The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-12-21
CEMENT BLOCK CENTER.

Norfolk, the center of large and
growing territory, is, among other
things, center of the cement block in.
dustry in the northwest 1t was in
this city, some time ago, that cement
block men from all over Nebraska
gathered to discuss the future of their
work. They brought machines with
them and talked of the good points in
the cement. Today Norfolk has four
cement block manufacturers, and all
of them are doing business Togeth.
er. they give employment to about
thirty men during the busy summer
season, and about fifteen during the
balance of the year. All of the money
that comes in from various directions
to keep these men employed, Is spent
among the business firms of this city,
and helps to make Norfolk a better
town, commercially speaking.
To take sand from out the ground
and. by means of hand and machinery,
convert it into a building block that
will stand the wear of weather for
years to come, is surely a construc-
tive industry. Any such institution as
this IS productive in the truest sense
of the word and therefore contributes
vitality to any community's upbuilding.
The four cement block firms in Nor
folk today are: M. Endres, Reynolds
& Klug Amerine & Hight, and Gobler
& Gobler. All of them, each an in
tegral part of the industry as a whole
have helped to make Norfolk more
important and more prosperous
According to a rough estimate of
the cement sidewalk placed in Nor
folk during the past year, it is said
that, if the sidewalks average six feet
wide, there have been placed pretty
nearly eight miles of the new walks.
1t is estimated that about 100000
square feet of walk were laid and, av-
eraging six feet in width, this would
make 10000 feet of walk, or almost
eight miles.
Six thousand sacks of cement have
been used by the four firms. About
10000 cement blocks have been manu-
featured in Norfolk, as nearly as can
be estimated
More than a mile of new cement gut
tiers were laid along Norfolk avenue
and along South Fourth street-a half
mile on each side of the avenue and
block on each side of the street.
These cutters cost about $4,000.
Forty-five street crossings have been
mt lEy fN,. nntN1n tn RI
teams to drive over, during the sum-
mer, and at a cost of about $500
More blocks are shipped out of Nor
folk than are sold in this city. AL
most twenty cars of blocks have been
shipped out of this city within the
past few weeks.
Perhaps a thousand loads of sand
will be hauled during the winter, and
there will be a large supply of the
blocks on hand in Norfolk next spring
New machinery is constantly being
brought in here to keep pace with the
growing business. A new cement
block building is to be erected soon on
Norfolk avenue, the first business
house in the city to be built from that
material.
Street work, with sidewalks and gut
ters, has nearly doubled during the
past year on cement construction. 1t
is said that in Iowa fully a third of
the new buildings are being made
from cement blocks lola, Kansas,
can manufacture cement cheaper than
any other place west of the MISSISSIPPI
pi river, owing to the fact that natural
gas and raw material are in close
proximity there
1t is claimed for cement blocks that
it is nearer fire proof than other ma
terials; that steel bars embedded in
cement will not spring nor warp in a
fire Sidewalks are about one part
cement and five of sand, at the bottom,
and half and half at the surface.
The demand, it is said, is increasing
faster than the factories.