Los Cerrillos rustler. (Cerrillos, N.M.) 188?-1891, 1889-01-10

~~r8sus rrshirn.
The great fires IN Ncw Eugiard
furnish cFidenre % the a~isuriiiy of the
KERN fre-proof huildinrs' a. generally
applied. said . veteran contractor.
''Every one % those burned structures.
Which the flames licked up 10 ravcnous-
". we're. a. the time of their erection.
pronouncsi thoroughly ire-proof. The
trrm i really without significance. A
hAyst@ck Or a under-box might a. wcli
b. proclaimed hrc-proof a. many Of the
great buildings hat tower skyward
along our business streets Iron. b.
cause Of is malleabla qualities. and
granite, FROM il liability 20 crack when
overseated. arr Just as dangerous and
destructihle In the event Of a big confa-
grafton as the lightest wood Vet a real
hre-proof building Is not. on that az
count an imPoSsibility The invention
Of so-called hollow bricks has produced
a means by which houses may. with
proper ~precaution. be rendered impreg-
nahle TO the ~devouring element
'Of course, II = building Il 10 be- quite
hre-proof IL must he constructed u ma
terials tina. are not only incombustible.
but also perfect in respect OF ~tonAcity
and durability when subjected 10 excess
i've heat. For this purpose we must sup
pose the outer Nall Of our model house
10 be OF brick. and. while iron will. of
course, remain essential for girders.
columns and beams. these must be in
cased In from two 10 three inches OF
burnt clay material. No that every parti-
Gle Of homework shall 10 covered. This
briok-work is thoroughly fire-proof, but
10 insure still greater security the
bricks must contain cavities in their
centers. which win not only increase
their lightness, but. by furnishing air
ducts, act as i~nsulators that will stay
the progress OF heat
The partitions o. this ideal building
must rest on hre-proof floors and be made
Of burnt-clay blocks. Furring blocks
OF the same material must be substituted
for the usual wooden Turing along the
inside OF the exterior walls, and the roof
must be OF thick, porous, tcrra-cotta
bricks. The floors are, OF course, a very
important feature OF the structure; but
II they are made Of rolled iron beams.
properly spaced and thoroughly pro-
tected by hollow burnt-clay arches, war
ran they will be absolutely inyulnor-
able. The woodwork. OF course, may
= atch fire; so may the curtains, carpets.
chairs, tables and what not that al the
room, But IL will be impossible for the
flame To spread. Floor, ceiling and
walls-all will present surfaces that are
really and truly ire-proof, and your
building will stand complete and secure.
II you don't believe that such a pile
would endure even q century Of fiery
rain build one yourself and see
'But there's still another and equally
valuable virtue in hollow bricks. IL Is
the immunity from coid and dampness
which a building thus constructed en-
joys. The air cells in the center Of
every brick absolutely prevent rain or
moisture froHn p%ermeating the walls.
The roof, too, Is rain-proof, and in the
God time coming, when every we'll
regulated household will embody this
excellent feature, there will be NO such
thing as water-soaked ceilings and rain
stained walls. just rs these bricks can
not carry heat. 80 they are n protector
against cold. Tho air that Is within
them can not by any means conduct the
frigidity OF the outside world into the
home circle. Boreas win roar in vain
around the chimney-pots OF the family
housed in u hollow-bricked snuggcry.
One thing more, these bricks are inn
pervious to- sound. Your neighbor may
sing all day about the unfortunate man
who was dressed in his best suit OF
clothes, and you viii never know It. Or
the baby may squall in sixty different
sharps and fats from midnight till the
dawning, and you, sleeping soundly in
the next room, will suppose the infant,
too, in Sunderland. The tones OF the
tintinnabulating pianos and medieval
hand-organs can never penetrate
through hollow bricks. Can you, in
view OF all this. doubt that the millen'
NAL age IL knocking at our hollow.
bricked patp ?"-philadelphia Record.