i

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in feet: thus, a step of five feet long would be two inchesand a half at that place.

The stone platforms of geometrical stairs, viz., the landings,half-paces, and quarter-paces, are constructed of one, two, orseveral stones, as they can be procured. When the platformconsists of two or more stones, the first platform stone islaid upon the last step that is set, and one end is tailedin and wedged into the wall ; the next platform stone isjoggled, or rebated, into one set, and the end also fixedinto the wall, as that and the preceding steps are; andthus with every stone in succession, till the platformis completed. If there is occasion for another flight ofsteps, the last stone of the platform becomes a spring stonefor the next step, and the joint is to be joggled, as well asthose of the succeeding steps, in the same manner as in thefirst flight. Geometrical stairs, executed in stone, dependupon the following principle ; that every body must, at least,be supported by three points placed out of a straight line, andconsequently, if two edges of one body in different directionsbe secured to another, the two bodies will be immoveable inrespect to each other. This last is the case in a geometricalstair: one end of a stair stone is always tailed into the wall, andone edge either rests on the ground itself, or on the edge of thepreceding stair stone, whether it be a plat or step. Thestones of a platform are generally of the same thickness asthose forming the steps.

Stone Walls, such walls as are constructed of stone.

The modern methods of constructing stone walls, with adescription of the materials employed, have already beengiven under the head Masonry ; we shall, therefore, confinethis article to the construction of walls used by the ancientGreeks and Romans.

Vitruvius has left us an account of the construction of thewalls of the ancients, as follows : “ The sorts of walls arethe reticulated, (Figure 1,) and the ancient, which is calledthe uncertain , (Figure 2.) Of these, the reticulated is thehandsomest, but the joints are so ordered, that all the partsof the courses have an infirm position ; whereas, in theuncertain, the materials rest firmly one upon the other, andare interwoven together ; so that they are much strongerthan the reticulated, though not so handsome. Both sortsare formed of very small pieces, that the walls, being satu-rated with mortar, may endure the longer; for the stones,being of a porous and spongy nature, absorb the moisturefrom the mortar; and when there is an abundance of mortar,the wall, having more humidity, will not so soon decay, butwill, on that account, be rendered more durable ; for as soonas the humidity is extracted from the mortar by the suctionof the stones, then the lime and sand separating, the cementis dissolved, and, the mortar, no longer uniting the materials,the walls soon become ruinous. This may be observed insome tombs near the city, which are built with marble, orhewn stone, and the internal parts rammed with rubble stones;the mortar being by length -of time drained of its humidityby the suction of the stones, and the union of the joints beingdissolved, they separate and fall to ruin.

“ To avoid this error, the middle space ( Figure 2) must bestrengthened with abutments of the red hewn-stone, or bricks,or common flints, built in walls two feet thick, and bound tothe front with cramps of iron fixed with lead ; for the workbeing thus built in a regular manner, and not laid in promis-cuous heaps, will remain without defect ; and being, by theorderly arrangement of the courses and joints, firmly unitedand bound together, it will not be liable to fractures, nor willthe abutments suffer it to fall to decay. For this reason, thewalls of the Greeks are not to be despised ; for though theydo not use smooth or polished materials, yet where they dis-

• *i* COI* 11

continue the square stones, they lay the flints, 01

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ate

hard stones, that they use, in the same manner asgenerally laid, bonding the courses together withjoints, and thus making their works strong and dur. c ,,lled“ These walls they build in two manners ; one > 8 ult i,isodomum, (Figure 3,) and the other pseudis 0 ^ a ,j(Figured.) Isodomum is when all the courses aI ^equal thickness ; and pseudisodomum when they® 1 ® e )veSBoth these sorts are firm; first, because tbe stones t '® iern oi 8 'are of a compact and solid nature, and do not absorb ^ ,. e fltture from the mortar, but preserve its humidityage; and, secondly, being situated in regulai a . ff jjol®courses, the mortar is prevented from falling, and, ^thickness of the wall being united, it endures perpet

“ Another sort is that which they call emplecton, a t5 and 6,) which is also used by our villagers. ■*.«® r0 ;v 8the stones, in this kind, are smooth; the rest is left aS 1 ^ or tar>in the quarry, being secured with alternate joints ® n ^ t hebut our artificers, quickly raising a shell, which sei . th efaces of th^ wall, fill the middle with rubble and ta0 ^ e face 8 ’walls, therefore, consist of three coats, two being <j fi.)and one the rubble core in the middle, (Fig ure ^ 0 nlyBut the Greeks do not build in that manner ; t ie ^ jt e rn® t0build the facing courses regularly, but also use rI iid'joints throughout the whole thickness, not ramming ar)C l ofdie with rubble, but building it the same as the ,l ® t jjeyone united coat they construct the wall ; besides fli®

dispose single pieces, a, which they call ^ iaton °^ e oth e1 'thickness of the wall, extending from one face to q-fos*which bind and exceedingly strengthen the wa • lJ1 u 8ttherefore, who would build works of long duia^ ^ill'

garance 1

a»d’

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attend to these rules, and make use of such metho< ^ ^ th®ing ; for the smooth polish, and beautiful appearaj ^stones, will not prevent the wall from being ruine

STOOTHINGS, a term used in the north m ^ b!l tand perhaps in some parts of the south of Scot atening to walls, . a Dl „

STORY-POSTS, upright timbers, disposed in ^ o

a building, for supporting the superincumbent p qj i(J

exterior wall, by means of a beam over them

for

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chiefly used in sheds and workshops. Story-P #have a solid wall below, or they should stand u P^ -(re s to' ! ^wooden sill, or upon inverted arches, or upon ‘ g bet"’ e6 flwith their ends let into sockets. When the d* s ^ j, ra ceSstory-posts is considerable, they should have to p b)either side; and these should be resisted at t j ltJ po» ^straining-beam, and at the bottom by j°g.g^ s . c ^ 01 ,ni s * l0U 0 rthemselves; the upper surface of the straining be® 01 ’..,,also coincide with the lower surface of the ^PP n t j iebressummer. In cases where the distance be w ^ br®^posts is still greater than above supposed, nand straining-beams are to be employed, bu jj

should be arched upon the top of the bressum ,j e( ] inStory-Posts, or Prick-Posts, as they me^^> ^ e t;Vbooks on architecture, are used in wooden bui n j

the stories, to support the floors. . . leng 1 ' 1 tli®

d in staircasingj _.„f nC e

r from the upp er

Story-Rod, a measure used in staircasingj r f a ce 0to the height of the story ; or from the upp e o p the ® r9boards of one floor to the under surface of t ^° are to be 'it is divided into as many equal parts as tliei t j lt) 8te P,| Jt; .-i

in the stair, for the more accurately carrying t he ! |0 ' j to

STOUP, a stone bason, frequently toun emP^Liffedand at the entrances of our old churches, g sp‘‘ g f acontain holy-water, with which the " r ?p?j t s ^a8# fe a j d' ethemselves upon entering the church. 1 c |, u rcb> n p 0 jn"very ancient practice observed in the eai forholy-water stoup seems to have been a subs