The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-08-13
E. 0. HALL & son.
AMERICAN BUILDING STONE,
The Strongest Bears Pressure Of ~. 900
Pounds Per Cnhlc Inch.

The Strongest Bears a Pressure of "a, 90,
Pounds Per Cubic Inch.
The modern system Of construction, b,
which weights Of the tall buildings now s,
great feature of most American cities ar,
transferred from the walls to the steel O.
iron truss framing, has brought about ,
curious change as to the qualities demand
ed in building stone. Formerly it was es
sential that the stone of the walls of higf
building should be capable of bearing enor
nous weights without crushing. Now II
Is only necessary that the stone should b,
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 princi
pie to the framing of buildings, indeed
tnat renders the 10 and 20 story CONNER
ciai and Industrial towers of today practi.
cable, for to make the walls thick enough
IN tine lower courses to stand the weight OF
some OF the high structures nowadays put
on narrow lots in many cases would be to
use up half the area devoted to the build
ing with foundation walls
The strongest stone known to American
builders VIII bear n pressure of p, 900 pounds
10 the cubic inch. The trap rocks Of New
jersey and the dolerites of Staten Island
VIII both take this weight which is some
WHAT In excess OF the capabilities of the
GRANTEES Ihus the granite of Rhode Island
crushes when the pressure reaches more
IMAM lL,oo pounds to the cubic inch, that
OF virginia Will bear 81 $50 pounds and
that OF maryland 1850 pounds. The
strength OF the GRANTEES Of Maine, New
hampshire ana vermont varies somewhat,
ou. hot greatly from these figures, and the
strength OF granite has been the quality
that mas most recommended it in the past.
Inc strongest marbles in the world are
from american quarries and come from
Lee, MASS They Will bear the weight Of
io'44o pounds to the cubic inch. The mar
pie OF Iuckahoe, N. Y, will bear 49, $50
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
li,sl2 pounds. The statuary marble OF
Carara Will bear only 9,723. The strongest
limestone VIII support 1900 pounds to the
CUBIC inch' and it is guarded 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
nS JET oiack and will take on high polish.
VI -heulld, AlDlOu ana LOCK port
IL 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.
Inc ONO limestones are quite the equal
OF any In America, and are favorites 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 quarried
In slabs, and at one time In the geological
history OF the earth formed part of the
beach or bottom of the seas of the Niagara
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 a
TITLED English visitor to this country who,
In letter to a British periodical, drew a
parallel between the cheerful aspect pre-
sented by American facades and the somber
appearance Of the English fronts, to the de-
cided disadvantage of the latter.
phia North American.