The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-25
HOUSES THAT ARE PATENT
FREAK IDEAS As TO BUILDING Pro
TEOTED BIZ LETTERS PATENT
Something Entirely view In Ice Palaces
Bricks or Paper ana OF Ginss-"D cnfcu-
Ing" n House with scnwccd-DwciiinRs
Proof Against Earthquakes and Tornadoes.
prom the 81. Louie Giobe. Democrat.

Hkhhuht fhrtuuuhhch N EOFnhUott
Prom the 81. Louis Globe. Democrat.
WASHINGTON. April l~6.-Something cntirt
~ new in the way OF ice palaces has Just bee
patented by G. F. McGlashan OF Truckec. Cal
1t 10. says the inventor. n vast improved men
on the style hitherto constructed In Canad
and elsewhere In cold .latitudes. where thi
tphcmcral kind Of building for festive purpose
is DO oular. Up in Montreal large amounts o
money arc spent In tho erection OF olahorat,
structures OF leo during carnival seasons, tn,
material being furnished.in the shape of hug,
blocks cnt from tho river. At best they las
only n few weeks, when a thaw arrives and de
molishes the proud and chilly edifce. Jus
here comes In oneslmportant advantage of tn,
new species of ice palace. which is guaranteed
to endure for months. and at any time may b,
restored in u single cold night to its completes
splcndor. even though warm weather MAJ
have partly destroyed il.
The now order OF architecture in ice ir.
wolves the use of wire net and scantling. OF
these materials two parallel walls are made.
say four feet apart. AID the space between 1.
filled in with excelsior. shavlngs. and any Old
stuff OF that sort. loosely. Teen water is
poured in from above and allowed to percointe
downward through the mass. The weather be.
inR cold. the whole business Is soon trans
formed Into a mass Of icicles. which presently
coalesce into a solid mass. Finally a hose IS
turned npon the wire net from outside. and the
water In freezing covers e-erything with..a
beautiful coat OF ice. In this manner the en-
tire walls of the building ars constructed and
also the roof. which is made on exactly tho
same principle. Ordinary Ice palaces. be 1t
understood. are open 10 the eky above. or else
have inappropriate conventional roofs OF glass
or petal.
most beautiful effects In crystal pendants and
frost frettinRs. In fact. a building construct
ed In this manner might better he called "A frost
palace than an ice palace: IL is far more lovely
than any editicc of crude Ice blocks. The roof
eau be made With turrets ana towers. so rs to
present the most picturesque aspect conceiva-
BILE. whilH the arches nced no keystones. the
frozen masses being. continuous and ~selt.sup-
porting. such an ice palace may be much
more. fantastic and artistic than the old style;
1t is lighter. more substantial. aud can be made
hleher and more imposing. Al ordinary ice
cient cold To furnish ice blocks a foot and n half
thick or more. but in this case the water may
ly as II turns cold.
OF course 1t costs something to put up the
framework of scantlinG and wire net: but rat
10 a trihe compared. with the expense Of cutting
and transporting blocks OF ice. The worst
troubls about the ordinary ice palace is that a
casua! warm spell. such as is apt TO come at
any time in winter. may rain IL. spoiling its
appearance and incidentally rendering 1t nm
81 fe. With the new style or ice palace IL is
quito different. inasmuch as. however much
damaged. It may be restored.tn a single cold
night by the aid OF n half ioz-n hose pipes. II
desired. the skeleton could stand over from
In differing crystals. Mr.. McGIasnan's in.
tudes hitherto considered too far south tor
them. II also affords a suggestion TO enter
plisinG small boys who. with no other ma
teriais than some wire net. n few sticks,
md the garden hose, will lie able to put up min
'ature Ice palaces in the back yard.
some remarkable freaks are found among
the inventions In DClIQlng materials recorded
at the Patent Once. One gerirs PROPOSES to
make m bricks out OF pressed paper pulp. which
purpose. oeing very durable, non-abs.rbent
OF water. and q non-conducior of heat. Glass
Gustave Falconnies. They are hollow, being
blown In any desired shape and colored TO suit
IN" taste; They may be made very orna.
signs By means OF tlse sand blast. Cost need
not prevsn, anybody from inducing in the
bricks are quite cheap. Being hollow and air.
tigbt. they serve as non -conductors OF heat
by con iuing air that il in a state OF rest. For
A. Is said that the glass bricks do not trans
architecture. and quite number OF oaten,s
relate to what IS termed the 'deateninc' of
One inventor proposes to iii the walls With
seaweed and salt water plants. COMPRESSED To-
iwsep sheets OF paper and nailed in place.
leaved alga. These, he asserts. are not at
all in!amInable. even when dry. because they
q large percentage OF silica. II parti-
tion walls are prepared In the manner de-
sound will not carry from room, 10
The same process applied to floors
VIII prevent the occupants OF a non-musIcal
fat from being driven insane by the tintin-
.bulations OF piano-playiag ,neighbors.
L-G,al.i ingenious Is the idea NJ another pat |
who PROPOSES TO construct floors with |
rows OF tin cans laid between the beams and \
beneath the lankinc: The cans are exhaust:
quarts Of vacuum. SO to SPEAK. " is explained !
that. while making the floor lighter. they viii |
prevent the transmission OF sound or heat. Not
'ne OF the idea makers is more original. INV
sver. than an Iowa. gentleman who suggests
he employment. Of hay in the building OF
INTO large brick. and used like ordinary bricks
n the construction OF the walls. fastening
'erhaps equally striking is the notion OF a
;enius who has deyised a process for making
md .pours upon them II mixture OF liquid CO
nent. wool. hair. feathers. vitriol. and soluble
-: When il hardens. there YOU are.
II you like. though nj the risk or infringe
men,. you may adopt III" Idea OF IA Connecticut
who has thought OF a way OF making
oors frenrooft y placing II sheet OF asbestos be-
wscn two layers OF board. More Interest.
lsS: ho Ns e b. j. 2 Patent ~ Pewly granted 70 a
lie suggests that chi lners ana smokestacks
be made 81 wood much more econom-
allS than of bricks. Coating the inside OF
pom the latter while wet. he cttains a surface
proof against fire, the. heat trans.
nrmlnR the mixture OF sand and paint In 20 q
CLASSY glaze. This invention
q great boon. inaBuiuch as Or OK chimneys
re sadly extensive. Incidental TO the discus
ion OF freak patents in the building line. il Is
FORTH while to mention a Buffalo inven or who
as devised = ratproof and buCDroof house. or
curse. rats make their homes in the walls of
wellinRs. commonly. finding free passage
very where: but the style OF house referred to
as walls diviaed into compartments Uy par.
Itions that are sealed with cement. so that
nj all sorts arc pre- vented from
about.
Portable houses arc among the Injuries OF
hesc days. and in this limo there are n good
lany patents. IL yoa want TO carry II COM
)rtable dwelling With YOU '"hen you are CO.
lR. 10 the Adirondacks You can get one that
Ill fold up like An umbrella: IL Is made OF
GOD and wire net For n summon no. ne at the
aside You can procure n ready-made house in
'ctions. all ready 10 DO put togo.h ,r. Really
andsome cottages can be purchased I'm this
and the railroad will deliver the struc-
ire complete. In pieces. on he lot whore II Is
, he pat up. Within q few hours you can
Iove in and. begin housekeeping. realizing in
ctnsl fact the story OF Aladdin and his IA.
lous palace that grew in one Light.
During the last few years tornadoes have
sen doinI more damage than ever before,
wing TO the thickcninG settlement OF the re.
IONS infested by those meteorological de-
Consequently, II Is merchandising To
nd that pAtents on methods nj pscana from