60 
lOOEE’S EUEAL NEW-YOEKEE: AN AGEICULTUEAL AND FAMILY JOUENAL. 
|&w|fauic Irts t Iciratf. 
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A CHEAP COTTAGE. 
KOW TO BUILD, ESTIMATP: OF EXPENSE, ETC. 
In compliance with the request of a “ Ru- 
raJ Mechanic,” that we should give in the 
New-Yokker plans of cheap houses—suit¬ 
able for mechanics and farm tenants Avho 
possess only moderate means—we present 
the accompanying design, which was origin¬ 
ally given in the Cultivator, and called a 
“laborer’s cottage.” We tliink it will meet 
the views and wants of the numerous class 
represented by om- correspondent — and 
especially those of small families. The de¬ 
sign is simple, and the expense of materials 
and labor very moderate;—while the cot¬ 
tage, when completed (as represented in the 
above engraving,) will be tasteful in appear¬ 
ance, as well as convenient in arrangement. 
The subjoined description and illustrations 
^ive a clear idea of the style, manner of 
construction, cost, &c.:— 
“ It is built by nailing the plank used for the ex¬ 
terior covering on the frame, in an upright position, 
and then covering the joints with strips about two 
and a half inches wide. Similar strips are nailed 
on the joints inside, and these receive the lath¬ 
ing. These two sets of strips, if well nailed on, 
render each joint sufficiently tight in such a house 
without matching, or grooving and tonguing the 
edges. The outside surface being left rough for 
the reception of successive coats of whitewash, en¬ 
tirely obviates the expense of planing, and hence a 
less costly kind of material may be used. The 
color of the whitewash may be softened by a prop¬ 
er admixture of rod and yellow ochre, and a little 
lampblack. 'I’he only parts outside, needing paint, 
are the window and door frames, and doors. A 
reptition of whitewashing once a year, for the first 
tv/o or three yeais, and less frequently afterwards, 
will maintain its good appearance. A coat of paint 
on the rough surface, will be more durable than if 
applied to one rendered smooth by the plain. 
The annexed figure will show the internal ar¬ 
rangement. A cellar is situated under the kitch¬ 
en ; and a spacious chamber over the principal 
room, may be divided into two small bed-rooms. 
Mli: 
V 
} KITCPV: 
Ij TJl X 12 
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RCCV! 
IfiX. It 
rocM 
UX 11 
. 
The kitchen ceiling is lathed on the rafters,— the 
chimney is built on the floor of the chamber in the 
principal part, so that the pipe from the cook stove 
passes horizontally into it. The pipe from the 
stove in the principal room, passes through the 
floor above into the same chimney. The floors 
for the kitchen and chamber, are made of rough 
beards. . 
The mode of constructing the eave troughs is 
siiown in the next figure, and they are found cheap 
and good. A, represents the caves simply, a be¬ 
ing ffie lower end of the rafter, resting on the plate, 
b, supporting the edge of the roof-board c, which 
projects about eight inches. exhibits the same 
v/ith the cave-trough attached; which is done by 
placing a sound and durable inch-and-a-half plank, 
d, directly under the roof-board, and projecting 
several inches beyond it, supported by the brack¬ 
ets,/. The strip e, is added by matching, form- 
A 
ing the trough. A coat of good paint completes it. 
A lining of tin plate or zinc, would be more sub¬ 
stantial. D, shows the mode in which the two 
inch plank, for brackets, is cut up without waste. 
The cross lines are for the saw, the dotted lines 
where the wood is separated by splitting, G, is a 
finished bracket. 
The advantages of this plan are,— considerable 
room is afforded at a very cheap rate, the whole 
house, when completely finished, not costing ^200; 
the heavy timber frame is obviated, as the two 
wings, being small, may have a frame of scantling 
four inches square, and the central part seven 
inches square. Studs are not needed. The wings 
and central parts serve as supports to each other. 
The outside being coated with colored whitewash, 
which is quite cheap, the usual objection to an ex¬ 
tended outside surface, is removed. The carpen¬ 
ter work is very small. 
As many persons will be controlled in the erec¬ 
tion of such houses by the cost, we give below the 
bill of expense, which they may easily alter to suit 
prices in different places: 
8 sticks of timber, 16 feet long, 4 cents per 
foot running measure. $-5 12 
.300 ft. scantling for braces and rafters. 2 25 
300 ft. joists. 2 25 
200 ft. scantling for frame of wings. 1 50 
600 ft. roof boards. 4 50 
700 ft. surface, shingles. 17 50 
950 ft. flooring.- - -.; - - - 0 50 
1,800 ft. H inch plank, for siding, all 10 inch 
wide. 18 00 
800 ft. strips for joists, one-half straight, clear 
andliandsome. 8 00 
1,200 ft. lath boards, for three lower rooms.. 7 00 
400 ft. plank for windows, doors, &c. 6 00 
Sash and glazing. 8 00 
Nails and door trimmings. 7 00 
Cellar wall, mason work, digging, materials. 20 00 
Latliing, plastering, Hmo, sand, labor.12 00 
Painting window frames, doors, &c.,. 8 00 
Brick and chimney. 3 00 
Carpenter work. 30 00 
Contingencies. 0 88 
$180 00 
In many parts of the counlrj , the cost of materi¬ 
als would be less, and in others more, than in the 
preceding estimate — in case of the house actually 
erected after this plan, the cost was not $150.” 
LIST OF PATENTS 
I.SSUED I’RO.H THE UNITED ST.\TES PATENT OFFICE, 
/'br the week ending February 5, 1850, 
To A. Babbctt, of Auburn, N. Y., for improve¬ 
ment in machiner}' for spooling. 
To S. G. Blackman, of Norwalk, Conn., for 
improvement in Carding Machines for preparing 
bats for felting. 
To Gail Borden, Jr., of Galveston, Texas, for 
preparation of portable Soup Bread. 
To James Buck, of Bucksport, Me., for improved 
Excavating Auger. 
To D. N. &. E. B. Day, of AVestfield, Mass., 
for improvement in Whip-lashes. 
To C. B. Hutchinson, of Waterloo, N. Y., for 
improvement in machines for Cutting Staves. 
To J, Haines, of West Middleborough, Ohio, 
for improvement in Washing Machines. 
To J. Maynard, of Philadelphia, for improved 
friction roller sash reporters. 
To C. Jackson & J. Moir, of Cazenovia, N. Y., 
for improvements in Engines for Carding and 
Drawing Wool. 
To R. Montgomery, of New Y'ork, Y. N., for 
improved method of punching between rollers. 
To D. D. Parmelee, of New Paltz, N. Y., for 
improvement in Calculating Machines. 
To AVm. Sew-ell, Jr., of Williamsburgh, N. Y., 
for improvement in Water Meters. 
To James Spratt, of Cincinnati, Ohio, for 
improvement in attachments for Lightning Con¬ 
ductors. 
DESIGNS. 
To P. J. Simmons, of Troy, N. Y,, for design 
for Stoves. * 
To J. G. Larnl) <fe C, Harris, (Assignors to 
Wm. C. Davis) of Cincinnati, Ohio, for Design 
for Stoves. 
To Wm. P. Cre,sson, David Stuart, & Peter 
Seibert, (Assignors to Wm. P. Cres,son,) of Phil¬ 
adelphia, for two Designs for Stoves. Ante-dated 
Oct. 1 , 1849 . 
DEFINITION OF THE DNIVEESE. 
Baron Jacii, an eminent astronomer, 
computes that there may be a thousand mil¬ 
lions of stars in the heavens: and then, to 
illustrate or describe the immensity of the 
universe says: 
“ If wo jcuppoao otuAx iitoi* io Ivo a ciin, 
and attended by ten planets,— leaving com¬ 
ets out of the calculation—we have ten 
thousand millions of globes like the earth, 
in what arc considered the bounds of the 
known univei-se. As there are sxms to give 
light throughout all these systems, we may 
infer that there are eyes also to behold it, 
and beings whose nature, in this one im¬ 
portant pai-ticular, is analagous to our o>vn. 
But even this is exclusive, probably, of 
millions of suns, bosomed in the unknown 
depths of space, and placed forever beyond 
our ken, or the light of which may not have 
had time to travel down to us since the pe¬ 
riod of their creation. 
But this is not a very satisfactory illustra¬ 
tion, for ‘what this one thousand millions 
of stars and ten thousand millions of globes, 
when compared with the uncomprehended 
and incomprehensible numbers that actual¬ 
ly exist.’” 
The best definition of the universe, says 
the Washington Globe, and one that never 
can be improved, has been by Pascal, whose 
fame is so great and so well deserved as an 
able, eloquent, and intrepid advocate of 
moral and religious truth, against error, in¬ 
tolerance and imposture, that a man pro¬ 
found in science and in the learning of his 
day, as he was, he is comparatively little 
known. His definition is, that the centre 
of the universe is everyAvhere, and the cir¬ 
cumference of it nowhere; which is at once 
astronomically exact and unimprovably con¬ 
cise and elegant. 
Smoky Chimneys. —Lieut Col. W. Ma¬ 
son, in a letter to the Builder, gives the fol¬ 
lowing cure for a great and common evil: 
“A smoky chimney and a scolding wife 
are the two worst evils of domestic life,” 
says the old proverb; and to obviate the 
first evil, ingenuity is ever racking its brain. 
Hence, Regent street and every part of the 
metropolis has its house-tops bristling with 
pipes and deformed by cowls in every con¬ 
ceivable and almost inconceivable variety. 
Now, I have built many chimneys in all 
possible situations, and have found one sim¬ 
ple plan everywhere succeed, the secret be¬ 
ing only to construct the throat of the chim¬ 
ney, or that part of it just above the fire¬ 
place, so small that a man or boy can bare¬ 
ly pass through. 2ndly. Immediately above 
this the chimney shaft should be enlarged 
to double its width, like a pui-se, to the ex¬ 
tent of about two feet in height, and then 
diminish again to its usual proportions. No 
chimney that I ever constructed in this 
manner smoked. 
REVIEW OF PATENTS GRANTED IN 1848. 
TRESi^ES. 
Pressia'g Fleeces of Wool. —A novel 
instrument for this purpose has been pat¬ 
ented, by which the fleeces are folded and 
compressed by a series of fingers, somewhat 
after the manner in which a like material 
of smaller dimensions would be compressed 
within the human hand. The fleeces thus 
compressed occupy but little room, and are 
more convenient for transportation than 
when packed in the ordinary manner. 
Pressing Cotton.— A patent has been 
granted for pressing cotton in a similar man¬ 
ner. Instead of pressing cotton in bales as 
usual, the patentee proposes to form the 
cotton into an endless belt or batting, and 
by means of carrying rollers to receive it I 
upon and wrap it tiglitly around a shaft or { 
cone, which, after the role is sufficiently j 
large is withdrawn, leaving the cotton in a 
bale or mass of a cylindrical form. Evidently 
the form is most convenient for handling; 
but the availability in practice of this in- 
invention will depend upon more important 
considerations than this. In an article so 
bulky as cotton, stowage is of great impor¬ 
tance ; and it would seem as if the press¬ 
ure attainable in this way. w'ould be too 
small to justify the undertaking. Experi¬ 
ment, however, is the umpire, and the in¬ 
ventor is confident of success. 
Setting Artificial Teeth. —Attempts 
have been hitlierto made to cause the plates, 
holding the setts of teeth, to adhere to the 
mouth by atmospheric pressure, and seve¬ 
ral patents have been formerly granted for 
inventions of this class. All these plans 
have had their imperfections; and, al¬ 
though in some the plates once fixed would 
adhere well, yet it was not easy to remove 
them when occasion required, which with 
most persons is once at least in 24 hours. 
A mode, how'ever, has been patented during 
the past year which seems to accomplish all 
that is desirable in this particular. By 
means of a cavity properly shaped and lo¬ 
cated in the plate, the tongue is apphed to 
produce the exhaustion and fastens the plate 
immediately with great firmness, and, by a 
movement of the tip of the tongue, very 
easily acquired, the plate is readily detached 
Inhalation of Ether. —A patent has 
been granted for an instrument for inhaling 
ether, and other like la^iterials, which is very 
simple, cheap, and ingenious. In adminis¬ 
tering ether, it is necessary to admit atmos¬ 
pheric air with the vapor of ether, and va¬ 
rious contrivances have been introduced in 
the inhaling apparatus for securing a due 
mixture of air. In the instrument recently 
patented, th(^*N"apor is administered simul¬ 
taneously through the mouth and nose. — 
The shape and size of the tube is such that 
it covers readily bolK 
tains a spongC saturated with ether, and ap¬ 
ertures. for the admission of atmospheric 
air, all in a compact and convenient form. 
The inhalation ol ether w'as at first re¬ 
garded with great caution by a portion of 
the medical world, and met wdth strong op¬ 
position from others. It is, how'ever, work¬ 
ing its way to the most extended use, and is 
now looked upon by the most enlightened 
as one of the most valuable and remarka¬ 
ble discoveries of the age. At the time a 
patent was granted for this new application 
of ether, it w'as contemplated for use only 
in conjunction with surgical operations. — 
But since its effects upon the system have 
been carefully studied, it has been intro¬ 
duced into medical practice for a variety of 
affections, and with great success. In ob¬ 
stetrical practice where its application was 
least looked for, it has proved of eminent 
service, and out of some 580 cases of ac- 
couchment reported recently by Professor 
C banning, of Boston, not one experienced 
any injury from the use of ether. Since 
the introduction of this great and benefi¬ 
cent discovery, investingations have been 
made as to the anccsthetic property of other 
substances, and several others have been 
submitted for the sulphuric ether first used, 
and it has also been found that the effect 
upon the system to wdiich the term ames- 
thesia has been given, may be produced by 
other substances than the ether. 
SHOWER BATHS. 
These valuable ministers to comfort and 
health are comparatively of modern origin, 
and it is not until within a few years that 
they have received much attention with a 
view to improve them. Several patents 
have been granted during the past year for 
show'er baths, and it would appear now as 
if their capabilities were well nigh all de¬ 
veloped. One of the baths patented con¬ 
tains provisions for a warm and cold shower, 
and showering various parts of the body 
topically or diffusively, and in fact giving 
every desirable variety of bath, and all by 
various simple means. 
FINE ARTS, Ac. 
Tachygraphic Pictures. — A term de¬ 
rived from Greek words signifying to paint 
quickly. 
Under the patent for this invention quite 
a new branch in the art of painting has 
been commenced, and although of limited 
scope, yet it is interesting and ingenious in 
its special applications. The general fea¬ 
tures of the art consists mainly in giving- 
very high lights and deep shadows to such 
pictures as show^ scenes, representations of 
configurations, w'aterfalls and w'ater sccneiy 
generally, and such like, by painting upon 
glass with India ink or colors, using for the 
strong lights a translucent material, and 
placing behind the picture a sheet of bright 
metal, such as common tin, &c. Viewed in 
a strong light, the pictures have a fine 
effect. 
Folding Envelopes. — A patent has been 
granted for a machine for making envelop.s, 
which is the first invention of the kind pat¬ 
ented in this office. Since the great con¬ 
sumption of envelops first commenced under 
the present postage law-, machines have 
been patented for cutting the forms from 
sheets of paper, but the present machine 
stamps, pastes, folds, and embosses the en¬ 
velopes in rapid succession. 
Printing Paper-hangings.— Apparently 
a very important step in the progress of this 
art is the subject of a recent patent. By 
this invention the paper to bo printed is 
sized by the borders and carried through 
the printing apparatus by means of vei-y 
ingenious adjustable clamps or fingei-s, and 
it will be readily seen how favorably such 
a mode of holding the paper must be w^hen 
compared with the former method practised 
of drawing it through by the end, and per¬ 
haps receiving it upon rollers. The print¬ 
ing, of course moistens the paper, and tends 
to make its surface uneven, while the wind¬ 
ing up of the paper or carrying it along in 
a continuous sheet through the press by 
means of rollers, would mar the impression. 
Mills and Dies for Printing. —A pat¬ 
ent has been granted for an improvement 
in making the mills and dies in which fig¬ 
ures are made upon a milled surface, the 
pressure being sufficent to obliterate all ap¬ 
pearance of milling in the parts w-here it is 
not required, and to leave it where it is nec¬ 
essary. The inventor first makes on the die, 
and in incavo, the bandage, and a ground 
space w-ithout the ground figures. He then 
mills the entire curved surface of the mill 
by a separate milling tool or cylinder. He 
next presses or rolls the mill and die togeth¬ 
er, so as to produce on the former an im- 
pressiouf of the bandage and figure portions, 
and leave the entire ground of the mill at 
relief. 
Daguerreotype. —A patent has been 
granted for a mode of improving the ap¬ 
pearance of the ground of these pictures, 
by taking away the usual stiffness of a cop¬ 
ied background. A screen is held in front 
of the sitter, w'hich has an opening suffi¬ 
ciently large to expose so much of his per¬ 
son to view as is to be copied; and during 
the time of taking the impression the screen 
is to be kept in motion, which prevents any 
outline of the opening being copied, and 
also produces a dimness of outline in those 
Darts of the figure covered by the screen. 
It gives an artistic effect, desirable for busts, 
and is well executed in the specimen sent 
to the office. 
CALORIFIC. 
Lamps. —An improvement in the lamp 
known as the Spirit Gas Lamp, which is for 
burning the mixture of turpentine and alco¬ 
hol, has been patented, consisting merely of 
using two wicks—one attached to the wick 
tube, and the other to the body of the lamp 
to draw up the liquid to feed the first named 
wick. A secondary or supplying wick has 
long since been patented for use in the cam- 
phine or pine oil lamps; but the principal 
design and mode of using the two wicks in 
this case is different. In the Spirit Gas 
Lamps the flame must be blown out before 
a lamp can be filled with safety, or, in fact, 
before the wick tube can be removed for 
any purpose wliatever. But in this lamp 
you may unscrew the wick tube, taking the 
small w-ick burning with it and set it a little 
aside while you fill the lamp by its light, 
the small wick retaining enough of the 
liquid to keep up the flame for some time. 
Raising Lamp Wicks. —An ingenious 
device has been patented, in which the wicks 
are raised and lowered by pushing upon a 
projecting pin connected with the tube car- 
lying the wick, which is enclosed, and slides 
up and down within another tube attached 
to the lamp cap. It saves the necessity of 
using or seeking for a pin or stick (never at 
hand at the time) for raising or lowering a 
wick. 
Lantern and Lamp. —Two patents have 
been granted for a lantern and lamp so 
combined that the instrument serves, by a 
slight movement, the purpose either of a 
lamp or lantern. In one of them the whole 
article does not differ in shape from a com¬ 
mon hand lamp. The tunic or lantern cor¬ 
responds to the bowl or fountain of a com¬ 
mon lamp, while the lamp is contained with¬ 
in the leg- or stand of the lamp, its wick 
tubes" projecting just within the tunic or 
lantern. When the full light of a lamp is 
wanted, the lamp is raised up from its socket 
precisely in the manner in -wdiich a candle 
is usually raised in a candlestick, and the 
wick tubes of the lamp are projected thro’ 
a small aperture in the top of the lantern 
tunic. 
Glass Fountains for Argand Lamps. 
—A patent has been granted/or a mode of 
constructing a mould for this purpose; and, 
if the glass fountain for this description of 
lamps can be made successfully, it will be 
a great improvement in this useful article. 
—Farmer and Mechanic. 
HINTS TO YOUNG MEN.* 
“Look to the end, nor .stand to doubt, 
Nothing .so hard but search will find it out.” 
Investigate. We deem it the duty of 
every human being endowed with the fac¬ 
ulty of judging betw'ecn right and w-rong, 
good and evil, to fathom every subject, no 
matter how minute or intricate it may ap¬ 
pear, and form from such investigation an 
opinion as to the truth or fallacy of the sub¬ 
ject under consideration. This investigation 
must not be careless or superficial, but prac¬ 
tical, requiring a deep research into the na¬ 
ture, cause and effect of the theme scruti¬ 
nized. Is it our desire to follow any of the 
learned profes.sions ? If so, close and search¬ 
ing investigation is necessaiy. Would we 
an-ive at any degree of proficiency in the 
arts and sciences ? Then we must investi¬ 
gate deeply the arcana of knowledge.— 
Would we do anything to better our owm 
condition or that of our fellow men? We 
cannot succeed w'ithout investigation. With¬ 
out it, Franklin -with his kite would never 
have drawn from the heavens the fiery bolts 
of Jove, nor Morse have bridled those light¬ 
nings for the use of man. Fulton’s genius 
would have rusted in its cell, and steam, 
that useful agent of man, would not now 
be applied to locomotive powers in its end¬ 
less varieties. 
Freedom of Expression. Fear not to 
speak boldly the right, despite what men 
may say. Since the world began no charge 
has been more common than that of fimat- 
icism. Let any man or set of men, ad¬ 
vance ideas Avhich are new, propositions 
that are in advance of the mass, and by 
that mass they are at once denounced as fa¬ 
natics. Copernicus and Galileo called down 
upon their heads the anathemas of the 
church for their discoveries. Faust, for 
having given to the -w'Drld the greatest pos¬ 
itive benefit ever conferred upon it, had the 
pleasure of being finked with his Satanic 
Majesty through fife, and if the people of 
his day could have had the power, would have 
been to all eternity. We might multiply 
cases innumerably, but these wiU suffice.— 
They prove to a demonstration tliat men in 
all ages have been ready to raise the cry 
of “ultraism” at every new thought, andwfill 
continue to do so as long as human nature re- - 
mains what it is. But olmll nc fear to ex¬ 
press our sentiments on this account ? We 
know not what others may think, 
“But for our single selves 
We had as lief not be, as live to be 
In awe of such a thing as ourselves." 
No, let US go on carefully, weighing and 
comparing ideas, cautiously sifting truth 
from error, but when w'e have found the 
pearl, when we have discovered the truth, 
though the whole world may raise the laugh 
of derision, and every- finger be pointed in 
scorn, boldly and fearlessly proclaim it to 
the universe. 
“ Be thou like the first’Apostles, 
Be thou like heroic Paul; 
If a free thought seeks expression. 
Speak it boldly, speak it all. 
Face thine enemies, accusers. 
Scorn the prison, rack, and rod. 
And if thou hast truth to utter. 
Speak! and leave the rest to God.” 
W. T. K. 
HOW TO MAZE A FORTUNE. 
Take earnestly hold of fife, as capacita¬ 
ted for, and destined to a high and noble 
purpose. Study closely the mind’s bent for 
a labor or profession. Adopt it early, and 
pursue it steadily, never looking back to the 
turned fun-ow, but forward to the new 
ground that remains to be broken. Means 
and ways are abundant to every man’s suc¬ 
cess if will and action are rightly adapted to 
them. Our rich men, and our great men, 
have carved their paths to fortune and fame 
by this eternal principle—a principle that 
cannot fail to reward its votary if it be res: 
olutely pursued. To sigh or repine over 
lack of inheritance is unmanly. Every man 
should strive to be a creator instead of in¬ 
heritor. He should bequeath rather than 
borrow. The human race, in tins respect, 
want dignity and discipline. It prefers to 
wield the rusted sword of valorous forefa¬ 
thers, to forging its own weapons. This is 
a mean and ignoble spirit. Let every man 
be conscious of the God in him, and the 
Providence over him, and fight his own bat¬ 
tle with his own good lance. Let him 
feel that it is better to earn a crust, than 
to inherit coffers of gold. This spirit of sclf- 
nobility, once learned, and every man will 
discover within himself, under God, the ele¬ 
ments and capacities of wealth. He will 
be rich, inestimably rich in self-resources, 
and can lift his face proudly to meet the no¬ 
blest among men.— N. Y. Sun. 
Do all the good you can, and make tut 
little noise about it. 
