River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-01-25

From the Reading PENN Eagle.
George t. Huston, Of PArkesburg,
Chester county, Penn, viii build pal-
atial private mansion 70 himselfentire-
ly Of iron, the foundations being ofsolid
rock. The architect is an Englishman
whom Mr.. Huston recently met while
abroad. The iron work is now being
turned out az Cortesville, as the super
structure is to be of iron entirely. The
floor of the hall, vestibule and library
will be laid with POLISHED cast iron tiles.
in which different qualities Of iron will
be rsed to produce the same variety of
color as in ordinary tile flooring. All
| the other floors of the house will be Of
stout iron plates firmly boited to the iron
iosts. The outside wall and inside par
| titions all through the structure VIII be
composed of two courses Of iron
Mat es firmly bolted together, so
as to be airtight These hollow iron
walls and partiti ms will be used instead
of chimneys and for conveying heat to
different parts of the house and for ven
| tilation. The hot smoke and gases from
| the furnaces passing through the sides
| of the room in this way viii, it is
claimed be most sufficient to keep the
| house comfortable in the coolest wealth
er. so that the heating can be done with
one hal the fuel required in ordinary
houses Al the doors and window
sashes viii also be iron, but will be con-
| ructed in such Il light way and so nice-
| IL balanced upon hinges and weights as
| to open and shut as easily as those made
| of wood. All the inside walls and par
| titions viii be handsomely painted and
| frescoed so rs to present the appearance
| of any ordinary house finished in plas-
| ter. Outside, the style ofarchitecture
will be light and graceful, and 1t will be
| painted and ornamented so as to look
as if It was built of wood.
| The roof will be of strong
Loier-plate, and on the top, at the con-
| veigeuce OF the four gables will be a
| handsome conservatory, supported atthe
| four corners by four Ionic pillars of non.
| Inside the ornaments will be made OF
the same material. In the parlor VIII
| be mantel of polished steel, handsome
| Nv ornamented. There viii be similar
/ one in the dining upon which VIII
| he engraved hunting scenes. In the
! library will be massive mantel. so con-
| structed that it will look as ii it were
| made OF pig-iron fused together. Quite
a curiosity in this room will be eablne;
| for the exhibition of specimens OF iron
| This will be constructed entirely Of
| strongly magnetized iron, SO that II the
specimens will adhere to the back Of it.
| held in place solely by magnetic attrac-
ton. In order to guard against the
bulgling which would take place
| in such solid iron structure
on account of the contraction and
expansion caused by the heat and cold
there will be breads in the iron at inter
| walls, which viii be filled with rubber
Sc that when expansion takes place
/ there will be room for it without pro.
ducing any change in the contour of the
framework. As much as possible Of the
furniture will also be Of iron, so that il j
| take fire in any part. nothing can burn
but the carpets and the few articles o.
| wood that may be in reach of the fiames
/ The house will be an architectural and
scientific curiosity. Mr.. Huston admits
that it may cost twice or three times al
| much as an ordinary house, but claims
that with little attention it will last tol
| centuries without repairs, and viii
| never cost cent for insurance.