The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-07-08
EDISON READY TO
MOLD HOUSES
Great Inventor Says 1900
Will Build Homes Ordinar-
lily Costing $4,000
Ne USES REINFORCED CONCRETE
New York Plumbers are Doubtful
Wizard Of Menlo Park May Have
Overlooked Wage Scales in Estim IT.
Ing on Concrete Structures.

new I OrK IltV.-lnOnaS a. EQlSOn
has announced that he has completed
his scheme for building concrete
house for 1900, which, If constructed
of stone in the same design, would
cost between $4,000 and 100000. The
fact that Edison includes in his 81 200
estimate the heating and plumbing for
the house is construed by practical
men here to mean he has fixed his
figures without previously having
consulted plumbers and steam fit
ters and without taking into con.
sideration the eight-hour day and
the prevailing rate of wages. Tie
price he cites could not prevail IL
only a single house was to be built.
That he wants to be understood clear
ly. What he means is that If the re-
inforced concrete houses were built in
blocks, by his design and through the
use of his molds, the cost of each
house in a block would not be greater
than about 81 200.
He also says that figure is depend
ent upon the houses being built on
soil which yield sand and gravel from
due allowance for those conditions,
practical builders here in New York
said they felt sure Edison would find
himself in a losing game If he coll
tracted to put up those blocks of de-
tached one-family houses for S1,2C0
each, with the plumbing and steam
heating apparatus included. Opinion
was expressed that a mistake had
been made in the estimates, and be-
fore contracts were entered into for
building such houses the estimates
would be revised and changed mateif-
ally.
The Edison housebuilding plan calls
for a one-family house, on lot 40xe0
feet. The floor plan of the house is
16x30 feet. The front porch extends
eight feet and the back stoop throo
feet. Each house will contain six
rooms and bath, and the cellar will
extend beneath the entire house and
will contain the boiler, washtubs and
coal bunker The main living rooms
and also the outside of the house will
be richly decorated. The tecorations
will be cast with the hou and there
eore will come from Il g molds as part
Of the structure "a not merely be
stuck on.
The entire Aouse will be of rein.
forced corcTete. That includes the
walls, roof, floors, porches, bathtub
and the laundry tubs. The only wood
n the building will be the doors, door
frames, windows and window frames.
'rhe inside walls also will be of con-
.rete and there will be no plaster fin
;sh. The surface will be smooth and
may be tinted or painted, as the owner
nay desire. Edison seems to think
hat with his plan in working shape II
will do much toward relieving the
congestion which now exists in cities
Ind practically enable every working.
nan to own his home or to be ten
ant in a detached house at an expense
that is, for rent and carfare-of not
more than SO a month.
Cast-iron molds will be used In
suilding the houses, and they will
rary in design. After the concrete
soundation has been laid and has hard.
ened the molds will be set up upon
u. The term foundation is not to bc
fonstrued as meaning the cellar walls,
ut merely a base of concrete upon
'Jhich the molds will rest. Edison es.
smates that the molds needed to be.
in the work of building such houses
N wholesale lines will cost $4,000,
nd that the necessary plant will cost
$4,000 more. At least six sets OF
llOds must be used to keep the men
nd the plant busy.
Edison says it will take four days
} set up the molds. The liquid con-
rete can be poured into them in six
ours. The molds will be kept in use
>r four days until the concrete hard
AS and then it will require'four days
remove them. That means the
ouse will be finished in a fortnight.
18th the six sets Of molds, if that
.-hedule Is adhered to, about $50
ouses can be built in a year. The
litial cost of the cast iron molds will
comparatlyoC great, but they may
+, used Indefinitely, Edison says, and
the long run will be much cheaper
an the wooden molds now used and
hich, because of their destructbillty,
crease greatly the expense of con.
etc construction.
Edison has George Il. Small and
enry j. Harms, Jr., engineers, work.
with him now. They designed the
'use and molds and made the expert
ents. The first house will be pour
in sections for experimental pui'-
,ses and to discover and remedy do
cts. Then an entire house will be
olded with one pouring. In other
ords, lot of liquid concrete will be
into the molds and when they ara
moved that muddy-looking mixture
i'll have been turned into hand
me home where workingman can
We and rear his family cheaply and
comfort-that is, If the Edison esti-
ates are right.