Omaha daily bee., 1906-09-09
TIMELYTALK ONREAL ESTATE
Reinforced OOncrsts Construction 10 Have
Fair Test IN 0msha.
MATERIAL GENERALLY USED IN NEW YORK
Supposed 60 BE Cheaper and More
Durable Than Brick and of
Greater Ease and Facility
In working.

anu bNlNtNS II " NC NDh-
structed OF concrete. is. the dawn OF the
concrete age for Omaha, which has been
a little bit slower to adopt that material
than many other cities Of the country.
This, and the Booth e. Co. warehouse,
which It Is proposed to build next summer,
will be of reinforced concrete construction.
There are no similar warehouses in the city
and so far as known no others are now
contemplated.
1t is predicted that concrete will within
a year or two become universally used In
the construction of large buildings, having
already supplanted brick TO considerable
degree In many of the larger cities In
1850 only 10000 barrels of Portland cement
were used in the United States, nearly all
OF II for foundations. For the twelve
months ended with June, this year, the de-
mand reaches into the millions Of barrels
30 many that actual statistics are not
available. In 1897 the country used 4,7eS, $50
barrels Nothing in the building world has
excited the same interest as the growing
use OF cement and concrete.
Only a few years ago It became known
that steel rods irnbedded IN the under side
OF a concrete beam adhered to the cement
and added to the tensile strength Of the
, beam. Then the use OF reinforced con-
crete became common. Reinforced" refers
to the use Of the steel rods and bars in
the material. Ten years ago bridge piers
building supports, conduit ways and found1-
lions were often built of concrete and fire.
quently dwellings and foundations were
built of concrete blocks, but 1t is only
within the last two years that reinforced
concrete has come into popularity as a
material for entire buildings
Contractors say that concrete makes the
strongest building possible, and a recent
test OF what Is said to be the greatest
beam In the world bears out this state
ment. 1t Is a part of a concrete ware
house at Los Angeles, Cal, and is hori-
zontal concrete support 102 feet long and
less than two feet in thickness, reinforced
by six iron bars running through its en-
tire length. When the supports were re-
moved from under this beam, 1t settled
less than 0.6s of an inch.
A New York paper says brick in that
city has fallen from s14 a thousand to IS
a thousand, due to competition with con-
crete. No reason is given why a similar
condition does not prevail in Omaha, ex-
cept that concrete construction has just
made its advent here. Although concrete
10 supposed to be much cheaper than brick,
II Is not so In Omaha as yet, neither has
the price OF brick declined. Those who
have figured on erecting concrete build
ings In this city say there is very little
difference In the cost of concrete and brick,
as the situation is at present. The same
men presume, however. that concrete will
ultimately be cheaper here, and brick
cheaper In competition.
Since the San Francisco fire has called
attention to the virtues of concrete 1t is
said that upward of 600 concrete dwelling
houses have been begun in New York City.
In that city sS.0oO.ooO worth of brick build
ings have been started and are now under
construction. and there is said to be a
marked depreciation in the value of these
structures owing to the fact that ma
terial there is cheaper than 1t was when
contracts were made. II has been said that
concrete would not stand the Nebraska
climate, but the Carpenters and Booth &
Co. have faith enough to try It, The
weather is neither colder nor hotter here
than 1t Is in New York. In Kansas City,
which is but short distance from Omaha
six or eight large buildings have been
made OF concrete.
Edward Bowling, who owns a number OF
after stay In Philadelphia and other
eastern cities. convinced that Omaha rentals
are too high in comparison with the value
or the property. Mr.. Bowling brought Q
clipping from a Philadelphia paper. which
described a newly built Philadelphia dwell.
ing house in the following terms:
There are nine rooms In the house. The
front Is of stone and terra Gotta brick
with a wide porch. The lower floor Il
divided into a reception hail. dining room
kitchen and laundry. Bathtubs and wash
stands are of porcelain. All the rooms ar,
equally attractive and are finished In hard
wood. Two car lines pass the dwelling
going direct to the heart Of the business
section. The price is 81. $50. and the hous,
rents for $3.50.
Imagine a place like that in Omahs
renting for $3.50" said Mr.. Bowling. II
would rent for $40 or $4S. I will admit
however that the land In Philadelphia
costs more than in Omaha, and on thli
account a S4,25o home there would not b,
as nice as 1920 home here. The fac
remains that the income on the investment
is much less there than here"
c. r. Harrison. the real estate man, wh'
has been east this summer has been in
dustriously advertising Omaha, as an in
terview with him in the Boston transcript
shows. Mr.. Harrison. who stopped II
Boston on his way home from Prine'
Edward island. Is quoted az saying;
Ths conditions existing In our city ant
state may be expressed in a word growth.
IL 10 not 30 much an expansion OF business
as an internal growth. While real estati
In the business section and throughout tn
city has been selling readily there Is littl
OF no speculative feeling. The growth o
the city IL evidenced by the building
erected, which show an increase for 80
over 1904 of over 100 per cent. and ais
II shown in another way Taking the stree
railway receipts as par for the year 1896
In 1900 they had increased II per cent AM
from 1900 to 1905 they increased 81 per cent
or over 30 per cent in hve years All
other public service corporations show
large and constant Increase In business
Two Omaha banks have passed above IN
t1l.00o,O00 mark In their deposits an,
eomething near tso.OOoOOo are on deposit 4
The city of Omaha was founded in ls5
and has grown steadily since that time
II has on the average doubled its popula
tion every ten years, or an increase OF ]
per cent year Back OF Omaha, 20 max
II city are the Nebraska grain Shipments
There are single counties in Nebraska tina
produce enough corn 10 give every mar
woman and child I'm Massachusetts thre
bushels each. Saunders county alon
shipped last year Az bushels and
probably fed to stock three times tina
amount.