Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-06-26
ROOFS OF CITY HOUSES.
A Physician Recommends That the House
tops he Turned Inuo Playground.

N PHYSICIAN heCouitnetuh tutl the hOust-
tops he Turned Into Fairgrounds.
DR. G]uuverneuT NJ. Smith has contri-
buted TO a recent number OF The Medical
Record IN interesting and suggestive
paper The main point Of tins article Is
thai by ueglecung 10 make the roofs OF
the houses places OF safety and pleasantly
habltabie New Workers mss the best
and most readily available opportunity
open to them Of enjoying fresh sunshine
in moderate weather and fresh and COM
parativoIy cool an during the sweltering
heats Of summer.
DR.. Smith Describes the state Of things
which all New Workers know when he
speaks OF the clark closet with precipit-
Gus ladder leading TO the scuttle, rarely
entered and assembled except by work.
men to repair the roof" In a private
dwelling Of the smallest size habitually
built on this island. the root has an area
as large rs that of the yard, immeasur-
ably better lighted and aired, and intrin-
sically a IA. better place as a playground
for children or a resort for adults in
pleasant or IN oppreSsively hot weather.
That Is TO say, in the houses most favor
ably circumstanced for light and air, ne-
half of the available breathing space Of
the city, excluding the streets, Is abso-
lutely wasted. In tie more expensive
and extensive dwellings the case is
worse, because the yard is contracted as
the house Is extended. until in most cases
1t amounts to little more than an air
shaft, and Is not available at all as a
place Of recreation.
In the tenement houses the case Is far
worse. Nobody who has ever visited the
back yard OF n in the more ~pUpulous
quarters Of the city would even there
after think Of it as a playground or a
breathing space or a place Of resort for
rest and refreshment Yet the choice
for these purposes is practically between
this place, one-third the area Of the
house, and the street. while the house.
top. three times as large rs the yard and
in every respect more eligible, is, abso-
lutely wasted, so far as concerns any pre-
cautions taken for its use and enjoyment
by the builder, vino nevertheless prides
himself upon his economy OF room.
1t is no wonder that Dr Smith asks
whether architectural ingenuity, coached
by sanitary science" cannot 'coutrive
some method Of using the thousands OF
acres OF huusetops on this island so that
roofs can he made additionally useful at
certain seasons by aiiordIng outdoor rec
reation and protection from invalidlsm !"
Really il seems as il architectural Inge-
nuity had been exerted IN the opposite
direction, for there is no difficulty in the
way Of achieving this result New York
is already a flat rooted CITY All that Is
absolutely needed to I'VE IL ouf into
the pleasantest parts Of the house after
the sun goes down m sulnmer and while
the sun is up during the spring and au-
tumn, is perhaps slightly 10 increase
their structural strength, TO cover them
with some material that shall be practi.
cable as a pavement, TO provide decent
and commodious access TO them by con.
| tinuing to the roof the main stairway of
the house, and to provide a parapet that
will obyiate any danger Of falling by
children or careless persons. The cost OF
all this is not worth counting in CON-
parison 10 the benefits 10 be derived from
New York Times.