AUS, M 
MO 0 BE’S BUBAL WEW-YORKEB. 
\ 
§lmral |li[fhitci1ui|f. 
CHEAP CONCRETE HOUSES. 
The Herat. New-Yorker has frequent 
inquiries concerning the building of con¬ 
crete houses. We have published several 
articles upon this subject, but here is anoth¬ 
er from the Aberdeen Journal describing 
the latest mode of concrete building as 
practiced in Scotland: 
The whole process of building houses of 
concrete is so exceedingly simple that the 
employment of skillful labor is quite un¬ 
necessary. A foundation having been laid, 
a double framework of wood, or paneling,!) 
inches apart and 18 inches high, is placed 
above the foundations round the entire 
building, forming a kind of box. This pan¬ 
eling consists of pieces of wood, varying in 
breadth from three to four inches to over 1 
foot, with a bead on the upper edge having 
an aperture by which the pieces arc slid on 
to an iron rod. Being thus telescopic in 
construction, the pieces of wood can bo 
lengthened or shortened according to the 
extent of the building. At intervals bo- 
betweon the panels are placed upright, bars, 
called separating [posts, several feet, high, 
through which t he iron rods supporting t he 
panels pass and are secured. At equal dis¬ 
tances of IS inches, ascending upwards, 
there are apertures in the posts for the 
insert ion of the iron rods, and t he paneling 
round the entire structure can be raised 
with ease as the building ad vances. 
When operations ary to bo commenced, a. 
quantity of packing, which may consist of 
rough stones of any shape, t he more rugged 
the better, which forms the first layer of 
the building, is thrown in, care being taken 
to keep the packing 1 inch from the face of 
t he work, so that it may not show through 
it . When the 18 inches of packing are tilled 
tap, the concrete, which is in a semi-liquid 
state, like mud, Is poured into the box and 
percolates down through the. stones, thor¬ 
oughly tilling all cavities, and binding the 
st ones and rubble together so tight ly that 
I,he whole forms one solid mass. For a day, 
the portion of wall thus made lies encased 
within the paneling. By that timoj It has 
become quite dry, and the paneling or 
frame is taken oil - and lifted up ot her 18 in- 
inclies, the bottom of the frame resting 
whore the top was before. Thus another 
box is formed Jalaovo the piece of Uuishod 
wall, and identically the same process 
which we have described is repeated, stones 
and rubble being thrown in, and the liquid 
cement being poured over't hem. In this 
way 18 inches of building are tluisheif each 
day if the weather bo good, so that in the 
course of a week t lie walls of a cottage 8 or 
{) feet high are strongly and firmly built. 
When the paneling is screwed t ogether to 
the separating posts, it is so mathematically 
exact, owing to its careful structure, Unit 
the. wall is built, as straight as if tested with 
a plumb line. Indeed, it cannot fail to be 
so, and It is interesting to note that the 
whole building is liuished without the aid 
of a plumb line, which is quite unnecessary. 
A noteworthy feat ure in connection with 
the building of these concrete houses is that 
the usual cumbrous and often dangerous 
scaffoldings which are used in erecting or¬ 
dinary buildiugs is superseded by a much 
bettor, more secure, and much less unwieldy 
arrangement, by which /‘opes are entirely 
dispensed with. Little hollow iron tubes, 
called, cores, are placed in the walls, 
through which Iron rods are inserted, con¬ 
nected with brackets which are securely at¬ 
tached to the wall, being firmly screwed 
through the building with nuts. The brack¬ 
ets are just similar iu form to supports 
used for shelving, and on the top of the 
brackets are laid the planks for the scaf¬ 
folding, forming altogether a neat and strong 
support. 
Two cottages, wbloll are built as one, are 
dll feet in length by 22 feet., and 8 feet high. 
In each cottage there are t hree rooms, those 
in the front being about 12 feet square, and 
the back rooms measuring about 7 feet, by 12. 
The cottages are lighted by two windows in 
front, and four in t he back. The flooring is 
of concrete, which, being thoroughly Im¬ 
pervious to moisture, makes the apartments 
very dry and comfortable, it is intended 
to have the roof built in the ordinary way 
with rafters and slating, but it is not un¬ 
common for concrete to be used as a rooting 
material, for which purpose it answers very 
well. The outside walls, Avheu built, are 
finished with a coating of concrete, about a 
X of an inch thick, a little finer in the qual¬ 
ity than that used for the ordinary build¬ 
ing, which gives a smooth liuished appear¬ 
ance to the structure. Nd supports are 
requisite for the lintels of the doors or win¬ 
dows, because after the concrete is harden¬ 
ed, it is stronger t han any support, of wood 
or stone. When the building Is in progress, 
spaces arc left for the joists, which are tem¬ 
porarily tilled with sand, which is easily re¬ 
movable at any time with a trowel. The 
spaces for the joists are made, alternately 8 
inches and (I inches in dept h, on each side of 
the building, whic.li diminishes the pressure 
on the walls considerably. 
Houses finished in the way wo have de¬ 
scribed are much cheaper than those built, 
in the ordinary way, the saving being from 
3ft to H> per cent. The buildings, at the 
same time are more comfortable, because, 
being impervious to moisture and heat, they 
are warm and dry iu winter, and cool dur- 
bedrooms, and C, (', <\ closets. — 8. II. 
Moon. 
We do not see that, our Correspondent 
has made any provision for a pantry. Wo 
should use the bedroom out of the dining¬ 
room as a pantry and the closet also for a 
store-room or china closet. But wo com¬ 
mend the plan to our readers for their 
criticism. 
RAINFALL AND CISTERNS. 
OCTAGONAL HOUSE I'l.AN OK FIRST FLOOK 
ing summer. The rooms can bo papered 
over t he bare, walls, no lath or plaster being 
required, though a coat ing of plaster in no 
way affects t he concrete, ir it is preferred. 
An important element, of course, iu t he 
process of building is the concrete or ce¬ 
ment itself. It, is burnt down from stone 
somewhat in the same way as lime, but, of 
course, is of an entirely different nature. 
When the cement Is to be UHed, it is mix¬ 
ed with rough sand, generally for ordinary 
purposes in the proportion of eight pailfuls 
of sand to one of cement. The two are 
mixed simply in the ordinary way, water 
being poured over the sand and cement 
unt il they are iu a semi-liquid state. When 
the sand is very sharp and shelly, tho con¬ 
crete can be made iu proportion of nine 
pailfuls of sand to one of oomeut: while in 
other cases again, where the sand is of a. 
soft, inferior description, one pailful of ce¬ 
ment is necessary to seven pailfuls of sand. 
-- 
OCTAGONAL HOUSE. 
11 Elf E is a plan of an eight-square house, 
roughly drawn, which 1 shall be glad if 
some of your readers will improve upon. I 
am no architect, but am convinced that, 
eigtit square houses are bettor than four- 
OCTAGONAL HOUSE—PLAN OF SECOND FLOOR 
square houses, for the wind will not, have 
so much pressure upon them as to crack 
the plastering. I should like one that would 
cost *1,500 to *3,000. This is the best, plan I 
cun devise, but I think it may' be improved 
by some one who understands it. You will 
see that, iu the ground plan I have a piazza 
back of the kitchen; but 1 do not know but 
It would be better to have the kitchen run 
back and have a pantry and cupboard 
where the plan is marked M, M, for refer¬ 
ence. 
In the ground plan 1*. 1 is parlor, Hi by 10; 
I), dining-room, Hi by Hi; K, kitchen, 12 by 
18; B, B, bedrooms, 1 by 10; 11, ball; 1’, P, 
P, piazzas; C, (J, closets. The chimneys 
are each side of the hall, represented by the 
round dots, and are to be united in the 
garret. 
In the chamber plan II, is ball; B, 15, B, 15, 
The rainfall in the States East of the 
Mississippi, for a series of years, at differ¬ 
ent places, will average about forty inches 
per annum, which is nearly twenty-live 
gallons per square foot of level surface. 
But as there is generally more or less waste 
before reaching the cistern, we will call it 
twenty gallons per square foot, and base 
our calculations accordingly. 
Honoe, a roof thirty by forty feet, will 
catch 2-1,000 gallons per annum; one of ten 
by ten foot, 2,000 gallons, and so in propor¬ 
tion. 15ut, tile cistern supply is not only 
governed by the regularity of the rainfall, 
the size of the roof or watershed, but also 
by the dimensions of the cistern, whloli 
last should be suQicietitly large not to allow 
too much to run to waste, yet if will bo no 
harm to let it, waste, provided an ample 
supply saved. 
A filtering cistern, twelve feet diameter, 
and ten feet deep below the waste pipe or 
outlet,, will hold, independent of the filter, 
about 7,500 gallons; one of ten feet diam¬ 
eter and eight feet deep, about, 4,100 gal¬ 
lons; one of eight, feet, diameter and eight 
feet deep, about, 2,(100 gallons; one of seven 
feet diameter and seven foot deep, about 
1,800 gallons. Of course, without the tiller 
and inside walls, each would hold consider¬ 
ably more. A good altering cistern eight 
foot in diameter and seven feet deep, hold¬ 
ing about 2,000 gallons, having but, one 
pump, pipe, etc., could probably be built 
for 8150; and if the proprietor should do 
the excavation and some other work, and fur¬ 
nish such material as usually is at hand, the 
cash paid out would probably be loss than 
*100, and tho cistern would, in most, cases, 
be large enough for an ordinary family for 
house purposes, as some families use much 
less water than others of the, same size. 
When we consider that it would be better 
to live in a small, cheap dwelling than be 
without, pure air or pure and wholesome 
water, It would be cheap enough. 
But, some say cistern water is apt to be 
roily, dark colored, or greasy; yet, water 
that is properly filtered will be clean, nice, 
and nearly white, and of excellent, quality. 
There is no reason of uutillered water being 
dirty or greasy, for, if the roof is kept, clean, 
and the cistern be of fair size, sunk well 
Into the ground, with an inlet, an outlet, 
and the all* between the water and the curb, 
the little dirt will settle to the bot tom, and 
with daily use the water will be lively and 
clean. Of course, the pump or pipe through 
which the water is raised must not rest on 
the bottom, but on something 8 to 10 inches 
above it; and if the roof catches much dirt, 
then put a sliding joint into the conductor, 
■I to 0 feet up from the ground, so that it 
can be raised, an elbow put on to the lower 
end, and the water turned into a cask until 
it runs clear; then take off t,lm elbow, slip 
down tile joint, and let the balance Into the 
cistern. There Is no economy iu building 
300 to 500 gallon cisterns; never build one 
less than from 1,000 to 1,500 gallons, and 
larger is better. For plans and specifica¬ 
tion for filtering and purifying cistern, see 
Rural New-Yorker of Sep. Otli, 1871. 
But a cistern to supply stock wit h water 
should be much larger and located near 
the barn, stock-yards, or stall , It need 
not have a lilter in it, til though filtered 
water is better for stock as well as for man, 
especially for milch cowh, as the milk, but¬ 
ter and cheese, will all be of liner quality. 
The partit ion walls may also be dispensed 
with, unless the cistern lie quite largo, and 
they arc needed to give strength to the 
work. Tho outside wall of a large cistern 
should be twelve inches in t hickness. If a. 
very huge cistern is needed for a large 
amount of stock, build it fifteen to twenty 
feet iu diameter, and twelve to fifteen feel 
deep, holding 15,000 to 34,000 gallons, the 
outside wall twelve inches thick, with two 
center partition walls crossing each other 
at right, angles. When these walls are three 
to four feet high from the bottom, then 
only carry up the sides, each about four 
feet in width, along the outside wall to the 
arch, so as to support the top, strengthen 
the bottom and outside walls and make the 
whole work substantial, leaving an open 
space in t he center or tho cistern, so as to 
get iu and out more easily, should it be¬ 
come necessary. 
But perhaps it would bo better to build 
t wo or more smaller ones, as they would cost 
I it,I le if any more, and in case of accident to 
one tho others could bn relied upon. But 
in all cases l he foundation must he smooth, 
level and substantial. Should It, be pre¬ 
ferred, instead of the planks laid crosswise, 
grout, may be lifted on the bottom. Grout 
it over two or three times thoroughly; on 
this lay two or three ooursesof hard burned 
brick in good cement,, on which commence 
the outside and inside walls, with hard 
burned brick well laid in good cement; 
and when high enough, give the arch a 
proper turn, and carry it to its place in a 
proper manner; the walls to he well plas¬ 
tered with good cement, both inside and 
out, and the outside wall well puddled with 
clay. (Sue Rural New-York Bit of Sep- 
euiber 9th, 1871, page 155). 
Of course each person knowing his own 
need and circumstances, can best decide 
how and where to build, so as to supply his 
wants and make it convenient. A few brick 
may bo left out of the center walls, one and 
two feet above the bottom, so that the 
water can circulate around in the cistern. 
Hut in as many pumps as are considered 
necessary to carry the water to all the cat¬ 
tle stalls, or water them at, a large trough 
in tho yard, each consulting Ills own con¬ 
venience and circumstances. If the work 
is well done, the money will not be wasted: 
the farm and dwelling will b« that much 
more valuable. Isaacs Esmay. 
South Bcud, fad., Aug., 1872. 
♦ » ♦ 
SCIENTIFIC AND USEFUL NOTES. 
flow to Destroy Mosquitoes.—A cor¬ 
respondent, of the Soionlillc American 
writes:—The strongest crystallized carbolic 
acid should be placed in a bottle and cov¬ 
ered with the same quantity of strong red 
cod liver oil; shake the bottle thoroughly 
until a whitish colored foam appears; if 
such foam does not arise, however, a small 
quantity of powdered lime should be added, 
with a lit t le water. Dour the mlxtuo into a 
dish or ot her convenient article, and place 
directly under the open window, as it is 
from this quarter the mosquito enters. 
Tho moment l lie mosquito enters, it loses 
the scent „of blood; for, as the combined 
odor of the oil and acid Is much more pow¬ 
erful than that of blood, it follows, as a 
consequence, that the mosquito becomes 
suddenly perplexed. The consequence is, 
that after scrambling and ski mils li Ing about, 
in the dark, t he mosquito is led, as it were, 
instinctively Into the mixture, where it is 
either drowned in the oil or burned to 
death by the acid. 
I have slaughtered more mosquitoes with 
the article explained above than over 
I could ha ve done with my list s or any oth¬ 
er dangerous weapons. 
Excellent, Varnish for Harness.— Pul¬ 
verize and [put in [a jug or bottle half a 
pound to a pound of gum-shellac, cover with 
good alcohol, and cork tightly. Put the, 
mixture in a warm place. In about two 
days, if shaken frequently, the gum will be, 
dissolved and ready for use. If the liquid 
appears [ as . thick [ as t hin molasses add 
more alcohol. To one quart of the varnish 
add one ounce of good lampblack, and an 
ounce of gum camphor. An occasional coat 
of this is also good for rendering boots wa¬ 
ter-proof. 
Varnish for Plaster Casts. — R. M. 
Cotuell is informed that, the following is 
recommended as a varnish for plaster casts : 
White soap and wax, each a half muico, two 
pints of water; boil together a short time 
in a clean vessel. Apply the varnish cold, 
with a soft, brush. It dries quickly, and ih 
not absorbed. Its effect maybe Improved 
by rubbing lightly with asilk handkerchief. 
To Paint Straw Color, take white lead, 
chrome yellow, raw umber and lampblack; 
mix a small portion at first until you get 
the shade desired, then you can mix a larger 
lot in similar proportions. Take the white 
lead, mix in some yellow, add a small por¬ 
tion of umber and a few drops of the black. 
If at first you get it too dark, add a little 
white lead.—II. C. Mcadvillc, Pa. 
Commit lbr Cisterns.—J. .1. |),-We 
know nothing of the durability of the com¬ 
position you name. Stone and cement are 
the best lining for a cistern, in our judg¬ 
ment. 
To Remove Hard Putty from Sash, 
take a hot iron and rub over it. 
s'. 
