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THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE. Book II.
2264r. BelU. The principle, fis applied to all the different method? of construction, is
that the completion of the circuit of the electric current rings the bell, the medium of
communicaiion from the distant points being -nire of various descriptions, carefully
insulated. The mechanism is confined to the jivsh (the reverse of the crank system,
Avhicli has the ^w//) and to the bell itself, which is struck by a hammer attached to a
small and light magnet. The wires are fixed. One bt-ll will answer the purpose for any
number of rooms. The battery whence the electric power is supplied is, for an ordinnry
house, a small six-cell battery, about twelve inches long, nine inches wide, and six inches
deep. The positive poles of the six cells are all connrcted with each other, and also the
negative poles, each to brass knobs on the outside of the box. From the positive pole of
the battery a wire passes, which is connected with each room, and from each room a w're
passes tn the indicator. This is a tablet with openings, upon which are inscribed
numbers for, or names of, the rooms. The push, a light ivory knob, completes the fh ctric
circle; on being set in action by it, the current travels through the wire to the indicator,
and then by the movement of a balanced magnet the number or name appears, and by a
light magnet attache 1 to a spring it rings the bell, which can be made to ring until the
magnet is rebased by the hand, or a button, which also returns the name or number to its
place. The wires are insulated by gutta-percha or india-rubber and coils of cotton or
silk, which, if exposed, can bp made of a colour to match the paper or paint of the room.
The bell pushes and other furniture can be carried out in any decorative character.

2264s. The electric bell system can be adopted for protection against thieves and fire.
For the former, every external door and window may be connected with a battery so that,
when the circle is complete, the opening of the door or window will ring the bell. In the
daytime a switch is used to disconnect the communication, so that the doors and windows
m;iy be opened without ringing the alarum. For the latter, or fire, a thermometer,
hermetically sealed, into which a platinum wire is fixed, is regulated to any point indic-it-
ing danger, say 100 of heat, and connected with the battery. Should the mercury rise
to that point, the contact of it with the platinum completes the eirciiit, the bell rings and
sounds the alarum. For the sick bed, the invalid has only to give a slight pressure to a
knob at the end of a silk cord, laid close to the pillow, instead of having to overcome
the stiffness and weight of the old crank and wire system.
226 ii!. Mosoley's patent electric bells are fixed on the sjstem of the battery not buiiig
in use when the bell is not ringing.
2264?/. The best time to commence fixing the bells is stated to be when the first coat of
plaster is laid on the walls, and before the floor boards are nailed down. The joints and
connections between the compo tubing and the bells should be carefully soldered, and the
iron wall boxes fixed flush with the finished wall, with the screw holes in front perfectly
vertical. The fixings required are press buttons or pushes, lever action pulls, or bell
ropes, for rooms used in the day. Bed-head pulls, flexible cords, or pushes, for the
bedrooms. Pull-out pulls or ptishes for front door or entrances. The tubing is |-ineh
bore composition, let into the plaster, &c., and protected therein by wood, or Tiy larger
zinc bell tubing. The pulls m.ay be either the
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sunk" pattern, or the
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raised
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pattern,
which is fixed on the face of a wall or partition.
We can only here refer to the later invtntion of the
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telephone."
Sect. XI.
FOUNDERY,
2265. The very general use of cast iron by the architect induces us to give a succinct
account of the common operations of foundery, or the art of casting metal into different
forms. To gain a proper knowledge of the operatic ns, the student should attend a few
castings at the foundery itself, which will be more useful to him than all the description we
could detail of it; however, we give a few particulars not nouced in the previous section
on Iron. Some of the articles cast are noticed in par. 22o.5A-.
2265a. Those manufacturers who will attend to the good quality of the irons they sell
can generally command their own price. Thus, the Low Moor and the Bowling bar irons
continue in possession of the market at nominally high prices, whilst the ordinary irons
are hardly saleable at remunerative ones. The Welsh iron, known as the SO brands, or
the Staffordshire mitre iron, are of at least equal quality to the above, and there are others
as good.
2265^. Staffordshire, Shropshire, and Derbyshire afford the b'st irons for castings.
The Scotch iron is much esteemed for hollow wares, and has a beautifully smooth surface,
which may be noticed in the stoves and other articles cast by the Carron Company. The
Welsh pig iron is principally usi
d for conversion into bar iron. Almost all irons are im-
proved I
y
admixture with others, and therefore, w here supericr castings are required, they