The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-07-22

/ Then there are about 500 miles of
sidewalks to be rebuilt If laid with
concrete one foot deep and nine feet
wide the sidewalks would use 2,540,
900 yards of co tie, as there are
! 2,54O,O00 feet il Gailes, and cubic
yard OF eoncrs go into pave
ment one IL foot deep and
nine feet in -
Altogethe1 esti-
mates on pssaa. 4 xAs,.ssrcesdiS soferete
buildings. u dost 7.05Go0O yards of
concrete will be swallowed up in the
reconstruction work. This is enough
artificial stone to make nine foot
by one foot path 1925 miles long. Laid
at a depth of only four inches the path
would extend from the Pacific Coast
to New Work, and thence to Boston
and Montreal. What a glorious auto
mobile speedway!
The deeper we delye into such pro-
fundity of figures the better idea we
obtain of the magnitude of the dam
age done by the fire, and of the huge
ness of the task which is being under
taken with such splendid courage.
There are only two stone quarries,
equipped with crushing plants, in
operation in San Francisco County at
the present time. One is at Thirtieth
street and the other at Telegraph Hill.
The present capacity of these quarries
is less than 1000 yards day. At least
100000 yards of stone will be used
in the rebuilding, a quantity that the
city quarries, running at twice their
present capacity, could not turn out in
five years. But this stone will also be
needed for macadam roads, for the
beds of railroads and for many other
purposes. There is wonder then
that every available quarry within
radius of 100 miles of San Francisco
~ tah oh Tor a
spur of railroad track or with tide
water is being put in commission for
unceasing activity for years to come.
The lumbermen in the north are look
ing down upon the widespread ruin of
San Francisco with a degree of glee.
Within the past ten weeks 100000
feet of lumber have been shipped to
the city merely for temporary building.
Now. when you consider that In one
building such as the eight-story REIN
forced concrete office structure being
built for the Boyd estate at Drumm and
California streets 100000 feet of lum-
Der will be consumed. some conception
of the vastness of the futures demand
may be had. In concrete buildings much
of the lumber required is used for the
construction of forms for the concrete.
The remainder goes into the interior
finishing of the building.
Before work is begun on any struc-
ture, whether q huge class A building
or a one-story shack, the architect or
structural engineer estimates just how
many feet of lumber will be needed for
scaffolding foundation work, snoring
finishing or any other purpose.
l asked one of staff of constructing
engineers to estimate for me how much
lumber would be absorbed in the re-
construction of San Francisco. He flung
up his hands and said that he might as
we'll try to figure what would be the
income of John D. Rockefeller III If he
lived to be 100 years old and became
absolute heir to all the oil kings
wealth.
Conditions vary in the construction of
every building. More than 1000 piles
must be driven to support the founda-
lions of some structures. whereas in
others. even with water to encounter,
the footing can be designed after the
manner of a concrete raft or cradle.
Think of 10000 or even 5000 buildings
recurring 1000 piles each to support
themi This would mean 100000 tree
trunks with all their enormous area of
shade swept from the face of the land
and hammered into the depths of the
earth, you might say, in one fell swoop
OF the AK. What waste such a timber
telling as that would leave!
But a new factor has recently come
into the structural world that 1t is
hoped will supplant the wooden pile.
This is the concrete pile. With lumber
boosted so per cent higher than 1t was
year ago (and prices are still rising)
the concrete pile may solve serious
problem of a possible lumber shortage
Wharves and quays can be built with
these piles that the teredo would attack
in vain. Liverpool has splendid granite
piers and other European cities have
their handsome stone quays. Then why
shall not the Golden Gate to the Pa
cific have her concrete docks defying
the insidious little auger-mouthed worm
and lasting for ages?
Going back to the prospective lum-
Der consumption in the new city. fig