222
The Real Estate Record.
tbeir sejiarate exislonce sboiild be preserved on
the t-ix books .•md tbeir aggregate in each ca.se
sluuilil b(- Ibe extent of individual viiluation, and
the Jot.il of ilu-se Aaliialioiis should constitute the
a r-l "f tixalile real estate values iu the city.
i!i.-.!f.ol of ilehidinguur.selvesAvith an iinaginiii-y
v.-ilu.iiii.ii of sixty per cent, it Avoiild be iiun-e just,
C'liiifuLic. and acieptabb! lo tax-jjayers lo buA'c
the •lUire rcu! esl.ile of tbe city Aalued according
lo Iiie.l;iii:riiage (d the i:iAA-, -at-^^uch A-.'iliie as uii-
<1<T ('niiiiury circuiustaiices it Avoiild sell for.'»
Tin- e.stal.lisbiiient of tlii.s .scale of values is ju.st as
p..--i-sihl.' us till- i--tililis!i!iieiit of figiiieiitary fruc-
liiiiis .if v.-iluc, tl;.. hitler ciuirseserving to confiise
till- iiiiu.l .il" tin- t.ix jiuyer Avitli regard tothe A-al-
iie of his property uii-l the basis on Avhicli his t;ix-
Jitit.u is I.-Aieil. llesidi's this adoption <d' a per-
(•ciititrc of Auluatioii, less lliaii the Avliole value
(ipeiis ilu' (iuiir for ,'il.iise.s of poAver, nnd furnishes
a scroti! nml possibl,' Jiistilicalioii for the mo.st rc-
preheiisiMe praci ice.s.
Tiiere is lui l.ruiicli of the municipal govern
iiieiit Avhicb siuuds more in need of revision and
rcnio(lelliii.i;, as Jo nietlujds and ibitails, than the
ta.x c.uiip.iissiouti'.s ofiice, and avc may add there is
iioi.flice iu aaIucIi lb.; per.-ional interests of the (ax
payer ;u-e iii->i-e largely centered and more vital¬
ly ooiicenicil lluiii in this one.
TIIK HVtJIENR'.S OF BUILDIXO.
11.
LnniT. — I'lidor Ibis hi?;iding, aw propo.se to dis-
cur-s th'.- .sanitai-y ciuiditioiis relating to the inte¬
rior of huildiiig.s. Many, if not all tho .specifica¬
tions l.iiil down ill tbe preceduigsection, are eipial-
ly aiijili'-uble in this case. The i>articiilar u.se
Avhich Ave desire lo iiuike of this hraiicli of the dis-
cussi Ul, is to enter a vigorous protest against the
practice of Imilding dAAelliiigs of extraordinary
deptli. The oM-fa.sliioiied, and almost discarded
method ot building dAvellings three rooms deep,
.as it Avas termed, is occasionally-revived VA-ith no
a.lvaiitage to the building or to the occupants.
Tlie three-story back building, or extension, has
in later times taken ils jdacc. Intlielatterca.se
tli!- iiuiiii lioo.seis.-iiil to be of shailoAvdepth, while
the exuiisi.ni, built as a set-oil', may- run in
deji'h .-leuv lo tin- end of the lol. Our notion i.s
that extensions .-ue only- suitable in iletuched
lioiis.'s Avlure there isa free cii-ciilatiou of air and
Hooding (if light 111 city rows, they- should be
contiiK'd tl) houses of extra Avidtb, thirty feet
front, being tbe least Avidtli that should receiA-e a
liigli ami deei) exten.sion. The practice of adding
these extensions to sixteen feet fnuit hotise.s, or to
houses of .-my Avidtli betAveen this und tAventy-Iive
feel is clearly- iinjiistiliable, and its folly can be
easily denionst rated by an inspection of the inter¬
ior of such hou.ses. Their dark, gloomy appear¬
ance is repulsive and oppressive, Avlijle the ab¬
sence of a jH-oper flooding of sunlight is apt to
render the interior atmosphere dank and noisome.
For light, us avcII as for air, a liberal provision
of yard room is necess.ary in dAvelling house con-
>trnctioii. and tlii.s oasis of a city residence should
lie uiiiforinly exacted by- house biiy-ers.
With a view of securing a sufiicient flood of
light it would Le \A-eIl to observe the folloAviiig
proportions:
A house sixteen or eighteen feet front nmy he
built from lifty-fiA-e to sixty--five feet deep, the
central space being usually- taken up with clo.s-
cts, Avhich are or should be lighted AA-ith large Avell-
boles or light shafts. The standard house of tAA-enty
or iwenty-tAvo feet front should neA-&r exceed in
depth lifty-six or fifty-eight feet, and the housesof
these Avidtbs, tli.-it aro fifty feet deep, aie by far
the most poiuilar and suiUiblefor family residence.
Houses of tAveiity-live feet or more in Avidth
shouM not exceed the maximum depth of sixty-
five or seventy feet, aud this depth is then oniy
Avarrantabio Avheii interior air and light shafts nro
freely used, or when that excellent method is
adopted kiioAvn as saloon cluuiibcr floors, in Avhich
the front and back rooms are separated only by-
douhle sliding doors, the opening of Avliich makes
them, in fact, one long clmiiiliei-, e.xteiidiiig from
the front to (he rear of the house, tbrough Avhich
the light and air can easily penetrate and circulate.
A very convenient bouse bos recently lieeii built
of thediiiieiisiunsof tvveiity-.si.x feet front by-forty--
five feet ileeii. These are iiiiiisiiul proportions,
but it is instructive to knoAV Iioav niucli po]mlar
interest this particular lsoii.se excited. We tliroAA-
out this suggestion lo aclive liuiiders, as an indi¬
cation of popular taste.
VE.Nrit.vTioN.—The confused idiiio.sophy, the
conflicting tiieoiies and the inexact science of
ventilation are more than ciunigli to bcAvilder the
aA'eragc student. We have no iiiti'iiliou of at-
teiiipliiig to imraA-el the tangle.
It mav Ik; a Ibemo of c<.iigi-atulatioii that
iiiodern intelligence bus learned to discard the
unsightly and iiieireetiial oiieiiing in the Avail
coiiiiectiiig Avitli a brick Hue, Avhi(;h avus siipiuised
to be open at the liii> of tiie |i.-iiupet avuII (but
Avliich more fre(|iieiitly \v;»sentirely covered Avitli
coping), Avbicli our grandfathei-s used to rely
iijion as a proper nieuiis of ventilating dAvellings.
Even Avheii these Hues bapiJeiieil to be open at the
top their priiiciiial ollice was to comliu-t cold air,
rain and iliist doAvinvurd to the iiitei-hn- of tho
liou.se: and if tho exhausted utmos-iihere of the
(hvelling ever jietietratcd to this fiue its iipAA-anl
progress AA-as {luickly arrested by the solid idug
of cold, heavy atmosphere which it wa.s bound
to encomit<;r lialf-Avay iu its vertical motion.
No Inimaii device has beon able to siti-p.ass tho
principlo and practice of the -ipen grate as a
means of ventilating the interior of lniildiiig.s.
The tAvo most favorable conditions are here af¬
forded of a heated fiue communicating directly-
Avith outside space and commencing at so Ioav u
point in a room lus to insure the certaiu moAe-
ment of all portions of the atiiios{ihere. AVith
this provision of an open grate fire, the seams of
the wiiidoAvs and doors of too many of our city
dAA'elliiigs m.iy bo relied iijioii to furni.sh a
copimis- supply of fresh air, although the
modern Avi-afher strip is apt to put a com¬
plete check 111)1*1! Iliese inlets. Griito lires are
troublesome, ex]ieiisive and dangerous, especially
Aviih children in the family. Their use on an
extensive scale is apt to be cultivated only in the
most luxurious mansions. The hot-air fui-nace is
a readier and less exiiensive means of warming a
house, and plays an important part in A'entilation,
provided a .sati.«factoi-y outlet can be furnished
for exhausted air. Air shafts or light holes,
so called, though indispensable on other accounts,
are really ineflicient and miieliable as means of
perfect venlilation, as the air in them is apt to
become motionless in the ab.sence of any estab¬
lished current, and Avheii in motion the fetid at¬
mosphere is more than likely to be ouly conveyed
from one floor to another.
In houses that are furnace-heated an admira¬
ble means of ventilating the cellar is provided iu
what is called the Boston damper, affixed to the
smoke pipe of most modern furnaces. This per¬
forms the double ofiice of moderating the draft
and perfectly ventilating the cellar. The kitchen
is the next important room that needs ventilation,
and the means are so ready- and inexpensive
that there is really no excuse for not adopting
tbem. A simple hood of galvanized iron placed
on the breast of the range cliimnoy, so as to catch
the vapors nnd odoi-s that arise from cooking, can
be connected Avith a pipe of tAVo or four inches
diameter, running up the range Iiue or adjoining
it to tlie top of the house. Tliis -ivili effectually
carry off all smell of cooking and thoroughly
ventilate the kitchen. Tho main hallway can bo
ea.sily ventilated through the dome light by raising
the inside sa.sli of the dome on blocks .so as to leave
un open space of an inch aroniid it, and then sur-
moniitiiig tbe outside sky-light Avith an Eiiiei-.sou
Exhaust A'eiitilato-.-. The .•^ikico between the
domeliglit and skylight forms a capital e.xbuiist
cliumbei-, in whiidi the temperature is apt to be a
mean lietAvcen that of the inside and outside
atmosphure.
For an iiiexpeiisiA-o and ellicietit A'entilation of
parlors a'nd bedrooms iiotliing c.-iii excel the
opening of .small vent lades in tim pla.ster centre
piece that siiri-ounils the gas pipe of the ceiilr.-s!
chandelier. ()ver these openings a tin box can be
enclosed connected by u one or two-im-h ir'u
pipe Avbicli can be carried up the nearest li..|
fine to the top of the cliimiieA-, and liy this iiieuiis
an upAv.-ird draft Avill be eslablislied. If the Hue
through Aviiich the pipe |>as.s(ts baiuieiis to be .-i
cold one, the beat geiieruled by She ccmluistiou ,,i
the illuminating gas in the room Avill sufiirienllr
Avariii tlu- pipe to estulilisb un iipwunl ciirniil.
.-\11 inleiior Avell boles ami shafts should, us f.ir
us possible, lie built solid to the roof, uml ibere
sui-iiiouiiled Avitli a veiililuting skylight AVhere
these can he a^ssocialed Aviib wuriii Hues iu the
Avail tlieir eniciency Avill be gn^atly (Uiluiiici.d. It
is iieccs.sary to beir in mind Ihut circulalioii isuii
iiidispeii.sjible jiait of veiilihil ion. In a Avor.l,
that it is imi«ossible to veiilil.ite a ho.v. 'i'here
must be an inlet and an outlet and a circiii.iiiiii;
current of air thnuigh a given shaft to all'ord
ventilation. Tightly built houses .should have
provided a special cold air duct for each room.not
large enougli, hoAA-cver, to occn.sioii cold (Irau.ulits.
There are many- elalxn-ate and exjiensive
schemes of house ventilation Avhicli are onlv suit¬
able for adoption in the dAvellings of the Avealthy
The suggestions Avhicli aa-o have prescnied
Avould involve but u tiifliug cost if fitteiided to
during the original coiistniction of a buikiiiig.
A CARD FROM THE CHAMBERLAIN.
To THE EniTOll OK TIIK Ri:At E.ST.ATE Reouui:
My attention has but ju.st iioav heeii called to
a paragraph in your is.siie of Feb. 2:'„\, in which
you exju-ess a doubt Avliether some recent iiivesi-
nients of tbe (Jourt Fiimls by this oflice liaAo been
juilicious, and yon exju-ess surpri.se lliat l...iiis
slKUilil lie made on pi-(n.erly in the uuLskii Is of {he
city.
'io correct any- niisunderslaiuling mi voiir jiart
or that of y-our readers, it a\ ill bo uiih- "nece.ssurv
for me to say that, of the nine' nioriguges
mentioned by^ y-ou, five of them were takeir'al
the jiarticular instance and Avritteii icciuest of the
parties interested in the trust moiievs louned. thev
having the right, by many years" usage (.'f the
office, to select the securitA- for their money. I
should add, lunvever, that the valuations of iliese
mortgaged premises fully Avan-aiited the loans
made.
The remaining four mortgages Avill, I ihink,
commend themselves to anv iierson avIio is
familiar with the property covered.
In conclusion let me say the Cliamberhiin Avill
be glad to find iiroperty " ceiilrally located''
or otlierAvise, for the investments he lias to make
in discharging this very diflicult and responsible
oflicial duty.
Y'oius, very truly.
J. Jaelso^- Tait'aa-.
New Y'ork, March '.I, IS7S.
THE QUEEN INSURANCE (^0.-\lPAXY BUILDING.
The Queen Insurance Company building, Avhich has
recently- been erected ou tbe site known as part of ihe
old Jauncey Court in Wall street, is well deservinfr of
special notice. It has a frontajre on Wall street
of 30 feet B inches, i* six stories high, and has a
ba.sement and subcellar. The from is composed of
Baltimore brick, trimmed Aviih Wyoming blue stone
and NeAV Jersey broAvu stone. All the granite Avork
Avas furnished by the Hinsdale Boyle Granite Company
Avliose NeAV York office is at No O.-..'^ jlioadway. The
basement and fir.st story .are eonstnutini of llaUoweli
granite; the capping over the second slory Avindows
of BayoE Fuady granite and'the blaek grauito col¬
umns of black diamond granite, and the carving'