Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-09-07
Can Cast Structure From
Concrete Complete
in Four Days.


a cost of from $500 to S600-much
less than the average mechanic
pays today-is the goal which Thomas
A Edison is striving to reach by
q plan he is confident will work out
successfully. says the New York Press
Combined with economy OF cOnstruc
ton and maintenance the inventor aims
to embody architectural beauty and
practical indestructibility In the prof.
ect, by which he expects to revolution
ize present methods OF erecting the
poor mans home.
Mr.. 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 river from Easton, Pa
One OF the big Edison Industrial estab-
lishments is situated there. and he pur-
poses to erect homes by the new process
for the families OF the hundreds of
employees OF the plant. IL he succeeds
I'm demonstrating to the world the prac-
ticability OF the scheme he will take
steps to introduce 1T generally.
All Details Worked Out.
Already he has conceived every de-
tail OF the project. -Four days ut the
outside IS the period that Edison esti-
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 he furnished
and carpeted. The actual time for
pumping the concrete into 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 at 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 If 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 II Is necessary for build |
ers to go slow about using wood in the
quantity heretofore the custom The |
same statement regarding prices APP
plies to brick and, in fact, to most
building materials.
Describing in detail the plan he has
devised. Edison said: THE first step
will be to employ some recognized
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. L 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 he separate plates |
and small molds that can be screwed |
together easily to form one mold fer
an entire house. That a fine finish |
may be obtained the inside surfaces of
the parts will be nickel plated.
Put In With Pump.
after a mold for a whole house Is /
set Nd 1t will be very simple matter
to pump concrete into every nook and
Granny. The pumping process will not
require more than a 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 solid concrete
house will remain"
Edison says the plan will be carried
out in such detail that dormer win
dows, chimneys, spOuts and ornament
al designs will be nodded with the
whole and that inside cupboards, fire
places, staIrways with ornamental
banisters. mantelpieces and even bath
tubs Will be formed all in the one cast of
which the house proper will be made.
iii I~o of "a
that when the mold Is removed the in
stallation of electric wires, window
sashes, etc, will be all that will be !
necessary before the furnishers and
carpet layers may go to work. Even
the plumbing and gas piping will be
of concrete nodded in the original cast.
AS a practical demonstration Of what
may be accomplished by the process
Edison has built a complete chicken
house in his own back yard nodded
In one solid piece out of concrete. 1t
has many compartments and doorways
and decorated cornices Of intricate de-
sign. OF 1t Edison said, Members of
my family laughed at me when told
them 1 was going to make a chicken
coop out of concrete, but they are not
laughing at me now"
The original cost of each mold, with
all it's component parts, the inventor
estimates, at $4,000. From each mold,
however, he says, an unlimited number
Of houses may be produced. Because
the parts Of a mold are to be detach-
able 1T will be portable, and one mold
may be sent with little difficulty from
town to town. About ninety houses
could be built in one year by the use
of a single mold at cost Of from
$500 to $500 piece.
Edison SAYS he helieEes his plan Killi