The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-09-10
PROSPERITY FOR
United States Geological Survey
Monograph Sees Many Hope
full Indications.
BUILDINGS ERECTED IN 1904
Relative Advance Of Different
Cities il Matter Of I'M
provements.
BUILDINGS ERECTED IN 1904

(Fron Our Regular Correspondcnt.)
ties Of tho Clay-Worklng Industries in
the United States In 10O4' is the title OF
an unusually interesting monograph Is.
sued by the United States Geological
Survey, the work being the result OF
Investigations BY MIR. Jefferson Middle
ton, Of the survey.
incidentally much light ls thrown upon
building operations throughout the coun-
try, especially in the consumption OF
brick. 4l 5i35
"The labor situation In the building
trades says the monograph. although
not so bad as In 1908. was nevertheless
somewhat disturbed by strikes. There
were no strikes OF any Importance in
the clay-woring industries themselves,
which was also true in 1903 but the
consumption of clay products was at
fected by the strikes In the building
trades. The fIourishing condition OF the
Industries during 1903 led all those en-
gagged In them to look forward with an
tlcipation for another season OF great
prosperity during 1904 !: those hopes were
doomed to slight disappointment. The
year 1905, however. bids fair to be one
OF even greater prosperity than l9o3.
The average prices obtained Tor bricK'
the only item on which an average price
Cun DC SlVcIl. NEle AL S$,N>N~'S9
the same us in 1903-namely, $5.974 per
thousand though the value increased IN
some States quite remarkably. especially
In New York, the largest common brick
producing State in the Union, where It i
rose from s4.9G to $3.50 In 1904"
New Buildings.
table of fifty OF the lending cities
OF the United States is given, which
shows the amount of building done dur
ing the years 1903 and 1904 IN number
OF permits and aggregate cost OF the
buildings. The figures are obtained
from the building departments OF the
cities.
Six Southern cities are included In the
Glist-Atlanta, Louisville. Memphis, Nash
Vile, New Orleans and Richmond. VI
these cities the largest number OF per
mits to build were Issued by Nashvlille'
the number being 6,o49. The others IN
the order named issued as folloWs:a Al
lanta, 3,342; Memphis, 2s42; Louisville
1,74s; New Orleans, l.1o'; H.c .,,i,.,I,
1914. These permits called for buildings
costing in the sums named according TO
rank OF expenditure as follows: Atlanta.
s3.161,445; New Orleans, s2.916,2s2; Louis
Vile s2,42s. 1872; Memphis, 81, 3s3, 764
Richmond. s2,1o6. 40; Nashville, 81, A2o.9i2.
The table shows that in forty cities
the number OF permits issued IN lso4
was 13S.730. as compared with l3l.ooo ~
1908. gain OF 7.730 permits. or o.' per per
cent The value OF the 'uuiilss 5ete .l.l
under these permits Increased from
s4o1,5s4. 1859 in i 900 to s465 ,67e,s19 inGl 1904,
a gain OF s64,os2, $50. or 1896 per cent.
In the Big Cities.
In some places the custom prevails OF
issuing one permit 70 cover NOR , .nt,
one building, but in the majority o.
cases one permit covers one operation.
On this basis, the average value OF tho
buildings was 81. 06s in 1903 and 1851 IN
1ao4 In Grea ter New York the hummer
OF permits increased from 9,e7s IN 1919
+ to is, 062 In 1904. an increase OF 5,384. OF
SIS. SO per cent. The value Of the pulld-
inEs erected under these permits IN
creased from s113.13o,341 In 1908 to sl54.-
o46,145 in 1904, an Increase OF s4l,slo'o
or 1886 per cent In New York city
alone. including Mania ttan and the
Bronx. the permits incrcas ed from 1906
in 1908 to &, 149& in 1904 which Is nearly
+. double. and the value OF the buildings
erected Increased from ss6,5o2,231 In 1903
to s1os.31s45s In 1904, an increase OF
$21,S16227, or 25.22 per cent. In 1903.
owing to the extensive strikes IN the
building trades in New York city, the
building operations showed falllng on
OF s3.3sO,547, and while there were some
strikes In the city during 1904 as shown
BY these figures. they were not OF sum
Client Importance to retard the growth
OF the city. In Brooklyn the permits In
creased from 6,a72 in 1903 to S,913 in 1904,
an Increase OF 2,541. or 1888 per cent,
and the value Of the buildings erected IN
creased from s26.62s,22o In 1903 to s46,-
627, 6s7 In 1904 an increase OF SO 1893, 467,
or 1911 per cent. Chicago. next to Brook
lyn, shows the largest value of buildings
erected those put up in19o4 being valued
at s44.735, 05s, as compared with s47,-
295. $50 in 1908. The decrease was partly
caused by labor strikes In that strixe-
ridden city. The number OF permits de-
creased from 1924 to 7.15l. Philade-
pha. the next most important city In
building operations showed S,SaS permits
Issued in 1904, as compared with s.257 IN
1903, a loss OF 500 permits or 9.2S per
cent, and the value OF the buildings
erected decreased from s33,4s7211 In 1903
to s28967760 fnf1904, or 1880 per cent.
While the permits issued for new build-
ings In Boston decreased from 2.s41 In
1903 to 2,770 In 1904, the value OF the
buildings erected under these permits IN
creased from s15,26494o III 1903 to $22.-
o2s,os7 in 1904. This would Indicate prob
ably that while the number OF small
such as business blocks and apartments
Increased In number.
Plttsburg and San Francisco were next
In order, though they were practically
the same, rs the former erected build
ings valued at s17,t02,6so while the lat
ter's buildings were vnMed at SIT ,4a4 94s,
a difference Of only $77s2, In 1903 San
Francisco led Pittsburg by over one mill
lion In the value OF the buildings erected, /!
The number of permits In Plttsburg In
creased from 1888 In 1903 to 3.S57 In 1904,
while the value Of the buildings erected
increased from s15,90l,S to sl7,5026s0. n
gain OF 1907 ner cent. In San Francisco
the nermts Increased from o,lS6 In 1913
to 5000 in 1904. or more than double, while
the value of the buildings Increased from
s17,o64245 In 1903 to sl749i,94s In 1904. q
gain of 1.3i per cent.
Baltimore Rebuilding,
st, Louis held her own In the building
industry fors1904 In 1903 there were 4,s02
permits issued for the erection of build
ings valued at sl4,544430 In 1904 the
number of permits was 500 for buildings
OF oil IL, :,