Flitch of bacon custom claimed, he writes "... it is a little paradise, and the more like an antique one, as, by all I have said, the married couples seem to be driven out of it." Walpole concludes, "If you love a prospect, or bacon, you will certainly come hither." An anonymous humorous piece appeared in Joseph Addison's "Spectator" in 1714 purporting to explain the rarity of the flitch being awarded in terms of the poor quality of the applicants. The writer claims that the source is the "Register of Whichenovre-hall" but the truth is that the piece is almost certainly entirely fictitious. The
Flitch beam from "The American Architect and Building News" compares three alternatives in a hypothetical railway station “in which the second story is devoted to offices, and where we must use girders to support the second floor of 25-foot span, and not less than 12 feet on centres if we can avoid it. This would give us to be supported by the girder a floor area of 12’ x 25’ = 300 square feet” and 31,500 pounds of load. After performing calculations the beams compare as follows: The article also cites the fire-retardant character of the flitch beam, “in case of a