The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1871-12-27

With high wind. such as We very often have.
sweeps With irresistible fury and even our buil-
ings Of brick and stone afford very little resist
ance 70 Gre. When once it gets inside, e='egy-
thing is consumed and oply the bare walk tre
left Every year millions q property ars de-
stroyed BY Are, much Of which might be avoided
by better building.
Bat !, is not only in security. but in providing
for convenience and health that we are deficient
The houses OF the wealthy are well provided with
the means Of comfort, though there Is great de-
icieuey in ventilation which our modern luruace
system OF heating renders doubly necessary. while
our ordinary dwellings are commonly ia assaaged,
and the tenement houses in urlarge cities. where
hundreds OF the poorer classes are crowded to-
gether. are simply abominable and Disgrace 70
anything calling itself civilization. We are bo-
ginning to learn the value og broad streets. and
in our older cities millions are yearly spent ia
widening the lanes which were dignfed with the
name Of streets. the model Of which care from
the cities Of the old world bat we have not ret
invented a smooth, missels and permanent pave
ment for them, so that there is an immense deal
Of wear and constant pulling up asd putting
down; nor have We yet got the best wayof trans
portatiOn Of passengers and traffic from one pa=t
Of large city to another.
Or. Franklin somewhere expresses the opinion
that buildings ought to beerected 10 stand hun
dred years Except in the cases OF some public
edidces, we doubt the wisdom Of bis opinion. Our
ideas Of comfort and convenience are prneres-
sive. In our modern buildings we want water and
gas which we're unknown in Franklins tine.
Another generation will perhaps want heat dis
tributed through its dwellings; and thorough
ventilation will be another Of its demands. To-
gether with other conyeeisnces nov unthought
Of When such Improvements are awaiting Us il
is hardly worth while to erect massive structures
to last two or three generations. Even nov the
buildings in the streets are torn down To make
room for better ones every twenty years or 90.
though by means worn out. Il is indeed
doubtful whether any building ought to BE- occu-
pied by human beings so long a time as a cen
tury 1t is found that hospitals after being occu-
pid certain time, become so Impregnited in
their walls and floors with the germs Of disease as
10 become sources OF injection instead Of cure
The same must be the case with our ordinary
tenement houses. and perhaps, though 10 a less
degree, the lodgment Of human cfilayia in our or
iiuary dwellings must render them unhealthy.
Each generation perhaps ought, from sanitary
TO erect It's own dwellings A.
any rate. the sad experience Of Portland and CHI
,ago ought to teach US to avoid the terrible dis
asters to which they have been subjected. A
,ity Of wooden buildings, with an indammabls
pavement ramifyiug through them, ought not to
be built twice upon the same spot. and FOR the
deal city OF the future, combining security. con
'enence, health, easy communication. thorough
sewerage, abundant light aud heat. well arranged
md adapted public and private edifees, we must
iwait the Developments Of time.-N p. SlB,d.