Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-07
NO RELIEF IN SIGHT
SHORTAGE OF BUILDING MATE
RIAL IN DISTRICT.
Conditions May Impede Progress on
Local Construction Projects of Rail-
roads-Opinions of officials.

The District is on the verge of construc-
ton material famine, and unless there
should come relief from an unlocked Tor
quarter the great projects of public I'M
provement now under way in the capital
and to be undertaken between now and
next spring will suffer in an almost I'M
measurable degree. The particular scare
ity is that of gravel and broken stone. TO
the laymen the Importance of these two
materials is not Immediately apparent, but
to contractors, District officials, govern
ment officials and railroad men their i'm
portance is almost pre-eminent This 1s
the day and time of concrete, and without
gravel or finely crushed stone as a base
there can be no concrete
The District of Columbia has already felt
the effect of the famine, and the Off1clalS OF
the engineer department., when interviewed
today by reporter for The Star. declared
that they did not see how conditions could
improve very much in the near future. Capt
H. c. Newcomer, acting engineer COmm1s-
sioner. declared that the demand for gravel
is far in excess of the supply. There have
been times during the past summer whom
the District contractors could not buy q
pound Of the precious pebbles. Mr.. H. N.
Moss. superintendent of streets. avoWed
that this statement Is not a mere figure OF
speech. but an actual fact. At the District
property yaIuS SOHe STdVel WIS StOIeOs Out
about the wharves not a pound was to be
found.
So great has the demand been that gravel
dredgers. in bringing the product to mar
ket, have been fairly besieged by contrao-
tors The gravel has been taken from the
barges Immediately to the concrete mixing
machines and placed In the hopper still wet
from the river water.
Great Scarcity of Gravel.
THE past summer" said Mr.. c. B. Hunt,
the engineer of highways, In speaking of
the material famine, has been marked by
the greatest scarcity Of gravel we have ever
known. 1t seems impossible to supply the
demand. This demand is ever increasing,
and what the result will be next spring
when cement and concrete work will be at
its height, no one foretell. The Dis
trict has already suffered severely from the
famine In the matter of sidewalk work,
the laying of the cement paths has been
fampered far beyond anything we antici-
pated. For days at time it has been
necessary to lay off the entire working
force. while scouts of the contractors were
running about from supply yard to supply
yard looking for gravel.
Gravel for concrete work has to be free
from all dirt and washed. Mixing the
gravel with cement and sand Constitutes
concrete. and concrete is now the funda-
mental principle of practically all construc-
ticn work. In foundations for buildings,
in sewer beds in cement sidewalks, asphalt
roadways and the like, concrete is indis-
ptnsable.
"And without gravel Of the very best quail
fty of broken stone there be no con-
crete. Our contractors are much perturbed
over the outlook. and 1t seems they have
every reason to be worried. Most Of the
gravel received here is dredged from pock
cts in the river. The dredgers seem to be
unable to get enough to market.
Serious Delays Anticipated.
I'VE do not anticipate that any appropri-
ations will lapse through the scarcity Of
gravel, but the District seems to be in for
serious delays in practically all classes OF
public work. Aside from the delay in the
construction of cement sidewalks there has
been serious delay in laying certain Of the
asphalt street pavements, and the contract
ors assure us 1t Is because of the gravel
famine. Work on streets that should have
been in progress during the dull months
the delay will mean serious inconvenience
to the merchants as we'll as the contractors
and the Distinct government"
1t is stated that while conditions have
been bad the past summer there is no rea-
son to hope for anything than graver
condition in the spring. The sidewalk work
Is especially annoying to citizens who have
deposited funds to defray their half of the
expense of the Improvement. 1t Is not
now known when this class OF work can be
pushed forward at anything like the normal
pace A year or more may elapse before
the paving can be done. One of the vexa-
tious points about the famine is that con-
crete work can be done on only a very lin
tied scale during the winter months Freez-
ing weather destroys It's soldity The
working season this year is very limited
Contractors at Their Wits Ends.
The contractors for the big railroad works
of the Pennsylvania and Baltimore and
Ohio companies are at their wits ends to
secure a sufficient supply of gravel and
broken stone. The contractor for the tun-
mel under Capitol Hill, foreseeng the short
age that is now so apparent, bought and
equipped a sand and gravel dredging outfit
and dispatched it down the Potomac river.
He hopes to be amply supplied. Other
contractors on public works have not been
so fortunate or well equipped.
The filtration plant Is another piece CT
construction work which will require tons
and tons of gravel and sand
1t can be readily appreciated that unless
something is done to relieve the situation
there will be a paucity of public work ac-
complished during the next year or so. If
this should prove to be the case laborers
and mechanics will suffer immeasurably.
The price of gravel is soaring with the
increased demand and inadequate output.