Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-03-21
HOMES IN MEXICO,
plcTuREsoUENEss VERSUS LACK OF
 VENTILATION AND DRAINAGE,

The Measures or AlIe Behind Adobe
 valls-FIoors and Ceilings-A Great
 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 peep at us. Perhaps he looks through little wicket, or, if this is wanting, he opens the door hands breadth, further intrusion being prevented by a heavy chain hooked from one post to the other If we are gente 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 gradrangular court, or patio, on which as a general rule all the living roonis open. Often one side at
 
 dor, very pleasant and ample for family gatherings, especially ill 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 mural decoration of painting, representing orange trees, pot plants, vines climbing over lattice work, and similar 'ob- jects, while at the rear of the patio, masking the inferior zaguan, 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 or other odd shapes, grated rather than glazed The doors open from the middle, each leaf being glazed in its up per half, ill the more pretentious 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 castings, aHOrdlng recess on either side, into which fold snugly away paneled solid shutters, which, with lid to drop down over the transom, where transom exists, exclude the light so completely as to beautify the so- journing amateur photographer, who finds his dark room ready made, without the ad- ventitious aid of blankets and such contrap- tions Padlocks, large and solid, are in high favor for securing house doors, or else locks of massive design, with keys a foot or more 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 na- tiOnal capital, of red brick tiles, square, hex agonal or oblong, sometimes painted in pat terms; those of halls and corridors are often stone Jagged, and the rare ones of wood are known, at least ill the interior, as American hoors." The interior walls are generally painted in distemper, paneled, dadoed and friezed, often decorated with an all over de- sign ill stencil. The ceilings are fourteen to twenty feet above the floor, and few indeed are the rooms outside the City of Mexico wherein the rafters are not conspicuous, crossed by the layers, row after TOW, now of cane, now of small sticks or brush, now of 'shades," close laid, which support the earth and mortar, a foot to yard thick, which con- stitute the flat roof. These rafters, called vigas, are sometimes the rough, unhewn trunks of trees, usually cedar; sometimes, even ill handsome houses. they are only shaped roughly; again they are wrought carefully, oiled or stained, and pricked out with gliding.
 The stairs are mostly of stone, wide, shal- low and not dangerous or uncomfortable to climb. The waterspouts are strangely effect iveas to picturesqueness, being heavy troughs of masonry which project from the coping nearly yard, in order to discharge the rain- fall into the street beyond the range of pc destrians. Of late Mexican utilitarianisln, which is vastly comprehensive and practical, notwithstanding American preconceived ideas to the contrary, has applied to the pur- pose of supplementary pipes the tin of old kerosene cans, in which a brisk trade has sprung up accordingly.
 The average American housewife whose menage is located in a Mexican built edifce, finds her lot a martyrdOm through the abso- lute absence of closet room or other perma- nent place of storage. On the other hand much vexation of spirit is avoided by the construction of kitchens with stationary fire range, sink, charcoal bins, etc. In the living rooms fireplaces are non est inventus, being deemed device of Satan for the in- jury of health. On the other hand, certain sanitary conditions deemed of the utmost importance by the most enlightened nations are ill too many parts of Mexico totally ig- nored.
 The drainage and the essential offices are calmly passed by on the other side, and the stench from sewers cesspools, etc., is some thing awful. Ventilation, too, is regarded as supsrfuous luxury, and ill the case of sleeping rooms as positively deleterious. Another drawback of Mexican houses is their inCOnvenient arrangement, due to lack of passages between the rooms. In order to have parlors and drawing rooms gaze upon the street vast deal of space is wasted, or at least devoted to merely superfuous ante- chambers, while very often access is had to dining rooms or sleeping apartments only through other chambers, the which, even in family circles, is hardly agreeable or condu- cive to 8 desirable privacy.
 A close observer can but remark the little part carpentry plays ill Mexican building. Door and window castings are built in with the walls themselves and the little wood work of the roof is a matter very simply adjusted Nails are almost an eliminated factor. Those used are the wire nails of German origin, but they are very sparsely distributed. The Mexican is a born sailor in SO much as concerns the art of flashing, and wherever he can make rope or thong do duty for nail he employs the cordage.-Y. H. Addis i'm San Francisco Chronicle.