The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-04-05


Lack of Household Conveniences-Sev-
eral Very Serious Drawbacks.
Let us penetrate within an average dwell
ing With the door knocker we waken the
echoes, and the hall porter lazily arises from
the sheepskin stretched on the stone flags
within-sometimes his downy couch is the
soft side of plank by way of variety-and
comes TO take a peep at us. Perhaps he looks
through little wicket or, if this is wanting,
he opens the door a hands breadth, further
intrusion being prevented by a heavy chain
hooked from one post to the other If we
are genie decente-the right sort of people
we are admitted. The arched tunnel like en-
| trance way has on one side stationary form
of masonry or a movable settee, and on the
other opens the porter's lodge, where he and
his family live, and very likely carry on in
the one room tailoring, bookbinding or some
other trade, as does the French concierge.
Very often an elaborate iron gate of scroll
| work at the inner extreme of the zaguan
| affords an additional protection against
thieves, mad dogs, wild cattle or other
| marauderS. Beyond this is the grGdrangular
court, or patio on which as a general rule
| all the living ROOMS open. Often one side at
| least is skirted by an arehcd portal or corri-
dor, very pleasant and ample for family
gatherings, especially in the tropics, where
| this is the favorite rendezvous of the house
hold. During the day it is shaded by can
| vas curtains, which are often wetted to pro-
mote coolnesS, as are also the flags of the
pavement. Here goes on sewing, reading,
games or what not. These corridors are
often given a mural decoration of painting,
representing orange trees, pot plants, vines
climbing over lattice work, and similar OBJ
jects, while at the rear of the patio, masking
the inferior zaguan, a screen of masonry is
painted to carry out the perspective.
Opening upon the patio, light is generally
supplied to rooms in Mexican houses through
half sashed doors rather than windows,
which, except on the facade, are seldom seen,
save perhaps, curious little openings of oval,
circular trefoil on other odd shapes, grated
rather than glazed. The doors open from
} the middle, each leaf being glazed in its up
per half, in the more pretenGious dwellings,
, and they are secured by upper and lower
bolts, the latter, high up, provided with
rings and chains for drawing them. The in
ner jambs are fitted with projecting casings
, affording a recess on either side into which
fold snugly away pancled solid shutters,
which, with a lid to drop down over the
transom, where transom exists, exclude the
light SO completely as to beautify the So
iourning amateur photographer, who finds
his dark room ready made, without the ad-
ventitious aid of blankets and such contrap-
lions. Padlocks, large and solid, are in high
! favor for securing house DOORS or else locks
of massive design, with keys foot or mere
long and heavy enough to serve as weapon
most offensive. The door knobs are gener-
ally not door knobs at all, but queer little
curlicue shaped brass handles, and all the
, metal fittings seem wonderfully quaint and
clumsy by comparison with the trim finish
to which the American eye is accustomed.
Floors are almost always, save in the ma
tional capital, of red brick tiles, square, hex
agonal or oblong, sometimes painted i'll pat
terms; those of halls and corridors are often
stone tagged, and the rare ones of wood are
known, at least in the interior, as American
o floors" The interior walls are generally
painted in distemper, paneled, dadoed ano
friezed, often decorated with an all over de
sign in stencil. The ceilings are fourteen tc
twenty feet above tho floor, and few indeed
h are the rooms outside the City of Mexico
wherein the rafters are not conspicuous
crossed by the layers, row after row, now OF
cane, now of small sticks or BRUSH now OF
shades close laid, which support the earth
:, and mortar, foot to yard thick, which con
= stitute the fiat roof. These rafters, called
:, vigas, are sometimes the rough, unhewI
trunks Of trees, usually cedar; sometimes
even in handsome houses. they are only
~ shaped roughly; again they are wrough
carefully, oiled OF stained, and pricked GU
with gliding.
The stairs are mostly of stone, wide, shall
low and not dangerous or uncomfortable t.
e climb. The waterspouts are strangely effect
i've as picturesqueness, being heavy trough
'e of masonry which project from the copin;
nearly a yard, in order to discharge the rain
fall into the street beyond the range of pc
u destrians OF late Mexican utilitarianism
,e which is vastly comprehensive and practical
Z Notwithstanding American preconceive
ideas to the contrary, has applied to the pun
It pose of supplementary pipes the tin of oil
= kerosene cans, in which a brisk trade ha
J" sprung up accordingly.
The average American housewife who's
menage is located in Mexican built edifice
finds her lot martyrdom through the absC
~ lutte absence of closet room or other perme
l., nent place of storage On the other hanC
" much vexation Of spirit is avoided by til
construction of kitchens with stationar
fire range, sink charcoal bins, etc. Ii til
y, ~ living rooms fireplaces are non est inventu;
- being deemed device of Satan for the il
Jury Of health. On the other hand, certai
sanitary conditions deemed OF the utmo;
Importance by the most enlightened nation
are in too many parts Of Mexico totally ie
nored.
The drainage and the essential offices al
ne calmly passed by on the other side, and th
I. stencil from sewers, cesspools, etc, is somt
ID thing awful Ventilation, too, is regarde
as & superhuous luxury, and in the case {
is sleeping rooms as positively deleteriou
Vn Another drawback of Mexican houses
their inconvenient arrangement, due to lac
e.) of passages between the rooms. In order
VI have parlors and drawing rooms gaze upo
the street vast deal of space is wasted, {
at least devoted to merely superfiuous ant
chambers, while very often access is had
g, dining rooms or sleeping apartments onl
through other chambers the which, even
family circles, is hardly agreeable or condl
st Give to desirable privacy.
.s- A close observer can but remark the lit
ou part carpentry plays in Mexican building
IS, Door and window castings are built in wit
1T, the walls themselves, and the little woo
w work of the roof is a matter very simpl
adjusted Nails are almost an eliminate
Tboca ,,Cad are fhe wire nails