Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-06-08
A HOUSE OF BOTTLES.
Singular Structure Erected by a
 Nevada Man.
Building Material Being Scarce, tho Architectural Curiosity Results -|Ten Thousand Bottles
 Used.

Ton~pah, aside from being justly famed the world over on account of its vast mineral resource, hidden and otherwise, also occupies the unique distinction of numbering among it's inhabitants man who is able to live in glass house and throw unlimited quantities of stones at the same time without suffering any of the serious inconveniences popularly supposed to surround such an ass sociation, says the Detroit Free Press.
 Not a tree grows within 60 miles of the great Nevada mining camp, and very naturally building material and fuel bring all sorts of fancy prices, the commonest lumber selling for $65 8 thousand feet, while inferior grade of scrub cedar commands $22 cord. Consequent upon this condition, vari- ous subterfuges are resorted to in the architectural makeup of Tonopah, it being nothing uncommon to encoun- ter six or seven different styles with in close range of observation, and in most instances it appears as if the imagination must have run riot in the picturesqueness of design. There are houses made of straw, of burlap sacks trimmed with blue jean overalls; of tin from fve-gallon oil cans; of dry goods and crackerbox lumber; of mud, stone, tents, cloth-in fact almost every sort of contrivance is resorted to as a makeshift for place of habita- ton; but it has remained for William F. Peck, miner in the employ of the Tonopah Mining company, to devise wNy of living not only in a class by himself so far as novelty is concerned, but fully as comfortable and enduring as that offered by any of the more im- posing edifces that adorn the swell portion of Tonopah. He has built of empty beer bottles a house 16x2o feet in the clear, with ceilings eight feet high, and containing two rooms. It was built in October of last year by MT. Peck entirely unaided, at such odd 1aoments as he could spare from his regular duties at the mine. Water was then selling at $1.50 barrel, hence the principal clement of expense cen- tered in the supply of mud that was employed as mortar between the bot ties comprising the edif1ce.
 Ten thousand empty beer bottles were incorporated in the structure, and even in this arrangement consid- erable artistic taste was shown, the northern and western exposures being composed of bottles of light green hue, while those on the south and east are almost black. The combination lends a very pleasant effect on the outside.
 The inside walls are plastered with lime, which is spread to a deptda suffi- cient to cover the protruding bottle necks about one inch, thus obliterat- ing all rough features and making a smooth surface.
 Mir. Peck lived all last winter in his peculiar home with his wife and two children, girl of seven and a boy aged three years, and says that, while the water in many residences of Tonopah reached the freezing point quite often, his family found their glass house ex- ceeding1y warm and comfortable at all times. He has enough bottles on hand for another room, and it is his intention to utilize them at his leisure in building an addition to his prem ises.
 Mr. Peck removed with his family from Prescott, A. T., to Tonopah last July, and it is quite evident he will get along all right wherever he is.