Show Year dear Apartment tn Ho House se Has Room for 1000 An apartment house years old which serves as a home for more than 1000 persons is described in a recent issue of the tho Building Age by Thomas ThomasW W W. ClarKe Clarice an engineer recently re returned returned returned re- re turned from China China Says Mr 11 Clarke It It is the chief building of a village vil- vil vil village lage in the southern end of the Ken Fu-Ken province south China about miles Built in a circle it is five stories high and Is massively constructed constructed constructed con con- of stone and brick Its design shows vs that it was built as much for protection as for dwelling purposes There are no windows on the outside and enemies would have to scale the walls waIls before they could harm those within Th There re is only one entrance a avery avery avery very strong gate capable of standing siege for a long time unless attacked with modern weapons Undoubtedly the house was built bunt to withstand the pirates and roving bands of robbers that terrorized Ken Fu province Inthe inthe In Inthe the old days The outside wall waIl is about 50 feet I high hi feet In diameter The in In- In tenor court is feet across paved with great stone blocks Right in the center of the yard is the communal water supply a a. large cistern which is fed b bj by the water from the roof running through terra cotta drains 4 The roof Is made of heavy terra terra- cotta tiles laid so that the edges overlap overlap over over- lap and It Is IB weatherproof Furthermore Furthermore Further Further- more the tiles afford perfect shelter from the sun which is hot in m south China and the top top floor floor apartments are as cool as those lower down The I whole structure is weatherproof Every apartment has lias its own veI veranda ve ve- I ve- ve randa These run around the whole interior of the house and face on the courtyard which often orten serves as a market place when merchants are al allowed allowed allowed al- al lowed to come in fr from frem m nearby villages The families Include considerably considerably considerably consider consider- ably more than 1000 persons and they they have a government of their own It is is not unlike the much advertised form of I commission government adopted in m some of the towns and cities clUes of this I country |