Mower County transcript., 1890-07-16
DWELLING HOUSES
Nov 90 Construct Them to Keep Ont rats
and Exclude Cold and Dust.


How l TO Construot Them to Keep Ont rats
and Exclude Cold and d ust.
4 have been builder for the past
thirty years, writes a. w. Page to the
nav York Evening Post, and have given
= great deal of attention to the better
Cvotection Of dwelling houses In the way
g Keeping out cold, odors, coal and ash
aust and especially rats and mice, from
the basement and cellars, also ii maxi
Ing them, not tlre-proof, but .'slow
burning" have worked ct house,
building most Of the time for over thir.
ty years, and for the past fifteen years
with this object in view. When occa-
stonally suggest the idea Of keeping rats
and mice out OF house, I am told it can
not tie done. On the house that I am
now building asked the mason to
40 the work in . certain way around
the chimney, giving my reason;
he said I could not keep mice out Of
house. I told him 1t must be dono, as
was under obligation to pay dollar
for every one found in the house. I
think 1t Is practicable, and with little
care can be done; also to take somo pre-.
cautions against fire. One could not
contrive more perfect system Of arr
ranging q quantity Of lumber to have it
burn quickly than by using it to con-
struct modern house. The open spaces
In the outside walls between the board
ing and plastering, and in the parti-
tions, and between the floor timbers,
form a. perfect network of tlues. If q
fire starts in the lowest part Of the
house, those flues, with the .shavipgs
and chips that are usually left there,
carry the fire to the attic and roof in
stantly; or, II 1t starts above, the coal
and fragments OF fire fall down through
those fiues, and spreading the fire very
rapidly.
In the old-fashioned houses, that were
tuilt with large posts, beams and floor
timbers, there were not so many OF
these flues; consequently there were
more chances for extinguishing the fire,
or at least more time to save household
goods and perhaps life. / have in mind
one of those old houses that took fire
not long ago beneath the floor; the fire
was confined there and put out before 1t
had time to spread. In a modern house
it would have followed those natural
fues to the roof very quickly. 1t is
we'll known how quickly fire will fol-
low ventilator or elevator shaft; in
the same way it follows the above-de.
scribed partitions and wall-flues in q
house.
The suggestions that have to offer
as an improvement in house-building
are simply to let the lining floors in
each story extend to the outside board
ings, and lay one course of brick in
mortor on the floor between the stud
ding; refuse or broken brick or small
stones will answer; fill in inside
the partitions in the same way il
necessary, not forgetting to stop all
openings around steam and other pipes,
and every other place where a mouse
would be liable to 20 gnaw through.
A little care and IS to SIP will cover the
cost in an ordinary house. At greater
expense more might be done as pro-
lection against fire. If the house is plas.
tered before the finish is put ON, it is .
good plan to plaster down to the lining
floor on the outside walls, and, in fact,
all of the walls, instead of plastering
to grounds six or seven inches from the
door. think this plan is practiced in
the Middle States more than in New
England, and may be elsewhere, though
thinki it is being done in New England
more of late years than formerly. I
think If one were to have house built
in this way it woul be more satisfactory
to the owner and those who occupy it.