The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-21
n, JOHN n. MCMAHON.

Croker invited some friends to
a housewarming. He had just
= completed a suburban home.
u.so-e dinner was served. the host. in
-. presence Of his friends, sprinkled
csn OF kerosene in one OF the bed
sv,ns touched a match To the furnish
,u and when the room was well
.n,aze calmly shut the door and
..red nis guests to sit down to dinner.
Nj. Croker had not succumbed to
,,romania nor to any form of belfry
IN though II might seem 30 TO IA
Ind rit,ed majority In the world. II
rela.ed that bedroom was Quilted of
Internationally cheap furnishings-but
=. damage whatever was done to the
sr.e. NJ. Croker was merely Demon
sr.nns the ideal dwelling fire.
.roe home on course the thing
,raed queer; not natural. 90 to speak,
a when those Wright brothers BE-
m Do ~ ard Marconi wired without
go Mr.. Croker. 10 be sure, did
~ mvent the firepropf house but he
1mous.raeed 4 most oonr1ncngly to
a. American public. Some philan-
osupsst ought TO hire him to 60 up
and DOWN the county with a portable
hmpe and burn bedrooms twice a day
Ar tne instruction Of the people.
ANn all, the people must be edu-
,sted on the freproof proposition.
long with architects and builders.
American homes are infammable
srsely because their owners don't
mcw any better.
A dreproof house has a lor more
sevsntage than in Its fireproof quality,
atSough that Is great enough. BY
,ason of its stanch construction II
Necss the touch Of time as we'll as
oRe. and saves the perpetual repair
.~eded on wooden houses. II is more
anttary, since II harbors no rats.
nice or other verinin: Il Is warmer
IN winter and W. coal: It saves all
insurance. On an ordinary suburban
house the insurance u IS to $40 a
war; moi q large sum-, but a fixed
charge which amounts to something
N time. The repair bill Is q real
ken.
Why, then, are there 20 few Are
ypot dwellings? A large eason as
seated, Is because people don't know
sny better. This applies to the mil
ionaires homo on Long Island cost
~ several hundred thousand dollars
sh,oh burned to the ground not 80
sns ago and also to the costly dwell
-, - ~ rnhttart- Hoal high ella 60
schitect-which went up like any
.pderbox. These persons did not
know n better. especially the ar
chxect (who reminds us OF the dope
tlking doctor who treats the drug
ssstt In patients). They bartered sub
sar.,al and stately mansions for
nudy palaces Of wood. Their vanity
vas not satisfied with homes OF quiet
plendor; they wanted Kilkenny cas-
lbs and pseudo Alhambra effects, and
Ck them-in wood.
On Q smaller scale the same vanity
AID lack of knowledge explains the
wooden house -. moderate cost. II 10
wen We consider a low price house,
Ne,ing around $500. that We must
ONCede anOtner reason anu u peSitl-
mate one for the lack Of fireproof
quality. This Is simply the matter of
pohib.ttve cost. A house that is proof
against fire in all respects will cost be-
tween 90 and 100 per cent. more than
similar building of wood, dependent
on local conditions. Assuming that a
1880 house of wood has no fancy fea-
lures, hat no space within Il can be
acr.fced and that the wne had nc
further resources, II In plain the fire
pToot idea cannot Re applied. But I
he owner has 5000 TO spend. does not
require much space and cares not for
gew-gaw appearances, he may build
4 small tome--call II a bungalow
hat is proof against fire, time and
trouble.
Undoubtedly the freproof home is
not yet within the general reach OF
persoaj with small means. Mr.. Edison
and others have worked out the prob
EN- Of low cost. but only as applied &c
construction on q large scale IN