The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-03-17
NOISE PROOF HOUSE.
Millionaire Builds Dwelling Which
No Sound Can Enter.
Amicted with High-strunG Nerves He
Erects a Retreat In the Heart of
New York City where Moth
Ing Can Disturb Him.

Not every man whose nerves are on
edge can withdraw into "soundproof"
Of his own devising and shut out the jar
and jangle Of the world One man at
least In the big noisy city Of New York
has a refuge Of this sort, and he, needless
to say, is a millionaire. who, with his
millions, accumulated q terrific case Of
nerves" He Is a well-known newspa-
per figure. a captain Of industry and
noted for his philanthropic bequests.
but all his money is powerless to pre-
vent an overworked nervous system
from transmitting excruciating tortures
at sounds that an ordinary man hardly
hears.
The ordinary man. II he did suffer
from nerves, probably would have to
squirm and bear his sufferings, but this
milltonaire's wealth assures him some
solace. He has built for himself in the
very heart Of town a retreat where noise
is a vain besieger and the few sounds
that pass the guards and barriers are
toned down to faint whispers.
The retreat is wing of his great man
sion and all that money could secure and
human ingenuity devise has been used
to insure restful calm. The walls and
the floors are thick enough for fortress.
What would be partitions in an ordinary
house are solid brick walls here. Each
room, In fact, is practically cube OF
solid masonry, and pandemonium could
break out In one room without an echo
OF II penetrating to the adjoining room.
The necessary doors and windows are
unique. Each window has three sets of
sashes and glass and the doors look ex-
actly like the huge steel wings of mod
ern bank vault On each side Of the
hard wood door proper. which the thick
ness of the walls permits being hung in
a deep jamb. there is attached an up
holstered frame. eight inches in thick
ness. which fits snuely around the edges
OF the door when closed. This protec-
tion means that IN order to penetrate
to one of the rooms the sound waves
must first pass through an eight-inch
cushion. next three inches OF hard wood
and then another eight-inch cushion.
This cushioned door is used in every
room whence disaereeable noise might
issue The eerie song of the electric ele-
vator is thus shut of. the chatter and
chatter Of the chefs domain are circum-
scribed, and the grating clang OF the en-
gineer shoveling coal down in the base
ment is confined to its subtsrranean
quarters. Over the courts and areas are
heavy glass awnings to confine the
voices OF servants and tradespeople. A
slammed door is impossible, as every
door in the house is fitted with an auto
matic closer and door check. and II this
should fail there is the additional pre-
caution OF felt strings nailed to the door
and the edge Of the jamb.
The result of all these devices is to
produce In the house quiet akin to that
OF an empty cathedral, but in the rooms
devoted to the sick mans personal use
there Is silence which is weird and un-
natural, No echo or murmur of the ia
miliar street sounds enters here. The
stiffness is so intense as 10 be almost op-
pressive. II would make the normal per-
son long Tor the companionship OF
everyday sounds But the silence Is
medicine to the affiicted millionaire and
provides rest for his nerve-racked body.