The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-07-12
THOS. A. EDISON

bath upstairs, front and back
porch.
Cost-About $1,000.
MateriaL-Light gray re-en-
forced concrete.
Time to mold-f4 days.
Observation-Disclosures and orna-
mental work along porch, carved
stone pillars I'm Railways, window
seats and paneled doors, with
NEUROLOGICAL figuring, garbIed1
roofs.
Special advantages - Fireproof |
and verinine proof; no repairs.
The people il will benefit par
ticularly-The poor who now often
live in wretched quarters. Is
Inventor-Thomas A. Edison.
The Edison house, If 1t accom-
plished half what its creator sex-
poets, will revolutionize house
building. ~
One big important thing he had
in mind was to make it possible for
the people of the slums to live in
houses that would be clean, have
plenty of light and air, and which
could be had at moderate cost
The inventor will not build
houses himself. He has shown
the world the way to do it, and
will leave it at that.
CORRECTIONS OVERCOME.
Several great objections which
arose two years ago had to be over
come by Edison in his later plans.
One-A. practical builders objec-
ltion-was that the cement could
not be forced through an intricate
set of molds an be of the same
consistency and strength through
out. Also that the surface would
mot be smooth.
But Edison has produced a ce-
ment of consistency almost like
water, which holds the stone and
aggregates equally throughout. 1t
will also secure a surface so
smooth that it can be painted or
frescoed or tinted.
Another objection was that 1t
would be impossible to build molds
which would make inner rooms
and closets. This, too, has been
|Overcome.
Still another-this time from
architects-was that all the houses
would be alike, necessarily; that
people would not live in them on
that account.
But the Edison moIds are adj
Iapted TO a number of variations
With six sets of molds, which the
inventor reckons as the right num-
Der for a good working arrange
ment, an immensely wide variety
of houses can be constructed.
Now for a description of an Edi-
son house. The one shown in the
ILLUSTRATION is one-family, two.
lstory house, 25 by 80 feet outside,
| to go In a lot 40 by 60. This
gives a lawn and small garden
room.
The front of the living room is
large, IA by 23 feet, while the
kitchen Is but three feet narrower.
The ceilings are LIZ feet high.
The stairway extends both ways
Ito the living room and the
Itains the two big bedrooms-one
is by Ia, the other three feet mar
rover. The upper hallway is near
lily 20 feet long, leading from the
back of the house to the bath
room, which Is IL feet square. y
| The attic Is 81 by 20, which,
with a dividing partition, would
make two rooms.
| There are many windows-thel
downstairs rooms have four each.
| The material throughout is REIN
forced concrete. The only wood
work is the window frames, which
makes 1t impossible for fires to
lbreak out.
The decorations are cast with
1.-THE rest of the house. So are all
such as bath and laun-
idry tubs, steps, coal bunkers.
METHOD OF POURING. +
The molds are not setup until
1.-THE cellar foundations are dug and
Iglis anu electric and plumbing pip-i
ling ready. These are then set. up !
with the molds, and all locked to-
|gether. It takes four days to set
|up the molds.
Then the pouring. The cement, |
ALREADY prepared In large mixers, /
lis conveyed to tank placed on top
|of the forms. This tank connects
with several openings in the roof. |
20 that the cement rises In all parts
|of the house at once. The pouring
process itself takes six hours.
COST OF BUILDING.
Ediaousa estimate NJ fhs cr,of d !