Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-01-23
the BUILDING STONE OF TODAY.
steel Frames Now Bear The Weight Of The
Great Skyscrapers. @---

PITTsBURG, Jan. 22.-The modern system
of construction, by which the weights of
the tall buildings now SO great feature of
most American cities are transferred from
the walls to the steel or iron truss framing,
has brought about a curious change as to
the qualities demanded in building stone.
Formerly it was essential that the stone of
the walls of high building should be cap
able of bearing enormous weights without
crushing. Now it is only necessary that
the stone shall be handsome in appearance
and of moderate strength, as it is used only
as facing" in the tall buildings.
1t is the application of the truss principle
to the framing of buildings indeed that
renders the Is and 20 story commercial and
industrial towers of today practicable, for
to make the walls thick enough in the low
er courses to stand the weight of some of
the high structures nowadays put on mar
row lots in many cases would be to use up
half the area devoted to the building with
foundation walls.
The strongest stone known to American
builders will bear u pressure of "a 900 pounds
to the cubic inch. The trap rocks Of New
Jersey and the dolerite of Staten Island
will both take this weight, which is some
what in excess Of the capabilities of the
GRANTEES. Thus the granite of Rhode Island
brushes when the pressure reaches more
than 1850 pounds to the cubic inch, that
of Virginia will bear 81 ,250pounds and that
of Maryland 1880 pounds. The strength
of the GRANTEES of Maine, New Hampshire
and Vermont varies somewhat but not
greatly from these figures, and the strength
of granite has been the quality that has
most recommended it in the past.
The strongest marbles in the world are
from American quarries and come from
Lee, Mass. They will bear the weight of
l3,44O pounds to the cubic inch. The mar
BILE of Tuckahoe, N. Y, will bear 1850
pounds to the inch, and this is in excess of
the strength Of some Of the Fundy red
GRANTEES, which are capable of bearing only
II ,S12 pounds. The statuary marble Of Car
rara will bear only 9,723. The strongest
limestone will support 800 pounds to the
cubic inch, and it is quarried in the vicinity
of Kingston, N. Y. The Empire State is
especially rich in limestone quarries, the
products of which are greatly valued for
their variety of color. That of Glens Falls
Is jet black and will take on high polish;
the stone Of Medina, Albion and Lock port
Is of various gray shades, and there are
cream and dove tinted stones found in other
portions Of the state. Some of the hand
soonest light shaded limestone is found in
Florida and the Bermudas.
The Ohio limestones are quite the equal
Of any in America and are iavoritcs in Gin
cinnati, Cleveland and Columbus. A most
valuable property of the Ohio limestones
Is their power Of resisting fire, quality
shared by the limestones Of northern Indi-
ana and Illinois. These stones are quar-
ried In slabs, and ut one time in the geolog-
ical history Of the earth formed part of
the beach or bottom Of the seas of the Nj
agara period.
Americans are much more lavish in the
use OF bright colored building stones than
the English or any other northern people,
q fact that was noted 40 years ago by
titled English visitor to- this country, who,
In letter to British periodical. drew
parallel between the cheerful aspect pre-
sented by American facades and the SOM
Der appearance of the English fronts, to the
decided disadvantage Of the latter.
I. CpAIn