Smyrna times., 1880-05-26
.Hg2'Sc2ILI3E2"NI.
Papier Mache.
ABOUT PAPER AND BUILDING MATERIAL-READ
by WIN. C. BURK AT THE LAST MEET-
ING OF THE DELAWARE CoUN-
TY INSTITUTE OF
SCIENCE,

1t IS interesting to notice the constantly
increasing use OF paper. Within my memo
ry it was mainly restricted to the use of
the writer, the printer, or the merchant for
wrapping In the beginning Of the century
papicr mGchc was rare, seldom seen except
in the form of snuff boxes Tho uses of
paper are now surprisingly varied, and in
most cases they are satisfactory. For car
wheels paper has proved superior to iron
for flour barrels it is better than wood for
basins and many other articles it is far
better than TIM it makes the best vessels |
for oil and lard; it has advantages over !
wool for carpets it is substituted for wood, |
for lead pencils, and for linen for napkins !
and collars. The only use to which it is
applied unproftably is to the roofing of
buildings, for which purpose the proper
mode OF using it has not yet been Invented.
Since the invention Of Csluloid its use has
| been still moro extended as it is one of the
! constituents Of that beautiful material of
| which go many useful and ornamental
! articles are now constructed. The news
| papers tell us occasionally that at Berlin, in
Prussia, church is built Of paper This is
not true, but such ~ church has actually
| existed for several years in Bergen; not
Bergen in Sweden, but Bergen in Pomer
ania away up among the inIets of the Baltic.
Every part Of this etlifcc, walls, floor,
roof, pulpit, and pews, is constructed of
paper. One of the latest applications OF
which | have heard is the making OF it
into bricks for building. This would be an
excellent mode of using the material but
for the single exception Of cost, which
would place it entirely out of competition
with bricks made OF clay. When | saw
the announcement of this mode Of using
! paper in building it reminded me Of what
. | have been cogitating for two or three
; wears past. 1t is a mode Of building sug-
gcstcd to my mind as pass eigbborng
store where pressed hay is sold. Instead
of making hay, straw, wood, or ra@s, into
> paper bricks for building why not use these
) bales as bricks for the walls of houses ?
, 1t seems TO me that where stones and wood
are scarce and bricks cannot he obtained
this would make a most substantial and
! economical house with very little labor. ll
a single day two or three lnem might build
the entire walls Of house. Laying the
bales as bricks are laid it would make
dry and compact wall not liable to get de
= ranged in any way, though if this were
feared holes might be bored, through the
bales vertically and strong iron wire Ol
wooden rods be passed through them. i
may be objected on the grounds that the
cost of hay is too great to permit it to b'
used in this way. Here, where the cost il
$l5 or 500 ton that would be a valid ob
lection, but along the Atlantic coast where
= an unlimited amount of coarse hay o
little value, along streams where swami
hay may be had cheaply, on the grea
! western prairies where hay is unsaleable
, such houses might be erected at very small
cost. Even the sage brush of the grea
plains, and weeds every where, might pos
10 sibly be utilized in this way. The cost @
baling hay is less than dollar a ton. !
I. house twenty- eight feet square and tw
50 stories high would require about thirt
Z tons. l see two objections which may
' urged against house of this kind. Rat
and mice might burrow in the walls, an
the material is inflammable. AS to TIA
same objection would apply to pine WOO
SO extensively used, and to prevent til
former it would only be necessary to satl
rate it before laying with a solution whic
would be unwholeSome for the rodents
fact single application of a satine selutio
would alike prevent all danger from con
bustion and all intrusion by rats and mice
In rainless regions adobe buildings al
swer well, but the houses | propose woul
be satisfactory in climates dry or we
Where sand is plentiful and lime chea
a good substantial concrete houses may
built ut moderate cost, but the labor +
quired and the time needed would be vel
much greater. Every layer of concrete r
quires some days to harden before Ii
next layer is applied.
On looking over a pamphlet publishe
by the st. Louis and Sioux city railroa
and circulated by the Northwestern Low
colonists find the price of hay is given
$l.25 to $3.50 ton, so that baled la
would be less than $3.50 ton, and ii
sh walls of house of the dimensions give
above would cost about $7j, or if but oil
story high about half that amount.-Mcd
Record.