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T H E J O U R N A L OF I S D G S T R I A L A.YD EL‘\-GIlYEERIiYG C H E d I I S T R Y .
Dr. Toch became President of the Club in 1907, and in his retiring address, after reviewing the success of the Club, he announced t h a t the time was ripe and he was ready to undertake t o develop ways and means for the chemists t o build a larger and better house of their own. Professor Loeb became interested, and suggested a plan to include special laboratories, offices, and other accommodations for professional chemists. Professor Loeb furthermore gave tangible form to the enterprise b y offering t o subscribe $50,000 which he subsequently increased to $75,000. Dr. Nichols and his associates subscribed $50,000. A Finance Committee was organized and various plans were discussed. I n 1908 the old Tilden Club Building a t 74th Street and Broadway was offered for sale, and was being considered by a committee, when the present site a t 52-54 East 41st Street came to the attention of Dr. McKenna, who again realized a n opportunity and appreciated its advantages as a central location and arranged for its purchase. The building was planned and erected under the supervision of the Directors of the Chemists’ Building Company, Dr. Morris Loeb, Dr. Charles F. Chandler, Albert Plaut, IN.H. Nichols, Jr., and Dr. L. H. Baekeland. The steady progress of the Chemists’ home in New York, from the single room in Washington Square furnished with packing cases and strewn with books and journals, to the handsome eleven story building at Fourth Avenue and 41st Street, with its auditorium, library, museum, laboratories, offices, social rooms, living quarters and restaurant will always be intimately coupled with the history of the development of the profession, and marked b y the unselfish devotion of these and many other loyal hard-working men t o the interests of chemists, whether they be native or foreign, young graduates, or men years in the service of the profession.
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A NEW DYEING INDUSTRY TO BE ESTABLISHED.
The Bradford Dyers’ Association, a very large English corporation, which practically controls the great bulk of dyeing in the United Kingdom, has definitely
April, 191 I
decided to establish a branch works in this country. This has been brought about in one sense by the operation of the tariff which has put a higher rate of duty on dyed and finished cloth than on the unfinished material. I n another sense it has also been brought about b y the increasing competition of American mills in the production of novelties which have hitherto been specialties of the Bradford Dyers’ Association. The Englsh Corporation has quietly bought up about 800 acres of land along the Pawcatuck River a t Niantic, R. I. Their purchases include also the small plant of the Niantic Dyeing Co., together with flowage rights, docking privileges, and railroad facilities. There is every indication t h a t a large plant is to be erected in the immediate future with the idea of developing a general commission dyeing business on a large scale. The Bradford Dyers’ Association has now forty-six plants in operation in England, and a s the company is backed b y almost unlimited capital, and has under its control a large number of processes and valuable specialties, there is no doubt but t h a t its influence will be largely felt in this phase of Amercan industry. I t is expected to have a unit plant in operation a t Niantic b y the coming summer; that is to say, a plant of sufficient size t o dye and finish about 1000 pieces per day. As the business develops and grows this unit plant will be duplicated as often as conditions demand. As the circumstances and organization of the American textile industries are somewhat different than in England, i t is a question open to considerable discussion as t o whether this move of the Bradford Dyers’ Association will prove to be a successful one. One factor which has probably hastened the determination of the English firm is the circumstance that a large French dyeing corporation has also decided t o enter the American field b y the erection of extensive plants in this country. I t is to be hoped t h a t the Bradford Dyers’ Association will have a more successful venture than was the case with the earlier experiences of the British Cotton a n d W-001 Dyers’ Association, in their endeavor to establish a branch of their yarn-dyeing industry in America. J. MERRITT MATHEWS.
THE. CHEMISTS’ BUILDING. By
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E. L ELLIOTT, Editor Illumanating Engzneer.
I t is a question which of the two sciences whose origin extends back into the ages possesses the richer lover of historical romance, astronomy or chemistry. When in the dawn of civilization man began to wander from place to place, seeking to destroy or to escape destruction, he learned to use the stars as guide posts, and his imagination discovered in the heavens the outlines of the beasts of the field and the other forms of nature with which he was most familiar; and so he came to believe t h a t his entire destiny lay within the powers of this mysterious dome .above. The race of astrologers is even not yet extinct, while the modern science of astronomy has mapped and weighed the heavens with well nigh superhuman exactness.
The beginnings of chemistry came later, when man had learned t o extract some of the commoner metals and turn them t o his use; and when gold became the substance and the symbol of wealth, the search for methods of producing it from the baser metals afforded a field of infinite possibilities, with the motive of cupidity for all t h a t wealth signifies as an instigator and promoter of the work. Added to this was the equally powerful incentive of discovering a means of escaping sickness and death. The universal belief in immortality is the child of a wish to defeat the inevitable course o nature, to the end that man may enjoy perpetually the delights of youth. To possess youth forever and gold a t will1 Who would not strive to accomplish this end? The modern science of chemis-
T H E C H E - I I I S T S ’ BL-ILDI-Y-G.
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t r y thus has an origin quite as romantic and fanciful as its sister science of astronomy. Today we think of the alchemist as a misguided philosopher of the Middle Ages, hopelessly striving to achieve the impossible, but who, building better than he knew, laid the foundations of the science of chemistry, which in its benefits to mankind a t least equals all the inventions and improvements in the mechanic arts. Nor need we turn to Europe or the Dark Ages to find a n example of the popular distrust ai the black a r t ” of alchemy. The first chemical laboratory ever instituted in this country was practically a dungeon, being entered by a trap door from the top, and occupying a subterranean room; such was the laboratory of Prof. Silliman, of Yale. I t has been well said that the progress of science has proceeded with an accelerated velocity, a year now equaling the progress of a previous decade, and a decade surpassing the progress of a previous century. Within the span of a single human life we have progressed from the cellar of Prof. Silliman t o the magnificent modern fire-proof structure of this Club; and the Club itself has but barely reached its majority, and the building in which it is now housed was only a bold conception of one of its honored presidents b u t four years ago. I n exterior design the building may best be characterized as modern American, the architecture being a n adaptation of the best traditions of building t o the necessities and conditions of modern construction and requirements. The facade is of light buflf sandstone treated in a simple and wholesome manner without any effort a t conspicuous decoration, the general motive being classical. The balcony a t the top and the metal work about the windows is finished in verd bronze, giving a m.ost pleasing harmony of color. The general plan of the building is unique in combining all of the social requirements of a Club with the practical utilitarian features of the professional chemical laboratory. These two features, while intimately combined, are a t the same time entirely separated for practical purposes. Thus, the auditorium and the laboratories can be reached without in any way intruding upon the portions of the building devoted to club use, while on the other hand, the Club sections of the building are in direct communication with the business portion. 4 detailed description of the building by floors will make this arrangement clear. The first, or street, floor is occupied b y the lobby and office of the Club, and the auditorium. The lobby occupies the front section, and is entered directly from the street. As you enter, the office is a t the immediate left, a handsome fire-place a t the right, and the main hallway leading t o the auditorium in the rear At the left of this hallway is the main stairway to the various club-rooms above, with a coat-room a t the entrance to the auditorium. The walls of the lobby are finished in plain oak paneling in antique finish, with pilasters of freestone; the ceiling is white with simple plastic decoration of conventional classic design. The auditorium is two stories in height with a gallery in the rear. I t has a seating capacity of 300 o n the ‘I
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main floor and 50 in the gallery. The stage is lighted by a skylight, and has preparation-rooms on either side. Removable tables are provided, so arranged that they can be readily connected to supply water, gas, electricity, compressed air, and vacuum ; when not required for experimental or demonstration purposes they can be removed, and the stage left entirely free. X panel a t the rear of the stage is finished white to serve as a stereopticon screen, and a stand for the lantern, with electric current a t hand, is provided in the gallery. A blackboard, arranged so that it can be drawn up into position for use or lowered when the screen is required for lantern views, is also provided. An ample hallway leading direct from the street t o the auditorium extends along the right side of the building, so that it is possible to close the auditorium entirely from direct communication with the lobby when desired, thus making i t available for use for other purposes without in any way encroaching upon the privacy of the club members. The elevators to the upper floors are also reached directly b y this hallway, which opens into the lobby, thus permitting the laboratories and private rooms t o be reached with equal facility either through the lobby or from the street direct. The gallery of the auditorium is reached from a mezzanine floor, which is devoted to private offices. Lavatories are provided in the section between the stairway and the auditorium. The second floor is given over to the dining-room and the social room. The latter occupies the entire front section of the building, having large windows on the street side, and a handsome fire-place a t either end. The general character of the architecture has been carefully preserved in this as in the other features of the interior treatment ; there is simple elegance rather than ornate decoration. The woodwork is of mahogany; the side walls are covered with tapestry in natural color background with a simple figure in old blue; the ceiling is paneled in very low relief, and given a cream tint. As the rooms were not furnished a t the time of the dedication the photographs necessarily show them in this condition, and so, while giving an idea of their spaciousness and general appearance, the imagination must supply the air of homelike comfort which only a furnished and used room can possess. The dining-room occupies the rear section of the floor, and is finished in mahogany, with walls of dull red. The ceiling is perfectly plain and of a light cream tint. At this height the rear of the building has no immediate obstruction, so that the dining-room is beautifully lighted by large windows facing the south. This gives the cheerfulness of such sunshine as is vouchsafed us in the winter months, while in the summer the projecting roof of the auditorium affords a n open air cafC. A dining-room necessarily implies a kitchen, and this necessity has been most carefully provided for in a room of ample dimensions and equipped with every modern facility known to the culinary art. There is a particularly close relation between chemistry and cooking ; b u t whether the analytical propensities of the chemists are sufficiently perfected to enable
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T H E JOCRiL’,4L OF I.\TDLTSTRI.4L A.\-D
them to prepare viands synthetically remains to be seen. I t is a fairly safe prophesy that the savants of the test tub:, and wash bottle will be satisfied t o follow Sancho Panza’s formula in thier tests of the puddings. On the third floor the front section has been set apart for the library. The finish here is quartered oak with plain walls. The bookstacks are arranged along the inner wall, leaving the front portion by the windows for the reading tables. Dr. C. F. Chandler has signified his intention of donating his private library t o the Club for immediate use. This benefaction will afford a splendid foundation for a very complete chemical library. I t is worth mentioning that the gift comes from a teacher who may rightfully be called the Dean of Chemistry in this country, and a fine life-sized bronze of Dr. Chandler b y Hartley furnishes a fitting and striking figure in this room, which is to be known as Chandler Hall. The rear section of this floor contains a room which is to be used as a museum and reference room. I t is finished in quartered oak and is left without decoration. Adjoining this there is a small room which is perhaps the most unique feature of the entire building. The official name of this is the Trustees’ Room, but it has already acquired the facetious title of “The Chapel.” The room has been designed to represent the den of the ancient alchemist. There is a “higharched, vaulted ceiling” under which the imagination can readily depict Dr. Faustus himself ranging over the field of human knowledge, to find himself a t the end no wiser than before. A Gothic window with roundels set in leaded glass admits subdued daylight, while a t the opposite end is a crude furnace, ready to receive the alembic and the crucible. A small metal lantern of mediaeval pattern *hangs from the ceiling a t this end, while the traditional salamander, defying history by grasping modern electric lamp bulbs in his claws, swings from chains a t the other end. An iron chest of ancient design, with ponderous key, occupies a corner of the room, and doubtless contains the secret of the philosopher’s stone and the elixir of life. A massive oaken table occupies the center of the room, and suggests the parchment tome in black-letter, but alas is more likely t o witness the anachronism of a stenographer’s notebook. The fifth and sixth floors are divided into single rooms and suites for the use of the Club members and their guests. I n the furnishing of these some genius hit upon a very happy idea, viz., to have a number of the alumnae of colleges t h a t are well represented in the membership each furnish a room or suite. The following institutions have accepted this idea : University of Pennsylvania, New York University, Cornel1 University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, College of the City of New York, University of Michigan, University of Virginia, Johns Hopkins University, German Universities, Swiss Universities, British Schools and Universities, University
E-\-GIiVEERIIVG C H E M I S T R Y .
April, 1 9 1 I
of Tokio, and the City of Chicago. The walls are hung with views of the familiar scenes on the campus and in the buildings, together with the emblems that are dear t o the heart of the college man. Thus, added t o all the comforts to be found in the best modern club or hotel is the memory of the good old college times, when it was considered a mark of special prowess t o blow the gas pipes in the chemical “ l a b ” full of air, or produce reactions between ”,OH and HCl that were not prescribed in the course, and which resulted in a general clouding of the vision, or perhaps t o perfume the instructor’s overcoat with valerianic acid. The remaining six floors of the building are designed for laboratory use. All the facilities required by the chemist are provided, and the spaces so arranged that they can be subdivided to suit the exact requirements of the tenants. The floors are of cement, and are made continuous with the baseboard, and are supplied with a drain a t either corner so t h a t a stream of running water could be left on the floor continuously without doing the slightest damage t o the floor itself or the room beneath. There are arrangements for hoods with separate outlet and inlet openings reaching to the roof. These rooms offer the combined advantages of complete modern equipment, unsurpassed light and ventilation, the most central location in the city, and immediate connection with a n organization representing the entire chemical profession of the country. I t is small wonder therefore t h a t they have been eagerly taken up by consulting and professional chemists. A feature deserving of special mention is the complete equipment, including all the regular chemical apparatus, of two small laboratories, which will be let to competent chemists who wish to conduct temporary experiments or demonstrations. These are on the ninth floor, and are known as the Robert Bunsen and the Wolcott Gibbs laboratories. The difficulty of securing such facilities is a common experience with the chemical departments of universities, and with those who have found it necessary to make demonstrations of new processes or products t o prospective investors. If there ever was a case of “filling a long-felt w a n t ” this is certainly one. The building is served by three elevators which immediately reach all offices and laboratories, and also by stairways a t each side. The building throughout shows the utmost care and thought in the planning of every detail. I t should perhaps rather be called a growth than a plan. for the arrangement and the construction have received the unremitting thought and attention of a number of the best chemists, in connection with the architects, Messrs. York and Sawyer. But an original conception worked out to so complete a success as this is worth a lifetime of labor and thought. The Chemists’ Club stands today as the most unique building of the kind in this or any other country.
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