The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-04-24
THE LIFE OF CEMENT
For Constructive Material 1t is Said
to Be Superior to Any Kind
of Stone.

" De superior TO ANY hlnu
of Stone.
lnasmuch as the new city hall
building is to be constructed of ce-.
ment the following article from the
publication called Cement will be
read with interest by those interest
ed in the constructive material.
There is some prejudice against the
use Of it for building purposes,
principally. perhaps, because so little
is known of its qualities in that re-
spect. The following sets forth quite
an interesting story of the use of this
rev building material:
Repeated tests and practical exper-
lmentS show cOnclusively that cement
concrete will Outwear stone, that it
is lmperviouS to moisture and yer-
min, that it will not split, since it
has no line Of cleavage, that it will
grow stronger with age, and that it
will stanG the ravages of fire as we'll
as OF all atmospheric agencies better
than any other known material. In
proof of this we have the evidence Of
such men as Franklin w. Smith, W..
r. Ward and Col. John Smeaton,
whose Judgment in such matters in
toimed men accept unquestiOned.
Col. John Smeaton, a celebrated
English engineer, in 1855 discovered
a process for manufacturing what he
termed Improved Hydraulic Lime"
He built with it the famous Eddy
stone Light on the coast Of England,
the foundations OF which stand to-
day. The work was completed in
1859, and has withstood the fiercest
storms for a century and a half, un-
harmed to the present time. 1t was
with his discovery that the real his
tory of modern cement manufacture
ing commenced. In 1877 Mr.. w. E.
Ward, OF Port Chester, N. Y, com
pleted the first house constructed
entirely Of Portland cement concrete
ever built in America. And it stands
today, as perfect as when first built.
In 1889 Flanalin W. Smith construct
ed at Saratoga, N. Y, a Pompeian
villa out of Portland cement. and is
at present active in making a repro
duction Of ancient civilization, by
constructing in cement at Washing
ton, D. Ca series of galleries and
courts of Roman, Egyptian, Assyrian,
Chaldean, and other typical epochs,
a facsimile Of the Parthenon. The
Saracenic reproductions ("The Halls
of the A%ncients'') were opened up in
February, 1901, and met with popu-
lar approval. Congress has shown
great and unusual interest in this
worthy enterprise and has appropri-
ated Observatory Hill as a site for
these editices. The cost Of this
enterprise is estimated at 3d. 900, 900,
and il built Of stone would cost $40
00U, 600. Mr.. Smith states that his
reasons for using Portland cement
concrete were:
First.-"Imperishable by fire or
decay"
Second.-"'Impervious to moisture
and vermin.n
Third Neutrality-suspicious. of external
repairs" These are essentials.
After the fire in Chicago a COM
mission was appointed to investigate
the comparative iireproof materials
in the ruins, and reported their order
as follows: 51a 2@
First, concrete; second. brick;
third, stone.
Granite is even less resisting to fire
than wood, as was proven in the Bos-
ton fire, as the so-called fir@eproof
piles or buildings were a heap of
ruins before the wooden floor beams
were half consumed.
Concrete was the most important
of all building materials used. by
the Romans. The Parthenon at
Rome was built B. c.. 81. The roof
or dome is 142 feet 6 inches in
diameter, with a 3O-foot circular
opening in the top and is in perfect
preservation, without crack or
break to this day. Mr.. James Rem
wicke, a noted architect Of New
York City, states that cement con
crete not only Outwears sandstone,
but equals granite in durability;
also, that if mixed by machinery,
the walls of d building can be built
for % cents per cubic foot, costing
10 cents less than brick work. For
columns. cornices, door stills, window
sill, all %mouldings, trimmings, or
ornamental work, the expense is as
one to six of stone. and, handled by
this process, it is free from many Of
the hlemishes found where made by
hand pressure or tamping, as it does
away with all season checks, owing
to the fact that the stone is of equal
density throughout.
AS a veneer for frame buildings
it has no equal. We are told by our
best architects that iC should take
the place of terra Gotta as the ex-
pense is not nearly so great and it
is more durable. 1t is also less
troublesome to place in the buildings
as the lines are perfectly straight
and the blocks Of a uniform thick
ness.
When it is understood that con-
crete walls are absolutely tire-proof,
vermin-proof and need neither paint
nor repairand. built OF these blocks,
cost little more than common rustic,
and a great deal less than brick or
stone, the modern builder needs only
to have his attention called to these
facts to find in them an absorbing
interest. sure to ripen into enthusi-
asm as he pushes his investigations.
A commission was ~apDOintad bu