The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-10-25
HOUSE In ONE PIECE
Edison is Going to Make 1t i'm q Sin
gle Mould-Erected While You
Wait.

Wait.
To build three-story house in one
1 solid piece, at a cost OF only Sl,OOt
4 and to finish the job in twelve hours
| that is the problem which Thomas A
| Edison yesterday told the members
of the American Electro-Chemical So
ciety he had solved, and he showed
them the model to prove it. Incident
ally, he expressed the opinion that
theoretically the horse will disappear
from Manhattan island some time next
December, when his new storage bat
terry for automibile propulsion is plac-
ed on the market.
Two carloads of members of the So
ciety, which is holding it's twelfth an
nual meeting in this city, went out 10
Orange to look over the Edison works
and to meet the inventor. After a
general handshake he led them off on
tour Of the plant at pace that was
somewhat faster than a trot and at
times approached a gallop, keeping up
running fire of explanations and
answering questions that were fired az
him in vOlleyS.
All the scientists were interested III
the process of making phonOgraph re-
cords and showed considerable anlma-
ton when he told what he was doing
and expected to do with his storage
battery, but when he led the party up
a couple of flights and showed the
model of his ideal ''hOuse of the fu
ture" and began to explain it they
became enthusiastic.
According to Mr.. Edison, the house
of the future will be cast from iron
molds in one solid piece, including
stairs and bath tub. It will be fire
proof and indestructible, and from one
set of molds an infinite number of eX-
actly identical houses can be made.
And for protection against poor con-
structiOn he intends to restrict the
use of his patents to contractors of
responsibility who will agree to fol-
low his formula for making concrete.
Some of the best architects in New
York have contributed their ideas 10
the model which Mr. Edison showed
yesterday. 1t is of house that in full
size, will be three stories, twenty-five
feet frontage and forty-five feet from
front to rear The style is a combl-
nation of colonial and Queen Anne,
and it does not look at all like any
concrete house that any one ever saw.
'There is no reason" said Mr.. Edl-
son as he stood before his model, why
a concrete house shouldn't be as pret-
ty as any other Kind The house of
the future will be artictically attractive
as we'll as practically a perfect dwell
ing. Now that nv model is completed
[ am having set Of moldS made fOi
the construction of a full sized house
on this plan and [ shall build the first
one from these mOlds next summer.
One thousand dollars will cover the
entire cost of building this house,
which will be big enough for three
ordinary families"
''After the. materials are assembled
on the ground twelve working hours
should be sufficient to build a house,
continued MI Edison. after the eel
lar is dug the contractor will bring his
Sduu, cement ana cfuSueu SIOIlc, TO-
gether with his concrete mixing ma
chinery, the molds and a derrick to the
spot. AS fast as the concrete is made
it is poured into the mOlds, which 1T
together from cellar bottom to roof
tree The workmen keep on pouring
in the concrete until it OVertiOws al
the top. Then they go away and six
days later go back and take off the
molds, piece by piece.
Roof and floors will be solid con-
| crete. The only wood necessary will
be the doors and a strip of wood sunk
around the edge of each floor to tack
| the carpets to. When it is dome you
will have a house that is tireproof
| verminproof and waterproof and you
car let the children chop the banis-
| ters with hatchets all day, if it gives
them any pleasure-it won't hurt the
| house.
| 1T was buildings constructed ON
| that formula that came through the
San Francisco fire unscathed, and such
a building will last forever. and get
more and more solid as time goes on. .
Washington Star dispatch from New
| York.