Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-29

Members Of the Association OF American
Portland Cement Manufacturers. on their
way to New York to attend the annual
meeting to be held December II, 13 and
IA, will find at every stage Of their
journey increasing evidences Of the multi
fold uses to which their product Is being
put They will cross vfaducts and bridges
Of reinforced concrete; they viii see water
tanks Of cement: there will be an occa-
sional suburb in which there is a colony
Of neat poured houses almost as II
they had been hewn out Of solid blocks
Of cement: barns and cribs. with cement
floors will be found all along the route.
AS they cross the ferry from Jersey City
they will SEQ, Juttins out along the water
front, tho magnificent new docks Of the
| city Of New York. built Of concrete and
steel. They will ride through the con-
crete subway, walk on cement sidewalks
inforced concrete.
causing the civil engineers and the archt-
tects Of the twentieth century to develop
the possibilities of this artificial COM
pound as our supply of timber rapidly de-
creases. The initial high cost Of granite
and sandstone, as well as the difficulty Of
terial. has caused builders to use cement
wherever possible. The relative superiority
of the higher grades of Portland cement
over all the cheaper grades OF brick has
brought about an ever-increasing popu-
larity Of the artificial compound, which
was invented by an Englishman-Joseph
Aspdin, in 1924. This manufacturer from
Leeds took out patent on cement
which he made by calcining mixture of
limestone and clay. He gave the result
ing product the name Of Portland be-
cause of fancied resemblance between
the set cement and the famous limestone
at that time extensively quarried for
building purposes at Portland. England.
product looked like Portland stone, and
not because 1t originally came from Port
land. AS a matter of fact. there never
has been a cement manufacturing plant
at Portland, England: Portland, Ore, or
Portland, Me.
The most gigantic project for which
American Portland cement has ever been
used is, Of course,
Use 8, 100000 Cubic the Panama ca
Yards on Canal. i. is - est estimated d
that 5000 900 cubic yards of concrete will
be used, chiefly in the construction of the
six mammoth locks. in duplicate. 1000
feet long and 10 feet wide, two Of
which will be fOrty-one and half feet
deep and the other four thirty feet. Con-
crete also will line the great spillway of
the artificial lake at Gatun. The con-
tract for furnishing this enormous
amount of cement was let after open
competition. Most Of 1t is being made
in Northampton, Pa, and is being ship
ped through Jersey City. The contract
calls for 100000 barrels of cement, and
not more than 10000 nor less than 1900
barrels per day must be ready for ship
ment-
But one does not have to go to Pana-
ma to witness big engineering projects
in which cement Is playing an important
part. The great dam which Is to be
| thrown across the Mississippi river just
exceeded in size only by the great As
souan dam across the Nile. This Ameri-
can dam will require 100000 barrels Of
cement and 1000 tons of structural Steel
eighths of a mile long and forty-three
feet thick at the base. When it is COM
pleted the dam will enable the harnessed
father Of waters to supply 100000
horsepower to a territory which will en-
brace st. Louis, distance Of ITO miles
to the south.
Cement has been put to an entirely
different use at Cambridge. Mass. where
it was the ma
Big Harvard Stadium terial selected
Built of Cement. So, az
enormous structure seating 10000 peo-
ple, which was built at a cost of $475. 200.
This Is the largest athletic arena of its
kind In the United States. Last sum-
mer q similar structure Of cement and
steel was completed In Tacoma, WASH.