Evening star., 1867-11-08
DAMP MALLS

Most Of the sicknesSwhich prevaiis in rrs,
seasons, both in town and country. NAV hs
directly traced to dampness OF the w aIIs Of our
dwellings,. which not only causes influenza
and rheumatisn. butIowers the strength, thus
exposing the system TO other and more dan
eerous forms OF disease Walls OF the ordinary
CONSTRUCTION are not only more or less damp
all the year round, put they absorb and retain
the "animalized gases" and other impuri-
tics oI tne atmosphere In cur apartments,
intensifyirg their poisonous qualities. In
the course Of the service under the Health
act in England, there were cases where
the occupants OF Q house were all struck
by fever and all were ordered TO be removed
and the walls and ceilings lime washed
Ii then occurred that the performance OF this
service had been oostructed or neglected with
respect to particular houses, ana In those nm
cleansed houses, and those alone. and
with fresh occupan 70, the fever has broken
out again. thus demonstrating the condi.
non of the "leprous house, and the
enCeney OF the work of purifcation
Our hard-coated plastering keeps much of the
dampness from coming into our apartments.
ana frequent whitewashings counteract the
absorption of atmospheric impurities from
inside but the frequent discolored patches ON
the white surface Of our walls show that we
are not secure against the inroads of driving
rains. or the rising OF dampness by capillary
ATTRACTION from the wet soil. Besides the eff
fects, though felt, are not always seen Tha,
dampness exists, even where not visible NAV
be easily believed, as any one can take one of
our common bricks, and by submergIpg IL sat
isfy himself OF irs powers of absorption. Every
brick will absorb about pint, or a pound in
weight, ofwater- Suppose the external walls
OF an ordinary dwelling to be one brick thics.
and to consist Of $1,000 bricks, thew will he
capable of holdin more than 5000 gallons, or
% tons OF water. To evaporate this amount
OF water would require four tons of coal. wei,
applied The softer and more workable stones
are OF various degrees of absorbeRcy, and ap
pear to be more retentiye Of moisture than
common brick. Prof Ansted states that the
hciity with which sandstone absorbs va,sr
Is Illustrated by the quantity 1t contains
ootn IN us ordinary state and when saturated
he states that even granite always contains a
CERTAIN percentage OF water, aud in the dry
state Is rarely without n pint and q half in
every cubic foot. Sandstone however even
that deemed H. for building purposes. NAV
contain half a gallon per cubic foot and loose
sand at least two gallons. When water pre-
sents itself In any part of such material il
readiiy dlnuses Itself by the power of cspiI-
larry attraction, by which, It is observed ON
some walls In Paris, II ascends eighty.two feet
from the foundations. Walls of such absorb
ent constructions are SUBJECT TO rising wet by
capillary attraction, as well as to the driving
wet OF rain or storm- This wet having to be
evsporated. lowers temperature, and the re-
suit Is sickness among the inmates OF the damn
dwellings. Various remedies have been sug-
eested, but the most effective would appear TO
De double walls, with air chamber between
costing but little more. and taking up little
more room, than solid walls Of the ordinary
construction They are being adopted in some
Pars OF the country; and by facing the inte-
nor wal win some hard and smooth surface,
generally Of the best non n-absorbent and wash
Aoie cement the dampns-s may be kept out
altogether, and the absorption OF fouI pa.ss
prevented. As a principle, all interior house
walls should be made washable