The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1888-05-05
HOMES IN lLEXICO,
PIcTUREsouENEss VERSUS LACK OF
VENTILATION AND DRAINAGE.

Tho Pleasures OF Life Behind Adobe
Walls-Floors and Cellings-A Great
Lack of Household Conveniences-Sey-
eral Very Serious Drawbacks,
Let us penetrate within an average dwell
ing With the door knocker we waken the
echoes, and the hall porter la1ly arises from
the sheepskln stretched on the stone flags
wlthin-sometimeS his downy couch is the
soft side of plank by way of varety-and
comes to take peep at us. Perhaps he looks
through little wicket, or, if this is wanting,
he opens the door n hands breadth, further
intrusion being prevented by heavy chain
hooked from one post to the other If we
ar" sentc decente-the right sort of people
""are admitted The arched tunnel like ell
trance way has on one side stationary form
"i masonry or n movable settee, and on the
: other opens the porterS lodge, where he and
his family live, and Very likely carry ON in
the one room tailoring, book binding or some
other trade, US does the French concierge.
Very often an elaborate iron gate of scroll
work ut the inner extreme of the zap,,nn
7 affords an additional protection against
Thieves, mad dogs, wild cattle or other
hlarauders, Beyond this is the gradrang,lar
court, or patio, on which as a general rule
I All the living ROOMS open. Often one side at
least Is sklrted by an arched portal or corri-
! uor, very pleasant and ample for family
| gatherings especially in the tropics, where
tins is the tavorite rendezvous of the house.
hold. During the day it is shaded bv can.
vas curtains, which are often wctted to pro.
I mote GOODNESS. as arc also the flags of the
/ pavement Here goes on sewing, reading,
games or what not. These corridors arc
often given mural decoration of painting,
representing orange trees, pot plants, vines
| climbing over lattice work. and similar OBJ
letts, while ut the rear of tho patio masking
tho interior Zaguan, screen of masonry is
painted to carry out tho perspective.
ul"hlhG upon the patio, light is generally
| >uppilcd to rooms i'll Mexican houses through
half s;.shcd doors rather than windows,
winch, except on the facade, are seldom seen,
! save perhaps, curious little openings of oval.
! circular, trctoil ur other odd shapes, grated
rather than glazed. The doors open from
the middle, each leaf being glazed in its UP
| per half, i'll the more pretentious dwellings,
ana they are secured by upper and lower
bolts the latter, high up, provided with
| ring; and chains for drawing them. The in
hrr Jalnbs are fitted with projecting castings,
;iiordng recess on either side, into which
/
| which, With id To drop down over tho
tlansom, where trnlisom exists, exclude the
| light SO completely as to beautify the So
JourninG amateur photographer, who finds
his dark room ready made, without the adj
vcnt'tions a'l Of blankets and such contrap-
li"n,. Pa'Ilocks, large and solid, arc in high
FAVOR ior securing house doors, or else locks
"i massive design, with kces II foot or more
| long and heavy enough tn serve as a weapon
| most offensive. The door knobs are gener-
! ANY not door knobs at all, but queer littlo
| rtIi'lfuc SLAPPED brass handles, and all the
metal iitiinSs seem wonderfully quaint and
| clumsy 10y comparison with the trim finish
| To which The American eye is accustomed
tl'"i'S are almost always, save in the rla.
| l!olml capital, of red biick tiles square, hex
| ''1nnai or "bl"nS, sometimes painted in pat
terms; Those ri halls aud corridors are often
| st"u" iltS@"i, ulrl the rare ones of wood are,
! KNOWN. al i'A'Nt IN the interior, as american
i!m'r- The interior wulls are generally
painted in distcmper, ],aneled, tiadoe, and
| ii'icAr,l, often decorated with an ull over de-
sign III stencil The ceilings arc fourteen to
twenty feet above the floor, and few indeed
are the roulns outside the City of Mexico
| wherein the ratters are not Conspicuous
crossed by the layers, row after row, now of
| cane, now of small sticks or brush, now of
shades, close land which support the earth
| and mortar, n foot to yard thick, which con-
s'Hu'r TIM Hat roof. These rnfters, called
! his'!N. are sometimes the rough, unhewn
| '''i1k> III trees, USUALLY cedar; sometimes
/ even III h;'i!nsome houses. they are only
rnai"d roughly; agam they are wrought
oi."in!ly Y. uli-d or stained, and pricke,l on,
I %in gliding.
! = 4, II. 81
/ 'w :iI' not dangerous or uncomfortable to
/ ".l,nh The watcrspoutS are strangely effect
4 !v' a. p:".urcs'iucne,s being heavy troughs
"t iiae"Mry whl"h project from the coping
l,"ari. yard. in order To discharge the rain.
/ ls!I I;.t" The street beyond the range of ne
| 'tts,rirG. or late Mexican utillt:triauis1u.
! whlri: IS vastly comprehensive and practical
/ notwithstanding American preconccived
a.eas I" the contrary, has applied to the pul-
r. "i supplementary pipes the tin of old
4 ti"rpSc.lr vuli, III winch "A brisk trade has
| sprung H.. ;'""lting!y.
4 Iilt avcraS" American housewife whose
] .;l'"a." i, ip',,t"l III Il Mexican built e,!iiice.
| iild, her i"t :, MAJ iyro"m through the ,,so-
/ lti" absence ut close! room o!' other Der1la-
! f"ilt place u storage. On the other hand
! i'iIci N"Nh':"ii Of SPIRIT Is aEu!drti Lv tho
| construction Of kitrt..!is with statiuuar.
I ii.' ;:iIgv. sink, charcoal bins. etc In tir
/ iistLS rooms lii"!':st'e, are non r,t invcnttiS
| nrnA.; 'ire,n"d Il Il 'lm's OF Satan for the in
yni'r d! health. bn The. other hand certain
sanitary conditions c"cmcd of tie utmost
| tl."!t..nc" by the most enlightened G,tl,.ns
I AZ n: To" many part, of Mexico totally iu-
n,rcd
/ Ih" drainage uu', the cs,..n1inI Offices are
4 cnlmly passed hy on III" other side. and th.
,ieMrh from sewers, ressluo.;' etc, j., some
/ tnin. uwIul. Ventilation. too, is regarded
~ 1t >upcrlltipus iuNrIlv. and in the case Of
! si,'"i,!ig rooms nS positively deleteriuus
Another drawback OF Mexican houses is
I iuclt' in""nvenicnt arrangement, due to lack
I al passages iI"tween the rooniS. In order to
a." iar.or> and drawing rooms gaze upon
tie street Il Na>t deal of space Is wasted, ol>
al least devoted To merely supeliluous ante
chambers. Wilde very often access is had to
dining room, or sleeping apartments only
| through other chambers the which, even in
family circles. j, hardly agreeable or condu-
rive to desirable privacy
I \ clos. observer can but remark the little
lsi, carpentry plays III Mexican blilding.
Door ami window castings are built in with
the walls themselves, and the little wood
""rk "t the roof is {. matter very simply
adjusted. Nail, ar" almost an eliminated
factor V!to>c used are the ire nails OF
'i'rii.an origin hIt they are very slarsely
ri>'riiu,c,i. Tli., Mexican is Il born sailor in
- much II, concerns the art ut iashing. and
wherever he can max" Il rope or Il thong do
ritv for Il nail he employs tie cordagc-Y.
III Ad!i> i'll San Francisco Chronicle.
Tie Sauce He Wanted.
Worcestershire sauce, sah:' asked the at.
tentre prospective fleece i'll an insinuatinm