Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-07-09
Elastic Stone. Roofing.
From the Chicago Tribune.


We are always pleased to call the attention of
the public to anything of real merit, and our re-
porter having had occasion yesterday to call at
the Office of the Chicago Elastic Stone oofng
Company, was SO much pleased with their ar
rangements that he could not refrain from giving
a short account to the Tribune readers. This COM
pany was organized about year ago, and have
put up commodious manufactory, 80 by 10 feet,
two stories and basement, fitted with steam power
and machinery ample for their wants. and located
between Halsted street and Newberry avenue.
They have established local agents in nearly
800 Of the largest towns In the West, from Buffa
10, N. Y, to Omaha, Nebraska, where they have
smother factory and branch, and are having nu-
merous orders for material from all directions
daily, as glance at their shipping book will show
Their roofing is composed of coal tar thickened
by the addition of kaolin, or playground porce
lain clay, that it may not run from the extreme
of summer heat, and also rendering the material
fre-proof: to this they add preparation of dis
thoroughly mixed by machinery. The principle
of the roof is, that upon applying the material hot
to the surface of the feting, the rubber not being
combined but simply admixed, rises to the sur
face, forming film or envelope over the surface,
protecting it from the action Of the atmosphere.
The glycerine, which will not evaporate. keeps
lit always elastic, so that 1t will not crack from
cold. a q % is.se !. .....atgs} E8 ..ai5 IS ,saa
Upon expressing some doubt as to the fre-proof
properties of a composition compOsed of such In
man, proposed to demonstrate the point Taking
large sample board nearly hve feet square, M.
Human made fire covering space two feet III
diameter, which, burned furiously for fifteen
minutes, when the burning brands were thrown
off and wedge shaped piece cut from the centre
to the outside of the burned portion, and upon
turning it back the boards we're found barely
warmed and neither course of felting broken, and
the second course unframed. e. e2sA~2
Messrs Campbell and whitman, insurance
agents, who were present, suggested building a
large fire on the ground. and placing the roof
above, which was done, and the are fed with
wood and coal tar, to make as great heat posi-
Bile. After burning nearly twenty minutes, during
which time the sample was 80 completely enveE
oped in flames at times that it could not be seen
the boards were burned through, yet the roofing
failed to give way. A few minutes later the felt
ing was broken through with stick to allow the
flames to pass through, and even then the fire
confined itself to the boards and would not
spread over the roof. After burning twenty-five
minutes the test was concluded satisfactorily
Nearly three-quarters of an hour on both sides OF
sample, and the roof yet undestroyed We ap-
pend the following certificate from Campbell,
Whitman q Wallace, insurance agents
To Wh0m it mag Concern: H..
We witnessed test of the fire proof ou alties of
the Chi csgo Elastic Stone Roofing Company at tx cir
works this afternoon, and In the desc ription
above given. The teat the most severe, and Its
success the most complete. of anything of the kind
upon the surface, the material through feeding
the flares, If rom below. The roofing has our IN
qua lied app oval ana in insuring building would
con slider It safer risk, II covered with the elastic
stone roofing, than any other roofing material in our
knowledge. CAMPBELL, WHITMAN q WALLACE.