The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-10-19

HOUSE BUILDING in PARIs.-A late Paris
letter from correspondent Of the New York
Commercial Advertiser, has the following curious
particulars in reference to the operation of house
building in that capital:
This branch Of industry is under the supervi-
ton of a special bureau at the prefecture Be-
fore proprietor can build, he must hand in
detailed plan Of the structure, setting forth not
only the relative position of the apartments, but
the thickness of the walls, the nature of the ma
terals to be used, the number Of stories, the
slope of the root, and, in short, all the particulars
about it, When plan is approved, he is per-
lnitted to commence. As the work progresses
it is frequently visited by officers attached to the
bureau, who see that the plan is strictly adhered
TO, that the proprietor does not encroach on the
street or his neighbour and that the materials are
good. The two great objects of the police re-
quirements seem to be to secure the putting up
of houses solidly built and not liable to take FIRE.
For instance, every foundation wall must be Of
stone, and 1T least sixty centinetres Zone foot and
eleven inches) thick This thickness is preserved
in all the outer walls, but, in some partition
may be diminished for stories above the second.
| Frame houses are unknown. A common mater
| ial for walls is cement mixed with stones and
! pebbles: the cement if well made, becomes hard
as rock and is very durable. But to make as
surance douby sure, a solid frame work OF sea-
soned timber, the joints well secured by broad
iron bands, is first put up and the cement is built
upon this skeleton. One result of these judi
cious precautions is that the Paris houses are
remarkable for solidity. One hears OF no work
men crushed by the falling.in of nine inch wall;
one sees 10 houses with sides bulging out like
those of an overstuffed handbook, or cracked from
top to bottom and the halves ready to fall in OPP
posite directions. ....
Great pains are also taken to guard against
fire. The ioist near the fire places must be We'll
sheeted with iron, and the houses rooted with
some fire-proof material, such metal, earthen-
ware tiles, or n composition of asphaltum.----,
Single roofs which ona hot summers day light
I'D ut a spark as easily as so many snlpher
matches are not in use among the Paris archi-
tects, who prefer humdrum state OF safety to
the romantic uncertainty OF the single. system.
Their precautions are so well taken that fires
are very rare in Paris; and as to conAagrations,
the Oldest inhabitant does not remember such a
thing. The streets are never filed with crowds
shouting sire" at the top Of their lungs; Jealous
fremen rushing like madmen to the scene of ae-
ton, to the great danger of quiet elderly gentle
men with furniture tumbled out ofthe windows
Of burning horses or with families weeping over
the loss Of their property.
b. The French seem to be quite satisnea WIN
the working of their system, In spite OF occN-
sional annoyances caused by the Puncuho ,e
Of the police They did not think Oh moahyng
farmers wore in search of subjects.--The most
ultra multiplier of the natural rights Of man
never thouaht of putting into his enumeration
he r;gbt of building, in The midst Of poPulous
c;ty q house with roof as infammable as
finder. and with walls so thin, that to demolish
them one would ask no heavier battering ram
than stout pair of jack boots. .:.,,n ..