EXCELSIOR 
—— 
sun may shine on llie most frequented sides 
of the house, or, if possible, let all the win¬ 
dows have a certain proportion of sunshine 
is arranged thus:—The living-room, 
marked A, has two bed-rooms at its 
rear, kitchen on the left, and hall en- 
.. r j ) JS.-l.OO PER YEAR. 
TEHIVIS. \ single iYo., Eight Cents. 
NEW YORK CITY AND ROCHESTER, N. Y. 
r»T«T'Tr , T’cj J * * I’nrli Row, IVew York. 
*** * Buffalo y t > Rochester. 
VOL. XX. NO. 17. 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, APRIL U, 1869, 
WHOLE NO. 1005, 
[Entered according to Act of Conyroas, in tlie year 1869. by I). D. T. Moons, in tho Clerk’s Offloo of tho District Court of the Unitoil Sutos for the Southern District of Now York.) 
oo 
Kura I Architecture. 
COTTAGES FOR WORKING MEN. 
The Rural reaches thousands of readers 
in cities and villages whose lives arc devoted 
to production none the less than those of 
agriculturists, and whose homes are, or 
should be, places of rest, of comfort and 
domestic enjoyment. It. is in recognition of 
this fact, and of our duty to this large class, 
that we present herewith elevations, plans 
and descriptions of designs of cottages for 
working men, from Sloan's Architectural 
Review and Builder’s Journal, (Philadelphia: 
Claxton, Remaen & JlatTcllinger.) 
It is the duty of every working man to 
live in his own house and on his own land 
if he can. The man who does so is compar¬ 
atively Independent of trade fluctuations 
and business depressions. There is then no 
rent day to haunt him with ita exactions. 
Ilia home is a castle in which his accumula¬ 
tions may he garnered to help tight the evil 
days. Whatever happens, his family has 
shelter. He has a home. And in the fact 
lies the secret of many men’s success, while 
others of superior capabilities, and with 
larger wages, never attain independence, 
because they are always unsettled, and have 
no nucleus about which to gather and retain 
their gains. 
Let every working man buy a lot on 
which lie may erect him a home. Own 
some of God’s green earth. It will never 
leave you except at your own option. It 
was made for man’s use. Go to the out¬ 
skirts of the city. Make it a green spot, no 
matter wliat the barrenness and nakedness 
about you. A bright spot in a waste always 
attracts those who like brightness. It, is one 
of the most important and potential influ¬ 
ences in the elevation of any class— tlds in¬ 
fluence of beautiful and comfortable homes. 
Efficient drainage, dryness, and general 
healthiness, should be the chief objects in the 
selection of a site for the erection of a cot¬ 
tage; and whero a number are to be built, 
on an entirely new site, they should be so 
placed as not to interfere with, or injure tlie 
cflect of, the surrounding scenery. 
The cottage should be so placed that the 
inrougn me uuy. i uc uesign ana us ma¬ 
tures should he so arranged as to have that 
effect. And every cottage should have a 
garden attached to it, of not less than about 
one-sixth of an acre, to be cultivated by the 
cottager. It should be neatly fenced, on the 
front, especially, so as to add as much as 
possible to the landscape effect; and if a 
hedge-row be introduced, so much the better. 
The division of lots should be marked by 
an evergreen hedge; and, until such hedges 
can be grown, a neat wire fence might be 
used to advantage. 
The first thing to be done, in laying out 
the foundations, is to see to the drainage; 
and this is a point of the utmost importance, 
as upon it mainly depend the health and 
comfort of its inmates. And not only is it 
requisite that the drainage be perfect, but it 
must be as little liable as possible to get out 
of order; and when disturbed for the pur¬ 
pose of cleaning, should be capable of re¬ 
instatement with the materials at first used. 
The most essential points to he attended 
to, in the drainage of buildings generally, 
are the foUowing:— All main sewrs should 
b e formed with concave bottoms, to allow 
the water, however small in quantity, passing 
along with solid matter, to act with the 
utmost possible effect; and they should he 
\ evenly built. 'I hey should have arched tops, 
although flags, well laid, make a good cover.’ 
Y Sewers should have a fail of not less than 
| one inch in every ten feet in length, and 
more than this, in all cases, where the 
flow of water is variable. They should 
have a constant flow of water through 
them, or powerflul flushes at stated in¬ 
tervals; and particular care taken to 
ventilate them. 
To prevent the foul air generated in, 
or returning by, the drains, tlie waste- 
ways should bo double-trapped, by a 
boll-trap at the sink, where the waste 
water enters; and by a well-trap short 
of the inlet to the drain. 
All drains should he so constructed 
as to admit of being opened for the 
purpose of cleansing, without, breaking 
them, and of the displaced portion 
being afterward replaced. 
Each cottage should be provided with 
the means of collecting and filtering the 
rain water from the roof; and thus be 
independent of any other supply, the 
more especially, as rain water is the 
purest of all water. 
The walls of cottages may bo formed 
of a great variety of materials, and the 
nature of the material used is a fertile 
source of variety and beauty. Wood 
is the most susceptible of architec¬ 
tural ornamentation at the least ex¬ 
pense. Home persons object to it, as 
requiring frequent painting, being com¬ 
bustible and perishable. 
Stone or brick foundations are 
always to be recommended, even 
where collars are not to he used; and 
by keeping tlie wooden frame well up 
from the ground, the objection as to 
perishability may be greatly lessened. 
The walls are either chip boarded or 
vertical-boarded. A very tasty effect 
may be produced by clap boarding, say 
two feet six inches high, and shingling 
the remainder, up to the eaves; tho 
shingles have the corners cut off, to 
any desired shape; or slate can be very 
advantageously substituted, and so ar¬ 
ranged as to produce a very pleasing 
effect, and at about the same cost. 
The accompanying designs may be 
Constructed in either stone or brick. 
The walls, if stone, should lie fourteen 
inches thick; if brick, eight inches. 
The Ground Plan of the upper Cot¬ 
tage (of which two views are shown,) 
u.mw on me rigm. i lie second, or jp 
half-story, gives bedrooms over each of 
these. 
Tho plan of the middle Cottage 
makes the living-room, A, the whole 
size, omitting the two bed-rooms. The 
house is smaller than the preceding one. 
The lower elevations are those of a supe¬ 
rior class of cottages suitable for a merchant, 
TCLpyV.A-TIOISTS OIC COOTAGKS IPOK mechanics. 
story, AAA A, bed-rooms; B, ball; C, circumstances. Simple shelter is not enough, 
dressing-room; D, bath-room and water- The house should be a place for refining and 
closet; E, roof of bay-window. elevating the family, and so constructed as 
It is proper to state in this connection that to economise the time and labor of all who 
have cure of it. 
Wc desire, therefore, and shall ho thankful 
m 1 for, any carefully considered suggestions rela- 
U I ting to this subject. Drawings of elevations, 
1 plans, accompanied by comprehensive spool¬ 
ing in order to render it productive of great 
good to a great number. Husbands and 
wives, and daughters may profitably spend 
leisure hours in such r.iudy, even though tho 
results (hereof never ro:u iithe public ; il llie 
whole Rural reading population are reached 
therewith, so nuieli Hie better. 
Remember that tho Rural parish em¬ 
braces the Continent—that the new order of 
things in the South requires improvements 
adapted to the new conditions of society, 
and that the pioneers on the Western border 
read and believe in this Journal. 
-- +++■ - 
CHEAP BRICK WALLS. 
The Manufacturer and Builder for April 
says a considerable saving may be effected 
in brick walls, and at the same time the 
much desired hollow he acquired, by a very 
simple arrangement of the work. In walls 
of small one-story cottages, this would in¬ 
deed be a most desirable mode of building; 
for it would bo at once cheap, healthy, and 
sufficiently strong for the purpose. It only 
requires a little attention in the jointing, 
taking care to flush up with morlar. The 
method of procedure is as follows. Com¬ 
mence on the foundation’s lop at the corner, 
and lay tho first course thus: Place two 
bricks side by side, flat; over these lay two 
otliers, likewise flat, carefully filling tho 
joints. Now do tho same at ti e other cor¬ 
ners, and proceed to lay the con*' t i scomplcte 
all around with headers. Next,commencing 
at the corners, lay on a course all around of 
stretchers, fiat. And over this set another 
course of headers, flat. Be cautious to break 
joint regularly on the rear as well as on tho 
front of the work; and especially to bind 
the corners to the rest of the walling ; since, 
if these corners are not so bonded to tho 
other part of tlie wall, there must of neces¬ 
sity he weakness where the greatest amount 
of strength is required. 
These three solid courses cany the work 
up to the flooring joists. And now begins 
the mode of economizing the brick. Tho 
next course is composed of sire tellers set on 
edge; leaving two inches and two thirds 
open space. The course over this will ho 
headers laid on flat. Above this cornea the 
stretchf r course on edge again, and Hum the 
headers on flat; and so on to the top, which 
must dose with headers laid flat. There 
cannot be a doubt but this is a strong, as 
well as an economical mode of laying up 
bricks for cottage walls, and one that ought 
to receive the attention of our builders. 
Wooden blocks might take the place of 
bricks on the inside of the building, for tho 
purpose of receiving the trimmings, etc. If 
brick manufacturers throughout the country 
would only conform to the progress of the 
time, and make bricks of varied sizes, a 
great many ways could he very readily de¬ 
vised, by means of which strong work, 
having every advantage of economy, sanitary 
effectiveness, and the saving of space, could 
bo most, thoroughly secured. The Romans 
and the Greeks hud their different sizes of 
oT- 
■_ t mtmmmsse9asa 
GROUND PLAN OF UPPER COTTAGE. 
shopkeeper, artisan or clerk, though none 
the less adapted to the thrifty laborer. A is 
the parlor, with its bay-window, J; B, the 
dining-room; C, the kitchen, with its shelved 
pantry, H; D, the haU ; E, the vestibule; F, 
staircase; G, chamber; I, porch. The second 
PLAIT OF MIDDLE COTTAGE. 
we desire and design to give elevations and 
plans of buildings suited to the varied wants 
of all classes of our readers. There is no 
department of economy which needs more 
carefulstudy than that of adapting the homes 
of our people to their needs, comfort and 
PLANS OF LOWER COTTAGE. 
fleations, will be paid for (in case the price , 
asked lor the same is named) if used; also 
those of devices for homo adornment and con¬ 
venience— especially the latter. AVe want 
to stimulate a study of these things, believing 
there is u rich field which only needs work- 
bricks, and why aro wo to be restricted in 
this matter ? In the above method of iaying 
alternate courses on edge, we find a saving, 
and, if wc had heading bricks lour inches 
thick as well as broad, a double economy 
would be the result. 
