THE DESTRUCTOR.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11098, 17 October 1901, Page 3

THE DESTRUCTOR.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE Sir.—l fchink there is a saying to the effect that when •the case is lost abuse the counsel. This may be Cr- Gray's excuse for descending to questionable personalities, and if so, he is we'.coene to it. It is quite true that I have made mistakes (I do, not remember the case of any engineer who has not), but they were made largely at my own expense, and if Cr- Gray and Co. "will refund to the city the same proportion of the cost of their municipal blunders they are welcome to their experiments'. I certainly proposed to alter the site of the chimney and pat it inside the future building, but expressly stated that the foundations should be kept separate, not that a common foundation need be a necessary -weakness, or we should have seen the Cathedral tower and the adjoining wall part company, as tha tower is to the- church whet the' chimney is to the building. Cγ. Gray now ra'ls back on a bock by Colonel Moore (or to use his style of description, "Some,one named Moore"), whose remarks on chimney shafts are quite to the <pomt, w&eri no forced draught is provided, which is not our case. 1 Under the present circumstances they are about as relevant as they would be if applied to a locomotive, which produces a thousand hwse power wit-h a chimney less tfoan three feet high. But Colonel Mocre.writes a-s follows: — "Generally, a much less height than "100 ft ■ cannot" ba recommended for boiler chimneys," which surely means that in many cases a less height, Jay SOft will do, though sometimes 100 ft is better; either of these heights would do for Christchurch. The Gtty. and Suburban Burgesses' Association have courteously asked mc to state my views on the destructor question at their meeting to-morr*w (Thursday)'night., I have the more gladly consented to do so as I understand Cr. Gray will also be tli?re to explain his theories on the same subject.—Yours, etc., " K. M. MACDONALD.