ST. PAUL’S.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 9 February 1925, Page 7

ST. PAUL’S.

DANGER TO' DOME

HOW IT COULD BE REMEDIED

CITY SURVEYOR’S STATEMENT.

BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT Received Feb. 9, 10.50 LONDON, Feb. 8.

John Todd, the City Corporation sur. ,-evor who was responsible for the oeclaration that St. Paul’s was a dangerous building, in an interview said that eminent men who from time to tune had reported on the building had placed all information at his disposal. After long and anxious thought, all he dul was to conclude that he mtist act under the dangerous structure clauses of the London Buildings Act. Discussing the construction of the Cathedral, he said that Sir Christopher Wren was a mathematician, astronomer, and physicist, but he was not a builder. When he started building St. Paul’s, Sir Christopher Wren thought he followed traditional methods, of building cathedrals. He realised and guarded against danger in design. This was an oblique wall, which, without necessary support, would have rested on the edge of piers, instead of the piers taking the weight evenly. Sir Christopher Wren built properly, but, probably ow’irig to constant financial embarrassments, built the piers of in - ferior material, from which the whole of the present evil resulted. They could not take down and rebuild the dome, hut they could literally hold the dome in its present position and make the piers good, then lower the dome bodily one three-tliousandth part of an inch. The dome would then take a new seating on tlie piers, resulting in stressing and returning to the original position. This would ensure St. Paul’s enduring for a thousand years.—Aus.N.Z. Cable Assn.

<SUR VEYOR ’S VTEWS

COMMITTEE’S EXPLANATION

Received Feb. 9, 12.40 p.m

LONDON; Feb. 8. Alderman Pakeman, chairman of the special committee of the Corporation of the City of London which is dealing with the question of St. .Paul’s, declares that Air. Todd’s statement was made without the knowledge of the committee, and it must not be taken that the committee approves of his views.—Reuter. ‘