The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-02-12
Our Dwellings.

HAVING found a healthy site for
dwelling, we wish to know how to con-
struct it that we may secure health and
comfort, what materials should we use,
wood, brick or stone. A frame house or
n house of wood permits cold air aswell
as hot to penetrate its walls and will not
protect us from the cold blasts of winter
as well as brick or stone. In our recent
war it was found that the sick and
wounded in barracks recovered less rap
idly than those in tents. In civil life,
those who are Injured to an airy dwell
ing are more vigorous and hale than
those who live in houses tightly built of
brick and stone. For several reasons
we prefer wooden house, having stone
foundations laid we'll in cement and
having its cellar floors made impervious
to gas and water. Brick is very porous,
and permits water to be absorbed and
pass through its limits, unless the outer
part is covered with impervious paint.
Observers have often noticed that sand
stone and brick allow gases to pass free
ly through them, while granite and
limestone and other building stones
nearly exclude gas and moisture that
may be deposited upon its surface. I'm
der ordinary circumstances this is
surely true, but under extraordina-
ry circumstances it may not be.
Gas and moisture can be forced
through brick, stone and iron. Wall
papers are Objectionable on the ground
that they absorb moisture and organic
matters. This objection nearly disap-
pears in well-ventilated houses, unless it
be those in which persons having infec-
tious maladies may live. And still
painted, calcimined, or white-washed
rooms are more salubrious than those
whose walls are covered by any kind of
absorbing paper. Covering the walls of
dwellings repeatedly, layer upon layer,
with paper, presents a large and deep
absorbing surface.
The first thing to be done in con-
structing healthy dwelling is to pro-
tect its foundation from dampness. I'm
derdraining and an underlayer of con-
crete, consisting of broken stone COW
cred with cement, secures this valuable
result. Many other means have been
used to secure this result more perfectly
Double walls protect better than thick
walls against changes of heat and cold.
Air is q good non-conductor, so we have
double doors and windows. And so the
body Of air between the inner and outer
walls is a poorer conductor than solid
wall would be. The space between the
two walls should be three inches; a long
stone should cross this interval every
foot or two, to give the wall strength
and firmness.
The ceiling of the cellar should be
1athed and plastered. The cellar should
be divided into several rooms for various
purposes-one for milk, one for vegeta.
bles, one for fruit. Each room should
be well ventilated, having an inlet Of
pure air and an outlet of impure. In
the rooms above the cellar the SANG
general principles should be regarded
Each room should have at least one win.
dow on each of two sides. Every room
of any size should have an open fire
place as an outlet of vitiated air. The in
let of pure air should be near the ceiling
80 as to drive the impure down and force
it up the chimney. Every sleeping anC
keeping room should have an open fire
place. The kitchen chimney should
have double ilue--one for the smok,
and the adjacent one, having only thu
thickness of a brick between, for ventila
ton.
A very important point is proper roof
ing. The slope is often not enough b
prevent leakage, especially in winter
when snow and ice accumulate upon it
surface, near the cutters, and stop tn,
free flowing of water into the conduct
Ors. Very often the cutters are to,
level. SO that the water remains in then