New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-01-16

The Proper Constructor Of Houses.
At the late session of the National Health
Association, in Baltimore, The following
valuable paper was read by DR.. Ezra w
Hunt, n. D.:
In the construction of the modern dwell
inR-hOuse taste and convenience, however
important, should be subsidiary to sanitary
considerations. The true function OF a
dwelling is to assist rather than to super
sede nature and where it is made, as 1t toe
often is, to exclude air, sunlight, and Ger
tain degree of moisture, it attempts tee
much, The right philosophy ia to Dwell
within it, a. We do within our garments
and thereby seek TO regulate temperature
and to protect from extreme exposure. The
popular idea upon the subject is quite dit.
ferent. Circulation, temperature. and the
laws of inseneible moisture are habltua!ly
hampered to such degree that alternate
dryness and dampness are too often the Only
atimospherical condition of the interior.
Bad rs is the tenement house OF our over
crowded citice, there are faults in the build
ius of our brown stone fronts that are
equally as erroneous, if not full as hurttul.
The romantic old farm houses Of the cOun-
try, with their wide fireplaces and other adj
iuncte, are also lacking in sanitary excel
Ieuces. The first principle to be observed
in the work of construction was that all
special arrangements for heating OF ventila-
ton are merely accessory to the one prOmi-
nent idea of making the house itself the
best possible apparatus for health. Con
structi0p, locality, soil and material must
all be decided upon in turn, before the in-
terror arrangements, upon which 30 much
stress is usually laid, come to be considered
The first point to be considered was the
foundation. In digging cellar or form
ing q basement, care should be taken
that the ground in the vicinity should be
we'll drained. A disregard of this important
essential leads, as was shown by the eani
tary statistics of New York and other great
cities, to the most fatal results. Drains
should be arranged under the building.
outside, and around the walls, in sufficient
number and calibre and fall to dry soil W.
naturally shaded, as to counteract the ad-
ditional moisture which occupancy entails
upon it. As air, in the ground as well as
out of it, is the medium of evaporation or
the chief regulator of heat and moisture, a
series Of air tubes or pneumatic pipes, and
70 elevated and protected in their outer
Openings as to admit nothing but air, have
curing greater circulation and dryness.
The walls of sub-cellar or basement
should theoretically be porous throughout,
bot - this preeuppOses degree of exterior
drainage, which is too often wanting, the
plan commonly adopted is to build the
basement wall IS solid and impervious as
possible IN order to keep back the flow of
water from the outside. Masonery to an
ewer this requisite must be Of thickness in
proportion to outside oakage and be con-
creled and grouted with the most i'm
penetrable of cement. Limestone, double
wall, is made with q space between, con-
nected with the outer air. This arrangement
will answer if the outside Of the outer wall
is 60 imperviOus as to exclude water. An
other plan was to fill the space with vitri6ed
thin brick, the porosity of the latter afford
ing space for air, while an extra septum
WAS formed by the glazed surface, The
surface of the basement should be con-
creted in the same manner and for the same
purpose. Our chief dependence for dryness
and ventilation is to have the floor raised
from the concrete bottom go as t. allow
air circulation from the outside by air boxes
or tubes beneath and wainscOating or
furred of walls on the sides, giving space
for such extra introduction of air or sun
light from the top or lid OF the box as will
cOupensste for its exclusion at the sides.
Care is also taken that at the adjacent
parts where these apertures occur no sur
Dlus water falls from roof or outside, and
that surface wet be carried Oft by tagging
and grading inclining from the house AS
BY the laws of absorption and capillary at
traction the moisture in the ground wall
will rise above the ground level, the same
kind of wall is usually carried to the height
OF the basement. Basement windows should
be capacious, and reach nearly to the cell
ing, and be capable of being either raised
or lowered. There should seldom be less
than eight feet in the clear between the
floor and the ceiling of the basement. and
at. least half of this space should be above
the ground level. Dried kiln and close
Joined wood is the best material for the floor
of this portion of the house. Especial care
should DO taken that the inside walls
ehould be 80 constructed as to compensate
for the imperviable outside wall by aiding
in securing evaporation and dryness. In q
sanitary point Of view the chief requisite
for these walls 10 NON absolvence of moisture
and sufiicient smoothness to avoid catching
and fastening dujt or light floating material.
mo usual lime and hair mortar with lime
and card partly covering . stucco wall, 10
probably the best for inner walls although
tho hair at present furnished is sometimes
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