The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-08-14
MoLD|AG OF HOUSES
Edison Plans a Revolution In
- Building Homes.
LITTLE WORK Or TINE NEEDED

Inventor Says He Can cast q Str-e-
ture Of Concrete, ConpSsts r. nv.
cry Detail and Fora, From Ono
Mold Within; Four Days-wiu Put
Up Homes Fer Working Men At .
Cost Of From $500 to 5000.
Whole houses nodded In sinsie cart.
Ing out Of solid concrete which will
provide cosy homes FOR wofkingmen at
a cost of from $500 to $eO0-much
less than TIE average mechanic
pays today-is the goal which Thomas
"A. Edison is striving to reach by
a plan he is confident will work out
successfully. says the New York Press.
Combined with economy Of construe=
ton and maintenance the inventor aims
to embody architectural beauty and
practical indestructibility in the prof.
ect by which he expects to revolution
We present methods Of erecting the
poor mans home.
MI. Edison intends next year to make
the first practical experiments In mold
ing solid concrete houses In New VII
lage. Warren county, N. j., Just across
the Delaware FLYER from Easton, Pa.
One Of the big Edison industrial estab-
iishments is situated there. and he pur-
poses to erect homes by the new process
Tor the families of the hundreds Of
employees Of the plant. If he succeeds
In demonstrating to the world the prac-
ticability of the scheme he will take
steps to Introduce it generally.
Already he has conceived every de-
tail Of the project. -Four days at the
outside is the period that Edison est.
mates will be necessary to cast and
turn out whole houses with from eight
to ten rooms each. complete In almost
every detail and ready to be furnished
and cafpeted. The actual time for
pumping the concrete into a metallic
mold will be only few hours. and the
rest Of the time will be consumed in
drying out and hardening the concrete.
Whole cities of concrete may be rear
ed In the brief period Of four days If
only enough molds and men are pro-
vided.
Mr.. Edison thinks, as many thought
full and farseeing men think. that the
time Is near Mt hand when the world
must find some substitute for brick
and lumber. The yellow pine forests
Of the United States will be DESTROYED
within fifty years II the present drain
upon them is maintained. The white
pine forests, too. are being thinned.
Aside from the tremendous consump-
ton the price Of lumber has advanced
so much that 1t is necessary for build
ers to go slow about using wood in the
quantity heretofore the custom. The
same statement regarding prices ap-
plies to brick and, IN fact. to, most
building materials s..,
Describing in detail the plan he has
devised, Edison said: 1.-The first step
will be to employ some recognised
architect to design, say. dozen mod
ern dwelling houses Of different pat
terms, but of the size the average me-
chanic's family now occupies. I pur-
pose after obtaining the designs to
have metallic molds made to CORE
spond with them. The mold for each
house will be made in detachable
parts. There Will be separate plates
and small molds that can be screwed
together easily to form one mold for
an entire house. That a fine finish
may be obtained the inside surfaces Of
the parts Will be nickel plated.
After a mold for a whole house is
set up 1t will be very simple matter
to pump concrete into every nook and
Granny. The pumping process will not
require more than q few hours. After
four days, that at most will be neces-
sary for the hardening OF, the concrete.
the parts Of the mold will be unscrew-
ed and taken of, and a solid concrete
house will remain"
Edison says the plan will be carried
out in such detail that dormer win