Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-08-26
GRAVEL
FOR ROOFS


Every once in a while the citizen
burrving to his work has a smell of
lain and tar carried to his nostrils and
trovs that a gang Of roofers is at
vork in the vicinity. Sometimes he
soss little wooden pals of gravel being
boisted to the top of a building, and if
a Is during the hot weather he momen.
arily sympathizes with the men who
are waiting above to receive the gravel
hut II someone should tell him it takes
million dollars worth of this kind Of
work TO keep the roofs Of downtown
Chicago in good repair and build new
ones he would be considerably sur.
prised. Also, if he could go to the top
f a building and see the crew of an
honest gravel roofer at work, he would
he further surprised at the thorough
ness with which the work Of putting
the roof on one of the large downtown
skyscrapers is conducted.
Formula for Composition.
Here is the formula for a gravel and
composition roof as laid down by an
"honest" roofing contractor: First,
there is laid one layer Of heavy Irish
fax felt, that is really imported from
Ireland. This paper many times
thicker. stronger and infinitely more
enduring than the felt that is to be
obtained in the domestic markets. The
first layer is sealed to the roof proper
by a coat of resin composition. On
top Of the fax felt are laid four layers
Of heavy wooden felt, each layer
mopped over the entire surface with
the sticky composition that is seen in
the roofers kettles in the street. Then
comes the "eap sheet" making fve
sheets Of felt in ALL The edges Of this
foundation are then fastened with
strips Of galvanized iron or copper, Sc.
cured to the walls by means Of wall
hooks. The surface Of the roof is then
swept entirely clean and coated with
heavy coat Of the resin composition,
and this is sprinkled with clean,
screned gravel that will pass through
M.ineh mesh. The roof is again
swept and a second coat Of the compo-
sition applied to the gravel, and the
result is a roof almost impervious to
the elements and guaranteed to the
good for ten years.
This is the tale Of a gravel roof as
put on by the honest contractor. But
there is another side to the tale. There
is the roofer who believes that what
ono one don't know won't hurt
them" and who, after having secured
A contract on specifications calling for
work similar TO that described, hasteps
his crew through the job and finishes
IL before the owner comes to inspect
it. Then the owner sees the clean
gravel and the solid composition on
top, and pays for the work, when II the
truth were known he would toss the
contractor INTO tue ouiNi uhNA"b "
mosphere. For the dishonest roofer,
and he is numerous enough TO hurt
seriously the honest one, is likely to
put almost any old thing in the layers
of paper that go under the final Gov
ering of gravel, Then the owner is
moved to curse when, in couple OF
years he is forced to pay for a new roof
Save in the outlying districts, where
the smaller houses are shingled, or in
cases where the pitch Of the roof is too
steep for the use of anything but tile
or slate, gravel composition is the IA
vored style of roofing. 1t is estimated
that at least 80 per cent Of the build
inOa of Chieaqo are now covered with