come the insertion of the great rustless steel chain; which has been made at Sheffield, to complete the scheme, thus realising: Wren's intention practically for the first time and preserving his masterpiece for all time. The drums are found to have bulged out of the circular over the four greater arches, and this disastrous tendency will also be checked. There is no distortion at Wren's chain, which thus still functions perfectly. The new chain has thirty links of alternately three bars and two-and-a-half bars. The total length is 441 ft 3in and weight 30 tons.