THE SANDSTONES

T HE BUILDING STONES

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be concluded from laboratory experiments than was the case pre- viously. Upon the observations of Mr. Richards and other authorities, we now make a few comments on the different sand_

stones of Victoria, to be followed by an article upon the lime- stones :-

Stawell.=This is a fine even grained white stone, quarried at the foot of the Grampians, 17 miles N.W. of Stawell. It is hard, compact, probably of carboniferous age, showing very little bedding in the fresh state and remarkably free from iron-staining.

In places it has abundant segregations and veins of secondary silica, termed "flints" by masons. Initial hardness and "flints"

render the stone expensive to dress. Stones of reasonable size are obtainable, and the quality fairly uniform. Current bedding appears in the weathered material, owing to the slight inequality of hardness in the different layers. The stone was used in the Stawell Town Hall when the quarries were first opened up, but much of the surface material was differentially iron-stained. For this reason alone, and not on account of its weathering away, the stone in the Town Hall was painted in after years. The Stawell Court-house, built in 1879, is a splendid example of the weathering properties of this stone, and to-day looks almost as fresh as newly quarried stone, being especially clean looking in contrast with the dirtier appearance the stone takes on in a large city after time, due to the deposition of sooty and tarry material.

The buildings constructed of this stone in Melbourne are Parlia- ment House, the Crown Solicitor's office, the recent additions to the National Museum, the upper portion and recent additions to the General Post Office, the administrative building of the Town. Hall, whilst the new Savings Bank in Elizabeth Street will be built in the upper portion with stone from these quarries.

Dunkeld.—A fine even grained sandstone, with light brownish tint, and well defined bedding planes, but by no means as fine in texture as Stawell stone. It is quarried on the slopes of Mt.

Abrupt, three miles from Dunkeld, at the southern end of the Grampians, about 40 miles due south of the Stawell quarries. It forms part of the same series of sandstones as the Stawell stone, and is probably of carboniferous age. The quarry, though

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opened in 186o, has not been extensively worked, and much dead work has been done owing to bad iron-staining and to a large fault. The cost of dressing this stone is about ²⁰ per cent. less than Stawell stone, but it has not the uniform colour of the latter. Up to the present none of the troublesome "flints."" of the Stawell stone have been encountered, but "sand-balls," gen- erally along the bedding planes, are met with. Occasionally hard, flinty bands, up to an inch or two in thickness, and gen- erally more iron-stained than the surrounding stone, are met

with, but these can be avoided. A marked defect of the stone is the current or false bedding, which becomes most pronounced on weathering. Between the layers a fine argillaceous powder is present, which falls away readily on weathering. This, together with the differential iron-staining of the layers, gives the stone after being on the building a very short time, a bad appear-

ance. This stone has not been used to any extent, but may be seen in the recent additions to the Women's Hospital, Carlton, and in the Presbyterian Church, Hamilton.

Barrabool Hills.—This was the first of our Victorian sand- stones to be used on a large scale, some of the Collins Street banks, notably the Bank of New South Wales, erected over so years ago, showing the stone under most ornate treatment. It is a fine even-grained stone of a light green-brown colour, quar- ried in the vicinity of Ceres among the Barrabool Hills, near Geelong. Of jurassic age, it forms • part of the widely distributed series of lake sandstones laid down during jurassic times. The stone is of fresh water origin, and is made up largely of igneous material containing carbonaceous inclusions, in the way of leaves and stems of ferns and other plants. Its weathering properties are variable for different quarries, but the blocks from McCann's quarry at Ceres are generally regarded as producing the best stone. As the bedding is difficult to discern when freshly dressed, in many of the older buildings it has been used with the bedding vertical, leading, of course, to disastrous results. The stone is uniform in colour, though gradations to the bluish-grey colour of the stone in its unaltered state are discernible. Bands

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the 3ufiaing %tones of Victoria.

of grit occur here and there through the stone, which in McCann's quarry, is almost horizontally bedded. The stone is soft and dresses easily, and though rather treacherous, has been extensively used in Melbourne and Geelong. When rough dressed, it weathers better than when smooth-dressed, as in the latter case it has a tendency to flake off on the weathering, due to a disturbance of the particles near the surface of the stone during operations. Examinations of the Bank of New South Wales in Collins Street, and the Art Gallery in Moorabool Street, Gee- long, give a good idea of its weathering properties during half a century. The stone breaks away at the corners and flakes along the edge, more especially if in a damp situation, with the result that older buildings have to be continually repaired and patched with cement. The stones crack easily, especially those over the windows, for quite large stones which might be ex- pected to stand the pressure easily, develop dangerous cracks.

If the stone he at all gritty, the effects of wind erosion are most pronounced, the harder parts standing out like pimples. The old Police Courts in Russell and Latrobe Streets (recently •demol- ished), were built with this stone in 1842. Every stone was rotten, and many could be crumbled in the hand. More recent buildings of this stone are St. Paul's Cathedral (which at the S.W. corner is showing very evident signs of decay), Scots' Church, the Working Men's College, Ormond College, and the Biology and Medical Schools at the University. In most of the above-named buildings this stone is used in conjunction with limestone from Waurn Ponds, with which it well harmonises.

Apollo Bay.—A similar stone to Barrabool, but fresher, and with a bluish-grey colour. It, too, is of jurassic age, and out-

crops all along the coast in the neighbourhood of Apollo Bay, the quarries—sometimes called "Krambrok"—being along the coast. The overburden is small, and even just below the capping the stone is remarkably fresh. Stones cut 15 years ago weather excellently, but with a slight fading in colour. Blocks of large size are obtainable, whilst the stone is freely worked. Our know-

ledge of the stone has been lengthy, but we are of opinion that

tin 13uíCBfno %tones of Victoria.

it is from want of enterprise that the stone has not been placed on the Melbourne market in larger quantities. The lighthouse at Apollo Bay, built over 5o years ago, we believe, shows the value of the stone in a peculiarly exposed position, and in an excellent state of preservation. The dressings in the new Tele- phone Exchange at Windsor are of this stone. Otherwise we have not come across it except in window sills and tombstones in the cemeteries.

(To be continued.)

1Personat Stem.

Mr. F. L. Klingender (F.) and Mr. F. B. Tompkins (A.) are leaving Victoria for a trip to England, the latter passing thrcugh the United States on his way to Europe. Both members intend to blend recreation with study. • Each having received his training in Victoria, will, we feel sure, find something to learn whilst abroad. We wish each of them a pleasant voyage and a safe return.

icentiateshíp of the 1R.3.13.11.

The following letter has just been received from London, and explains itself :—

10th March, 1911 Dear Sir,

LICENTIA'ITESHIP.

received at the eleventh hour for the Licentiateship, the Council Owing to the large number of applications that have been have decided that it is advisable to extend the period during which they may elect Licentiates until the end of the year. The resolution will come before the General Body on the 20th of this month, and will have to be confirmed a week later ; but I propose to continue to receive applications, even though they cannot be dealt with under our present powers. I shall be obliged if you will send on to me any further applications you receive.

Faithfully yours,

IAN MACALISTER, Secretary.

John Little, Esq.,

Hon. Secretary,

Royal Victorian Institute of Architects.

[Legal 35

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