The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-03
UNET cONCRETE cONsrRuCrroN.
gaHer, stronger. Less Costly ana More
Beautiful Than the MOnOIIthic.

bAHers stronger, Less Costly and More
Beautiful Than the MOnOnthic.
To TIM EDIToR OF THE suN-sir; Nv
letter or August 10 was not an impeachment
Of monollthio concrete. ~ assumed by your
correspondent In THE Sun Of August y.
Solid concrete for many kinds Of structures
ls excellent. and TO be preferred TO other ma
terlals.
The unit system Of concrete construction
was thought 10 be a possible Improvement,
q very great advance, over monollthio
concrete for the following reasons: First.
lts safety. m first class brand Of Port
land cement IL good. almost always,
Every user knows hat an occasional
barrel may be bad. Only by testing each
barrel can one be absolutely certain. This
would be expensive and impracticAble and
is rarely done. One cannot tell by the APP
pearance Of the cement or Of the unset con-
crete. II not 90 tested only a failure under
the load will reveal the presence OF the bad
cement. It In then too late. II the concrete
had been moulded into units. bricks or blocks.
and allowed to set before being used, all
danger would have been avoided. Super
vision Of construction would also be easier.
Bad cement 10 the one constant fear that re-
tards concrete. Get rid Of this and the worlds
construction would soon be upon a concrete
basis. Cement makers and users should
cooperate to that end.
Second. It's strength. do not disturb
concrete during lis initial SET 10 the warm
ing Of the books. TampinR mopolithio ocn-
layer. ~inJuring lts capitalization and strength
and leaving a porous unbonded Joint. HAND
tamping 70 not uniform and the producS
blocks and bricks laid In cement mortar make
. wall that can be guaranteed absolutely
Inch. with no aSws. This certainty. can be
had In no other way. The units Will be prac-
ticslly impervions 70 water,
crete, erected with high priced labor cost
o. 70 $40 Per yard Of concrete, according 70
os:'f Inside and one outside Suf 10 bs torn down
and DESTROYED when the c~ondtete put between
. .R.9sm has 1.s ssii + no e i Essa: V% Hs& s sss unit u
shape &C. cam ma. Pc s,J gFGduSTsSS s. S s1d in aga d s;6Cs.
lions for concrete. Large, automatic ma.
chinsry 10 used. The volume L. large and
labor required small. The finished units
is to 80 cents for monolithic. Being uniform
in size and shape they can be laid. rapidly
Sy yarsnteed perfect and Sni' saSIeSs viii cost
much less than the monolthic.
Fourth; tts beauty; yoEr soTrespondsSSt s
inTs in Canada and Of. other. structures
pf. concrete. blocks recently erected and ex-
sI.s.oS a a e., asT %Sss s : e. Of w the G2Sn SSs s.s as' 2.
over the possibilities OF the unit system as
to beauty, No such architectural effects
are possible In monollthio work by present
The new $3.50. 900 civil engineering building
at Syracuse University, the gift Of Mr.. Smith
OF typewriter fame. IL simply a dream Of
beauty. The concrete blocks were made
with stone screenings and Portland cement
by the wet process, the rock face" being
made by breaking with a chisel before being
The only objection to these hand made
poured blocks ls their cost, which is about
equal TO. sandstone or granite. Only by
making them with machinery can their cost
be brought below monollthic. Dry process
hand machine blocks with pressed rock
face are, without beauty. Not quite as
much 30, however. as the streaked and un-
uniform appearing surface Of the ordinary
monollthlc structure. While not strong, the
greater defect of such dry process blocks
Is their excessive porosity, Made with in-
s~uficient water, no architect OF engineer
would accept them as concrete.
But units Of real concrete, made wet &C.
cording to the universal specifications for
concrete, meet every requirement and seem
ALFRED o. CRoYIER.
LITTLE FALLS. N. Y. August 81.