Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1868-09-22
THE HERALD.
Cheap Fire-Proof Building.


structive CONGREGATIONS In all parts
OF the country is enough to create
doubts as TO the wisdom OF our long
prevailing system Of building. This
wood, wood, outside and inside, is
only like piling together mass OF
pine kindlings, preparatory to a de
structive fire. To thus build, is a
custom, aud custom too often Is Il
blind, unthinking, reckless monster,
as in this case. Why, even com
mon caution would shrink from such
ruinous system Build a city of
wood, pine too, a wood sutfased with
turpentine one Of tue most infiam.
mable agents known, and there's not
another people on the globe claiming
attachment TO civilization that
would dare even to do 1t +; and vet. |
have no doubt many OF your read
ers will wonder at my plain position.
such is the influence of custom on
the human mind. There is a hue
and cry that the nation teens with
evils, If there is one greater than an
other, 1t is this universal holocaust of
fires. Yet this every day calamity
is treated with an indifference that
would almost make one conclude
that the people have settled down Oh
the superstitious idea that this wide.
spread and really frightfuI destruc-
ton is "a necessary evil or +" an
unalterable fate" This apathy must
be shook Off There never was an
evil which the people could not over
come when once aroused, and this
one must be arrested in its awful
progress.
Statistics prove that wo as nation
actually destroy, burn up, far more
property than all the other nations
civilized and semi-civilized combined.
This monstrous state of things is
caused and that directly, by our reck.
less folly in using pine for sides, floors
and roofs of our buildings, when at
the same time there are other mate
rails in the market equally as accesi-
bic, equally as cheap, or would be, if
demand was created for them, by
the people adopting system of
building wherein such materials as
plaster OF paris, water. and cemens
will be req uired. The system of
building | am about to propose in
this sheet, is DO new idea, it has the
reverence of centuries Of use to sup.
port its claim to practical usefulness
and completeness in the end There
should be an effort mado to introduce
this system, however much it may
be opposed. Will you listen atten
lively and try to understand
A residence of 20 years in the city
of Nottingham, England, city as
large as New York, and the result Of
observation during those years,
proves that the fires in rooted build,
ings, dwelling houses and ware,
houses, did not average more than
two year and the average since |
have left, now many years, as | un-
derstand from most trustworthy au-
thority, remains about the same, and
indeed must, from The fact that there
is little IN or about the buildings to
supply for the devourin e fire demon.
/ wish in this article to make an inns
preston on the business mind Of the
country, and to that end, recOm>
mend that if my statements herein,
are doubted, that the American con-
sui at that point be consulted on the
subject for denial of the, | think,
most momentuous fact | have here
announced, as also, to the corroct>
ness of the plan and principle, on
which their buildings are constructs
ed. and which / will proceed to ex
plain, Now observe, all the build
ings are of brick or rock, no depart
ure from this rule no man need att
tempt it, for they would not be al
lowed to erect a building of pine,
but would be looked upon as a MAJ
MAC, and would be Immediately tai
ken care of. Again, the roofs of
their buildings are invariably of slate
or tile. | saw some in British Hol-
low near you. some years ago made
| by German resident there. They
are cheap and very secure against
storms, But the most important
| point, and that which would be
| novelty here, is, that their floors ups
stairs are all laid with two kinds of
composition or cement one called
| bitumalite and the other britumalite.
The first from Britumen, coal, the
second from brick the service of
these distinctive names will be rec
ognized when the.pecular nature of
each cement is explained.
First, britumalitc is composed Of
plaster of paris and common coal
slack riddled through a seive of
about half inch mesh, and mixed in
water as | shall explain.
Second, britumalite is composed
Of water cement and pounded brick,
sifted just as explained for the coal
slack. Both these cements set very
hard in short time, this one re-
markably SO, and in consequence is
used for floors Of warehouses or
where heavy goods have to be NOV
ed about, and with proper care will
last so years.
To mix these cements, piece of
ground should be cleaned and made
level Immediately in front of the en-.
trance of the house to be floor ed, and
on this spot make long trough Of
one board for the bottom 10 by Ii
and two IA inch by Aft. long, these
form the sides which are nailed to
stakes drove down into the ground
on the outside of said boards, the
ends are closed with boards and
stakes in similar way nave the
slack and plaster in two piles, all
hands ready, mix with six or seven
shovels and away to the worl<men
appointed to lay it on the floor. In
that country on about three inches
deep of q species of round reed cult
waited for the purpose, we have some
thing still better in this country
allude to the southern swamp cane,
that we use for our common pipe