Omaha daily bee., 1910-08-17
MARE ROOFS OF ALL KINDS
Omaha Supplies Buildings ALI Over
West with Coverings.
OF EVERY SORT USED
From shingles to slate, Omaha Job
bers supply the Demand that
Grows with the Building
Up of the Territory.

Although the roofing concerns which are
located in Omaha make no pretense of
having a monopoly on the roofing business
OF the west or even Of the Transmissis- |
sippi region, II is a noticeable fact, that |
each year when the totals for the period |
are compiled and made public those which !
which represent Omahas business for the !
year compare very favorably with those of
its nearest and strongest competitors
The territory which belongs almost ex-
cluslvely to the Omaha jobbers and con- |
tractors is, Of course, the western part Of
Iowa Nebraska and the southern part OF
South Dakota. Their trade is by no means |
confined to this territory, however, for |
every week Omaha firms are placing orders
for their products in Missouri, Kansas,
Woymng, North Dakota and even in Colo |
RADIO and state further west
For the Iowa trade, the Chicago con-
Germs furnish considerable competition;
for the northern trade, st. Paul and Mime
/ apolis are lively contenders, and for the
western trade Denver roofing men must be
| fought. The southern competition comes
largely from St. Louis and st. Joseph
| OF course, the material most largely
used for roofing purposes in the past was
the common wooden single and even today
1t holds the first place for ordinary dwell
ings because Of Its comparative cheapness
and the ease with which 1t may be put in
place. The common shingie is, Of course,
handled by the lumber and supply men In
Omaha as in other cities
But for the larger and more pretentous
residences as we'll as for the flat rooted
business houses, shingles have neither been
practical nor popular. Formerly tin and
other sorts of metal roofs were used al
most entirely for such structures and when
that condition prevailed, the bulk of the
roofing work was of course handled tin
shops and metal workers.
Within the last decade there has been a
tendency away from the metal roofs and
a turning to slate, gravel and, more re-
Gently, to tile as a roofing material. In the
last few years the tile has been largely
supplanting the other forms of roofing in
popularity although, just now, the patented
largely advertised roofings which are hand
led by every lumber dealer and builders
supply men In the city, are having their
inning. They will probably never supplant
the staple materials, however.
The bulk of the local business is a con-
tracing business and 1t is handled by
these firms the National Roofing company,
the Mica Roofing company, and the I'D
INuOllnB COMPANY 1neSO az
though they do wholesale and retail bust
ness in roofing materials, cOnfine their at
tention largely 20 the contracting business,
receiving their contracts from general con-
tractors or directly from the builders both
in and out of the city.
The Barrick company confines its atten-
ton to gravel work, but the other two will
contract for any sort of a roof although
each focuses Its attention largely upon
some particular sort of roofing. The Mica
company makes a speciality of composite
patented product known as Mica Roofing
which is made in Canada from mica, lum-
bagO, soapstone and bitumen. The National
people, who do the largest business in the
city along with the staple roofing products,
sing the praises of especially treated
felt. This treatment the company admins
ters to the felt, at plant on North
Eleventh street
The other firms in Omaha devote their
attention largely to the selling, at whole
sale and retail of roofing materials, al
j though most any of them will do bit OF
contracting work on the side Among
these firms are the American Supply com
pany. the Sunderland Machine and Supply
i company, the ]. r, Stevenson Roofing COM
2 psny and c. j. Shea Roofing company,
The total roofing business for the city
in one year will reach close to the 5000
mark, although with the business, both
| contracting and jobbing, 80 split up al
d is the case i'm Omaha, any such figure can
at best, be but guess.
Local roofing men do not feel that Their,
will be a great increase this year Ovei
last, but predict that the two years will
run about equal. Ordinarily there ar,
no marked seasons to the roofing business
but this year the summer season has beer
unusually dull This is markedly true o
the country orders which have persstentll
refused to be forthcoming, This fact tn
Z local roofers attribute to the drouthy con
4 ditions which until quite recently made 1
q very uncertain what sort of a crop thes
districts would produce,
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