Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-08-05
HOMES FOR THE POOR.
Edison's Plan to Provide Cement
Houses at,S1O Per Month.

Houses ats$1O Per Month.
'The men in my shop wanted to make
plain panel for the house, one with.
out ornamentatiop, but told them we
would give the workingman and his
family or,s mental work for their fu-
ture homes. They deserve it, and, be
sides. it e.sts no more after the pat
tern Is matte to give decorative effect
than 1t would to make everything
plain"
These words, spoken by Thomas A.
Edison n few days ago as he stood on
the steps Of his laboratory ut Orange
N. j., hold out an interesting future
for the workingman who is proud OF
his home. His words revealed not only
his real motive in the latest work the
great inventor has been undertaking
but they demonstrate the fact that he
had attained the success he had been
aiming ut for the last eight years-to
provide for the workingman the
chance of possessing substantial and
attractive home for little money.
In recent years Edison has been a
philanthropist. For nearly ten years
he has been working out various prob
lens for the welfare of his fellow men,
but in all that time he has been trying
to evolve something that would make
the struggle for existence easier and
pleasanter for the workingman, and
he has accomplished great thing. In
stead Of living us he does at present
in dingy tenement or stuffy, unat-
tractive apology for Il house, the wage
Garner will soon be able to live in a
miniature palace.
Can Pour House.
This prospect has been brought
about by Mr.. Edison's new poured
cement house." which is about to be-
come factor in twentieth century
building construction.
1t is Edison's hope to erect for the
millions who dwell in tenements high
ly ornamental. waterproof and vermin
proof houses in the suburbs for $1,000
each. and on the proposition that
for $40 month the workingman can
live IN detached. sanitary cement
house, with n yard for the children to
play In, Edison went ahead and per-
fected his processes. To this work
Edison has given his best thought.
Architects and engineers and, in fact,
oil technical men who have a knowl-
edge of the properties of concrete
greeted the first announcement of the
Edison poured house two years ago
with incredulity and smiles.
Some Of the Objections.
The most frequent objection or criti-
cism offered was the apparent i'm
practicability of pouring concrete into
All intricate set of molds and secur-
ing surface throughout that would
be free from imperfections. at will
clog" at will not fow," were express
sions heard on all sides. Then objec-
lions were offered on artistic grounds.
Imagine city Of houses every one
Of which is like all the others. It is
preposterous," was said.
Mr.. Edison has answered all these
objections to the full satisfaction OF
the most critical. Here are the impor-
tant facts about the poured house:
He has produced mixture Of a
consistency almost like water which
holds the stone or aggregates in sus-
pension, allows the mixture to flow
freely to all parts of the molds and
secures uniform distribution Of the
aggregates throughout the mass. The
molds are adapted to variations Of ar
rangenent, thus making it possible to
change the style Of houses with the
same set of molds With FIVE or six
sets of molds, therefore, wide variety
Of style is possible.
Following is description Of one Of
Edison's $1,000 poured cement houses
for one family, with floor plan 25 by
50 feet:
1t is intended to be built on lots
40 by GO feet, giving lawn and small
garden room. The front porch extends
eight feet and the back porch three
feet. On the first floor is large
front room, IA by " and nine and
one-half feet high, in sded as living
room, and a kitchen . the back, IA by
20 and one and one-half feet high.
In the corner Of the front room is q
wide staircase leading to the second
floor.
Plenty Of Light and Air.
This contains two large bedrooms, q
wide hall and roomy bathroom.
The third floor has two large rooms.
Each room has large windows, so
there is an abundance Of light and
fresh air. The cellar, seven feet six
inches high, extends under the whole
house and will contain the boiler,
washtubs and coal bunker. The dec
orations will be cast with the house
and will therefore be a part of the
structure.
In preparing the cement for the house
the concrete, after being mixed, wiD
be dumped into large tanks, from
which 1t will be conveyed to distrib-
uting tank on the roof or top Of the
forms. A large number Of open
troughs or pipes will lead the mixture
to various openings in the roofs,
whence it will now down and ill all
parts Of the molds to the footings in
the basement till it overaows at the
tip Of the roof. The actual pouring
will require about six hours.
The fact has been absolutely demon
strated that mixture is produced that
has nil tha cha IA cteristicS nf 1iouid
and fills all interstices and openings