The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-05-07
MEXICAN DEMAND FOR CEMENT
Report by American Consul General
GOttSchalk of Interest TO
Manufacturers.

Commerce and Labor, the Depart
ment of State instructed the vari-
GUS consular officers to report on
the cement industry and the ma
chinery employed in its manufac-
ture. Among the reports received
the following from Consul General
A. L. NJ. GOttschalk, of Mexico
City, covering the cemeut indus
try in the republic, will be inter
e5tilg to American manufacturers:
J There is practically an unlimi'-
ed future for the use of concrete as
a building material in this city, as
well as in the other large cities of
the Mexican republic, especially
for the hollow concrete block.
There are, | am told, in the CAPT
tai city only some three hundred
houses built of concrete, and this
comparatively small number is due
to the fact that the material only
began to find general acceptance
with architects and builders a very
short time ago, much prejudice
having been felt against it owing
to the fact that some years ago
certain spectators undertook to
launch upon the market concrete
blocks OF so poor quality that
they were universally condemned.
This prejudice has, however, en-
tirely disappeared. A very tell
ing ocular demonstration of the
strength and soldity of cement
block construction was afforded in
this city in April, 1907, when an
earthquake lasted two and one half
minutes and causing a recorded
sway of sixty centimetres in GER
tain buildings in town, left utterly
unsCathed a residence building of
concrete block, while countless
numbers of neighboring houses
were more or less damaged.
There are more than twenty
manufacturers of concrete blocks
or ornamental work in this CITY
alone. The methods in use among
them are usually of the crudest,
with the exception of two concerns
which import American molds.
The system generally in vogue is
to have moulds made of plaster of
paris of parts into which the &C.
ment IS run, after which the mould
is pried or Clipped off. Many
manufacturers make their moulds
OF sort of an elastic glue, COM
monty called "Cola,' whose COM
position l could not ascertain,
which permit them to turn out
numbers of very artistic undercut
or scrolled pieces.
( The importation of fancy moulds
which covers only a few years
time, and which, | am informed,
has been almost exclusively from
the United States, has not amount
ed to more than 1900 Mexican
pesos (S747 United States curren-
cy). A much greater number
would, Of course be imported if
our factories could turn out
moulds of the standard size in use
i'll this country. AS an example
the standard balustrade of bal
comics and corniceS in the United
States is between IS and IS inches
high, with a diameter of ) inches;
in Mexico these baluStrades are in
variably 90 centimetres in height
approximately p inches. 1t
may, however, be said that orna-
mental cement work is gradually
supplanting the old fashioned
carved stone work which charac-
terized all Mexican buildings of
any pretensions until comparative
ly recently.
Imported moulds for cement
blocks are practically all of Amer
lean make, though there is an oc-
Casional French or Geeman one to
be seen. The chief difficulty
which works against the American
manufacturer of cement block
moulds who desire to export these
to Mexico is the fact that Ameri-
can moulds are never made to con-
form i'll size to the standard met