The Evening Star MONDAY, JULY 12, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3863, 12 July 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star MONDAY, JULY 12, 1875.

We have received from the Government printer a reprint of an article from the London * Times' of April 12tb, describing a process of ventilation invented and patented by a Mr Tobin. We gather from the fact of its being circulated by the Government that subject is considered of national importance, and that the information is disseminated as a discovery ! calculated to be eminently useful to the public. As Mr Tobin has patented his plan, and as it appears to have been tried and found successful in Leeds in the City Council Hall, the « Mercury' office, the Liverpool Police Court, St. George's Hospital, London, and other places, the plan seems likely to find general acceptance. We do not know sufficient of the patent law of England to say -whether a royalty could be claimed by Mr Tobin for adoption of the system in the Colonies. Most probably it could; and therefore, lest any claim of the sort should be set up, it becomes our duty to state that the principle, with very important improvements, has been known and practised in one instance in Victoria seventeen or eighteen years ago, and in several instances in Dunedin within the last three years. Priority of invention therefore must operate as a bar to the claim of any patent right here. The plan has not been patented in the Colonies, but is a free gift to the public by the inventor, who considers it now a duty to secure it to them by establishing his prior claim to that of Mr Tobin by placing on record the history of its adoption. About eighteen years ago a congregation of Independents worshipped in a small church at Kew, near Melbourne, under *

the pastoral care of the Rev. R. Oonnebee, an able minister, sometime afterwards resident in Dunedin. The church was a small buildiDg, capable of seating about 150 people, or, in case of crowding, 200. It was only about 12 feet high to the eaves, 'built of brick, and plastered inside, the ceiling being partially raised by the ceilingjoists being fixed to the rafters about three feet above the height of the There was one door at the end opposite the pulpit, three side-windows, and in the ceiling the architect's ventilating apparatus—an opening about two feet long by fourteen or fifteen inches wide, covered with perforated zinc, and with no outlet through the roof. It needs no description to lead our readers to imagine the discomfort consequent upon a crowded congregation gathering together in such a place, especially in a warm climate like that of Victoria. Attempt after attempt was made to introduce fresh air by usual and unusual expedients. The windows were opened, then the lower sashes were [ thrown back and lids provided; but instead of curing the evil they only made it worse, for when opened cold t air poured into the heated apartment like a torrent. The discomfort prevented many from worshipping there, and at the same time increasing interest in the services rendered enlargement of . the church a necessity. It was deter- , mined to add another structure to the old one identical in form and dimen--1 sions, and Mr Bell, the proprietor of - this journal, then resident in Kew, was asked by the minister and congregation to undertake the contract. Although not at all in his line of business, early education and employment in calculation of building contracts had, however, prepared him for such a work, and he consented, making it a sine qud non that he should not be interfered with in the matter of ventilation. Prior to deciding upon his plan, he had noted ( well the causes of failure of previous ' efforts, and had instituted a series of experiments, besides carefully investi- , gating every plau in Melbourne and the ■ neighborhood that was pronounced more than usually effective. Some were expensive, some simple, but wrong in principle; none realised -what Mr ~ Tobin and Mr Bell claim to have i secured, viz., the means of obtaining a [ full supply of pure air without draught. The new part was built and ventilation provided for after the following fashion, the principle being identical with that laid down by Mr Tobin, that the pressure of air outside a building is greater than the warmei air within, and that, therefore, free admission of • fresh air from below causes the heated and vitiated air to rise to the upper parts of an apartment. Below the flooring joists, ventilating bricks—iron gratings of the form and size of a brick —were built into the walls at distances of 6ft apart; and in the floor, on each side of the aisle, five openings each lin wide were left from end to end of the building. In the ceiling an opening on each side was left, extending also from end to end, with large octagonal openings above the chande- > liers. These were covered with perforated zinc, and, being ornamented with , beading, presented a handsome appear- ; ance. The space between the ceiling and the slates was thus converted into a hot-air chamber, and in order to allow its escape, the slates were left short of the ridge on each side about two inches, ; and the saddle-boards raised an inch from the slates by blocks. There l was thus an inch opening for the escape of foul air the whole length of the building on each side of • the roof. The plan succeeded admirably. So perfect was the venti- , lation that the builder remarked " not even the smell of paint was ft-lt." Like ■ all new plans, its usefulness had been } neaily destroyed by a whim of the pastor. Without a word to the contractor, he one day had his pulpit removed from the spot intended for its position by all the arrange- ■ ments, io one at right angles i to it; thus rendering it necessary to bring all the seats across the openings for admission of air. Very little inconvenience resulted. A few ladies, not knowing what they were about, placed mats beneath their feet, but as by closing the openings on the side opposite the wind air could be received from the Ice : side of the building, a congregation numbering betwoeu 400 and 500 used to worship weekly in comfort. When the little church was supersftued by a move imposing Gothic • structure, it was u.s;-(l as a Denominational School, and nearly the m--istor's first work was to stop up the openings in : the floor, lest the children should amuse themselves by dropping their \ pencils and pens down them. As no - effort was made to bring the system i into notice in Victoria, we are not 1 aware that any other building was ( ventilated on the same plan. In our j next we purpose showing that Dunedin, i and consequently New Zealand, have < better claim to exemption from royalty ( than Victoria, through a more extended I use of it. r