The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-03-19
INvE SITUATIONS ON BEHALF
OF GOVERNMENT.
SO.CALlED FLUID STONES
Important Investigations Being Made
In the Structural Materials.
Laboratories at st. Louis for
Material for Engineering.

Washington, d. c., March 10
Special.-In its effort to opnserve
the natural resources OF the country.
the technologic branch OF the United
States geological survey is doing
an important work in its structural
materials laboratories at St Louis.
Mo. There the science of concrete
and reinforced concrete, the social.
ed fluid stone Is being investigat.
ed in behalf of the government be-
cause of the great amounts of this
material now being used by the gov
ernment in big engineering vorke
throughout the country. Thcse IN.
vestigations are having n double val.
Ne. for the government not only
learns the exact value OF this new
material in construction work but
the public also gets the benefit OF
the data.
II Is the belief Of experts that con-
crete will avert the threatened tim
her famine and give the country a
chance to restore its depleted for.
ests. Already concrete has supplant
ed lumber In n thousand different
ways and more avenues are being
developed every day for its use. Its
Importance as a fireproof material
also adds to the significance of the
Investigations. According to the
national board of fire underwriters
the per capita fire loss in the Unit
ed States in 1906 was $2.47. while
in six of the leading European
Jountr'es for the same period ~
was but 80 cents. This means that
with a population of eighty million
people. the fire loss In the United
States is sl97 10000 every year.
/ IL this country could do as well as
! Europe in preventing fires. the year
/ ~ loss would be but S2G 100000.
| From these figures. II Is seen that
! American carelessness and lack OF
Gre TTpof buildings results in
/ yearly annual waste of more than
one hundred and seventy million dol
lars. \ large percentage OF this IS
waste in lumber used in building
construction.
/ In it's study OF the science Of con
crete. the government has completed
25,O0O tests OF Portland cement and
cement mortars. the results oil
which have just been published IN
a bulletin issued by the geological
George Otis Smith and Joseph A.
! Holmes, chief of the technologic
/ branch. The bulletin was written
/ by Richard l.. Humphrey, engineer
in charge of the structural materi-
ais Investigations and will prove OF
! immense value 20 builders and ar
chltects and engineers generally In
preparation for these tests, broken
stone. gravel and sand were collect
| ed from all over the country. The
/ purpose OF this was 10 ascertain as
far as possible the properties OF the
different materials. II Is believed
! that the results OF these tests made
upon materials obtained near the
large commercial Csnters of the
country will indicate clearly to us
ers OF cement and OF concrete where
they can most conveniently and
cheaply procure the requisite sand,
gravel and broken stone and how
these should be mixed with the
cements 10 attain the best results
/ in strength for each group of materi-
/ ais. 1t is declared that n study OF
| the data In the bulletin should af-
ford q means of determining the
| probable strength of mortar made
/ from materials having similar prop
critics, though gathered In different
PARTS OF the country, and should aid
/ the constructor to decide which OF
the three materials. sand, gravel or
/ broken stone screenings Will best
serve his purpose.
/ Interesting tests In the strength
Of cements are given In the bulletin.