The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1909-08-13
HOMES FOR THE POOR
Edison's Plan to Provide Cement
Houses at $40 Per Month.
THEY WILL NOT ALL BE ALIKE

"The men In my shop wanted TO make
q plain panel for the house one with
out ornamentation, but told them we
would give the worklngman and his
| family ornamental work for their fu.
| ture homes They deserve It, and be-
sides, II costs no more after the pat
tern is made to give decorative effect
than 1t would to make everything
plain"
These words, spoken by Thomas A.
Edison a few days ago as he stood on
the steps Of his laboratory at 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 Mt for the last eight years-to
provide for the wOrkingmNn the
chance of possessing n substantial and
attractive home for little money.
In recent years Edison has been q
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 n great thing. In
stead of living as he does ut present
In a dingy tenement or stuffy, unat-
tractive apology for house, the wage
Garner will soon be able to live In a
miniature palace.
Can Pour a 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 a month the wOrkingman can
live in detached, sanitary cement
house with 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,
all technical men who have knowl-
edge of the properties Of concrete
greeted the first announcement Of the
Edison poured house two years ago
with increduity and smiles.
Some of the Objections,
The most frequent objection or criti-
cism offered was the apparent i'm
practicability of pouring concrete into
an intricate set of molds and secur-
ing a surface throughout that would
be free from imperfections. at will
clog" at will not fow," We're express
sions heard on all sides Then objec-
lions We're offered on artistic grounds.
"Imagine a city of houses every one
of which is like all the others. 1t 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 a 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
rangement, thus making 1t 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 a description of one Of
Edison's 1900 poured cement houses
for one family, with q floor plan % by
80 feet:
1t Is intended to be built on lots
40 by 60 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, intended as a living
room, and kitchen In the back, IA by
20 and one and one-half feet high.
In the corner Of the front room is
wide staircase leading to the second
floor.
Plenty Of Light and Air.
IhlS contains two large bedrooms,
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
1 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, win
be dumped into large tanks, from
which 1t will be conveyed to a 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,