Nebraska advertiser., 1856-09-27
farnnrs' aepartment.


41Gcctec. Il t0LEh q w H1lfo.---L uAuh-
ing that my experience in the Gravel
Wall and 0ctagon mode Of building
might possibly be of some service to
those wishing information on the SUBJ
iect, have concluded with your per-
mission, to give it as briefly as may be
in the columns of the Journal. I put
up, during the last summer, an octagon
gravel house two stories high, with
sixteen feet sides, making it 128 feet
in circumference, and about 80 feet in
diameter. There is a celler under the
whole. The height of the cellar wall
is seven and a half feet, about two of
it being above the ground. The first
story is ten feet high in the clear, and
the upper story is nine feet in the clear.
The thickness of the cellar wall is
twelve inches, the first story ten inches,
upper story eight inches. There is
also a partition across the cellar six
inches thick, and large cistern in one
cornerof the cellar, the walls of which
arc six inches thick.
/ used the Hydraulic Cement or
water lime for the whole, as it costs
here but trife more than quick lime,
and is in my opinion much better. 1t
makes harder, frmer wall, and will,
. I think, withstand the action Of the
climate much better. The dampness
Of the atmosphere, instead of operat-
ing to make it harder. I would re-
commend it for cellarwalls by aIimeans.
It can be obtained at Syracuse or
GAINESVILLE in this State. I got mine
from Syracuse. It cost me S1.05 per
barrel, delivered at the railroad depot
in this place.
There is about four and half bushels
in a barrel by weight, go pounds being
a bushel, or about three and a half
bushels by measure.
For the cellar wall and first story
] mixed lime and sand in the right
proportions for mortar, and then work.
ed in as many small stones as / could,
so SIS TO have the mortar cover them.
The sand / used was very coarse, and
had in it slight sprinkling of gravel.
It cost ne 64 cents per bushei, de-
livered on the ground. The first two
feet of my cellar wall / used three
barrels of sand to one of line, but
find this to be more lime than was
necessary, 1 tried four of sand to one
of lime for the next three feet, and
then FIVE to one for the remainder of
the cellar wall and first story.
This ] found to be about the right
proportion, but with fine sand, free
+. from gravel, think four to one would
be about right, if the lime is good.
For the upper story and partition
across the cellar cistern, used gravel
taken from the bottom of the cellar,
without any sand, using about twelve
or fifteen parts Of gravel to one Of
lime.
This was mixed in the cellar and
drawn up to the upper story in wheel
barrows, by means of a horse and
tackle, and then wheeled around to
where it was wanted in the wall.
The cellar wall took 90 barrels OF
lime and 429 bushels of sand. The
first story, % barrels of lime and $40
bushels of sand. The upper story,
16 barrels Of lime, and gravel as above
stated.
1 superintended the whole work
myself, laying out the stories, putting
up the standards, making and putting
in the coarse window and door frames,
&C., although | do not pretend to be
mechanic.
had two Irishmen to assist me all
the time, with an additional Yankee
man Of some ingenuity, part oi
the time. Ipaid the frishman dollar
day, and boarded them, the other
man York shilling an hour, and he
boarded himself. I kept a strict ac-
count of every item Of expense, botE
Of labor and material, including the
temporary door and window frames
made Of hemlock plank, making NOR
tar beds, putting up standards and
taking them down again, laying out
the different stories, fixing tackle tt
draw up mortar, use Of horse in draw.
ing of mortar, use of box-boards
wheelbarrows, shovels, nails, &C., il
short, everything any way connected
with putting up the wall; and wher
the whole was completed, it footed uI
as follows:
Cost Of cellar wall -. .....-..........S1 S106 3;
Cost Of cellar partition-.- .............. Is OF
Cost Of first story. ry..--.............. 90 81
Cost Of second story .-.-.. ..-......... SO o.
s2s5 u
Additional Hems.
Use Of box-boards, half their value 2 s.
Use Of wheelbarroWs and shovels.... o.
One nehundred feet Of hemlock boards used up ! o.
Fifty pounds Of nails... .......... 5
Cost Of cistern wall over what is included
in the above estimate ate..........s..... 2 o.
Total, ,.-.-..--. -. -..-.... S299 s
Here we have in round number
about $500 for the walls of two stor,
house, cellar wall included, each stor1
... Of which covers an area of about 12OI