The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-16
TO AMELIORATE LIFE IN FLATS.
The Fiat Dweller suGgests q Pipe System
for Carrying or Sounds.

The Flat Dweller SUSPECTS q Pipe System
for Carrying on Sounds.
This, " said the fat dweller, lis the closed
season for noise.
In winter, with all the windows shut,
we no longer hear the multitudinous sounds
hat assail JA in summer whom the windows
are open, the sounds OF pianos, phono-
graphs, key bugles, oboes, flutes, bassoons
and bass horns, to say nothing Of the shouts
Of merry laughter. No, in winter We ara
mercifully spared this swelling, discordant
and ever rolling neighborhood chorus; bus
not even in winter are we spared the sounds
Of our own house, and I wonder il some-
thing couldn't be done about that.
IN OF that theee ounds are always I'M
pleasant. / lave dwelt under a party that
played the blacksmiths' chorus on the
piano at all hours OF b day and night;
enough to drive one distracted, that; and
then we have lived under people who played
delightfully."- only soft and tuneful and rip
ping melodies, always soothing and COM
forting. this; han tale all the pianos in the
house, by and large, and l would avoid
the sounds of them II I could, and no doubt
this would be the common sentiment, and
i should think that something might DO
done to accomplish this end.
Il have thought Of Insulating the pianos
OF setting them all up with their legs sup
ported on some sort OF non-sound con-
uuCtulk mAVcTlAl, ana J0lb WOulu PROBABLY
be all right as far as IL went; but there
would be the trouble, il wouldn't go far
enough.
at would shut OF the sound from the
people below, but il wouldn't help the peopls
overhead a bit; in fact, il might make their
lot worse by DETECTING to them the entire
volume OF sounds that before had been
distributed all around. So, obviously, that
wouldn't do, or that alone wouldn't. And
what l am dwelling IN now is a combina-
I Zion humiliation . ~ 10 ...k
" g pipe houses now for light and
heat and ventilation, why couldn't We
pipe 'em for sound2 Why DOT?
Install in every fat or apartment house
a system OF pipes with inlet openings N
every room-these openings might be Of
an ornamental character and placed in
the ceiling around the chandelier or wher-
ever IL was convenient-al these various
receiving pipes running to n grand dis
charge pipe that like ventilation and steam
escape pipes should be carried out above
the roof.
With all pianos properly insulated TO
keep the sound OF them from working
down, and with sue apipe system 70 carry
say that the piano problem in fat houses
would be Immediately solved: and bear in
mipd also that the sound pipes would carry
on not merely the Gun Of the pianos but
all other sounds, as, for instance, that OF
the merrymaking kept up until long after
midnight in the fat adjoining or above
or below; it would collect and carry on
all sounds, to be discharged above The
roof where they would do no harm 20 the
listening stars.
In short. it seems TO me that a good
and adequate sound pipe system would
give to every fiat dweller in his apartment
the privacy and seclusion and ~frecnou.
from disturbance of a private dwelling
The way houses thus equipped would rent
ought TO commend this suggestion u
builders