New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-03-09
A HOUSE FOR THE MILLION.

To he Editor Of The ~ y Tribune
SIR: Editors who, like yourselves have uniformly taken
deep interest in the welfare of tie On, must have
cced upon the subject of house best adapted to their
wants and circumstances During your recent trips
tho West you have also observed that light aud per
ishable structures taking the place log houses and
are defined TO endure scarcely enc generation.
Where wealth abounds the neat plans of residences fur
nhed by the late Mr. Downing and others, may answer
we'll but in their erection from five TO twenty five thou
sand dollars mus necessarily be expendedhence they
OF DO avail to the great body of our population The
million require definite model Of house which shall
uite cheapnes durability, convenience comfort neaness
facility for ventating and warming, and exemption from
dampress
Another essential requisite should be added certain
amount of ornamental and useful fnish-not worthless
vases and statues but plain versndah entwined whit
honey sucke and the projecting brackets sustaining an
Isabella Catawba Clinton Grape vine with one or two
prominent windows within the incasemens of which the
mother and the daughter may cultivate their verbenas,
geraniums and This is not the time nor place to
dscant upon the influence of physical causes over the
moral and intellectual faculties but it proper to add that
the home of the poor should be of kind not only
meet the physical wants of its inmates but at the same
time 10 develop the finer feelings attachments and emo
tons. - =.
What the result of experience at the East in
constructing houses OF gravel or small stones and &C.
mentl 1850 -.
Can you point out any reliable work containing direc-
tioIs for employing for such purpose those materials
Can you furmsh any auulionul euBgtsVhs oh '"i' w.
;ect7 "THE MILLION"
0utWet March 4 1881.
Reply-O S. FOwlers work entitled " The Gravel
Wall and Octagon Mode of Building is the only one
ON this subject that we recommend, though there
NAV be others and if there not now, there doubt
less soon will be- There ought to be fifty popular
books treating of this and kindred themes and SO fast
% our Laboring Glasses shall discover that there is
very much better reading for their resdes than fash
template stories and yellowcoyered novels such books
win be multiplied.
block Of gravel walled houses may be seen in the
village of Milton, near Janessille, Wisconsin. They
are cheap dry clean aud bid fair to prove durable
Mr. Fowlers mansion in Fishkill Duchess Co, n. Y,
s well worth study. But it were absurd to sup
pose that we have obtained perfection in building these
houses, or that Gravel is the only it material for
house building that has hitherto been neglected in this
wooden country Gravclwalls are very Well where the
material is abundant and the digging of the cellar sup
plies the staple whereof the walls to be composed
hut Stone Clay Gin the shape of Gdo5es or dry unburned
brick and other substances may in particular local
ties be preferable. 1t is National shame that the
Hollow Brick now extensively used in Great Britain
have not been introduced here. They are cheaper
than solid brick and make perfectly dry walls which
are said to repe the extremes of Heat and Cold far bet
ter than walls Of solid brck-fxed air being non con-
ductor. We mean to devote more attention to TINS
subject as soon as the Nebraska stormis over I'd