Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-05
FRENCH BUILDING MATERIALS.
Concrete Being Much Used-Process
of Manufacture.

Consul General Frank H. Mason of Paris
reports that the mortar, or cement. used In
France In the construction Of barns. out
houses, division walls between properties,
storehouses, etc, varies In composition with
the district in which it is made and used.
He continues:
In the neighborhood Of Paris such con-
crete is made by combining plaster, pro-
duced by pulverizing the native plaster
rock peculiar to this district, with river
sand or gravel This plaster, which costs
$3.25 per cubic meter (35 1-3 cubic feet. is
mixed with coarse sand or gravel In the
proportion Of 200 ,tllos $40 pounds) to a
cubic meter Of sand for large. thick walls
which are wholly above ground in dry loca-
TONS When the wall Is to be thin the ce-
ment Is strengthened by increasing the pro-
portion Of plasterlime to go kilos 900
pounds).
Concrete of this kind cannot be used for
substructures or foundations exposed to
continuous dampness or alton of water. For
such foundations !he mortar used Is of or
binary quicklme and sand. strengthened,
according to the humidity Of the location
and weight of wall TO be sustained, by the
which is also known in France as cement
de Boulogne," and costs in Paris SIS per
2,204 pounds. The best lime for mortar is
known as ''Chaux de Beffes'' and comes
from the department of Cher. 1t costs in
Paris $75S per metric ton.
These kinds Of concrete or mortar are
sometimes mixed by machinery, but usually
the ingredients are combined in an open
trough or bed with hoe and used imme-
diately afterward.
The composition resembling concrete is
known technically as "pise," and Is little
used in this district for the reason that one
of it's principal ingredients Is the Stag Of
blast furnaces or some volcanic scor:a Of
similar nature, neither of which abound in
the neighborhood Of Paris. In districts
where the volcanic scoria or blast-furnace
Stag are available It is pulverized and mixed
with Portland Cor Boulogne) cement in the
proportion of 400 to $50 pounds of cement
to cubic meter nf scoria. The usual
method Of mixing IS combined with that
of grinding or pulverizing the Stag in a
large circular trough. around which travel
two heavy stone disks driven by steam
water horse power. The cement and
Stag, after having Deen thoroughly ground
and mixed, are withdrawn from the MILL
mixed with water to the proper consist
ency and used at once for the construction
of barns fnclosing wallis for feds and gar
dens, and even for ordinary dwellings in viii
lagos or the country.
In building division walls with this ma
terial a common method Is to use frame
or mold consisting Of two planks set YER
ticaly and held together by adjustable iron
braces, which are heightened or shortened
by set screws, the space between the two
planks being the thickness Of the wall
This frame Is set upon the foundation; al
ready prepared. and the mortar (pise) SHOW
eled in and rammed down firmly. The
frame is then loosened by the set screws
and raised to receive the next layer Of
concrete Walls Of this character, especial
ly in buildings. usually receive an outer
surface coating of plaster made of finer
sand, lime and hydr iulic cement.
Formerly stiff clay mixed with straw or
tough wild grass was used in country dis
tricts for pise work in the cheapest class
of construction. but such walls are availa-
BILE only in dry locations and soon disinte-
CRATE under the infiu ,ace Of continued mois-
ture.