Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-04-21
The
Strawpile
a Concrete Barn

A Concrete Barn
designed and built by the writer
NJ. S. Yoder ShipsheWana, Ind
This barn was planned and built by
the writer on his farm near Shtpshe-
Wana, Ind. The barn is tWelvesided,
dodecagon sixty feet in diameter,
and each side is sixteen feet long.
making it one hundred and nine
ty-two feet around the outside OF the
barn walls, which are made of solid
cement concrete thirty feet high above
the ground floor and are REINFORCED
with one hundred and eighteen rods
Of heavy wire fencing made of all
number nine wires and put in the
middle of the wall. At the sides OF
doors and windows and above them
the walls are further REINFORCED with
old iron, mostly bridge iron and some
other iron bought from junk dealers.
The bridge beams imbedded in the
walls at the sides of and above the
doors have some heavy wire wrapped
securely around them. The wooden
door and window frames were especial
ly designed to be taken out after the
cement was we'll hardened.
The foundation is three feet, six
inches wide at the bottom and slopes
in from both sides to the surface of
the ground, where the main wall be-
gins twelve inches thick. The con-
crete for the foundation was mixed
one part cement to six part gravel,
and stones were tamped in. What we
call gravel here is sand and coarse
gravel mixed, as we find 1t In northern
Indiana. Above ground no stones
were tamped in the walls and concrete
was mixed one to five. The walls are
twelve inches thick, one-third of the
way up and then ten inches thick. and
the upper third is eight inches thick.
The bridge forming part Of the drive
way to the second floor of the barn
is eighteen feet long and sixteen feet
wide, has a rise of ten inches. is made
of steel and cement concrete. The
ground floor of the barn is all ce-
mented and has a driveway thru the
center with row of stalls and man
gers on each side so arranged that
the stock stand with their hind feet
lined up to shallow cutters on each
side of driveway.
The doors at each end are SKIS feet,
and each door is made in two sections
and anything from three-horse ma
nure spre ader to top buggy can pass
+hr,; There is hydrant on the
ground floor for watering stock and
waste water is tiled out. Nearly all
woodwork about stalls and managers is
low down so it will not obstruct the
light or the view over the entire base
ment.
There are two long feeding alleys,
one on each side of the double central
stable. and outside of the feeding
alleys the irregular shaped space Is
used for box stalls and a calf pen, but
all so constructed that any kind OF
stock can be fed in them. The box
stalls are not boxed up tight like many
builders make them. litter carrier
is used and there is sixty feet OF track
in the stable and a curve outside of
the door and seventy feet OF track
over the barn yard outside
Lids that slide horizontally on roll
ers are fitted under the floor at open
ing of hay cf1utes TO close them IN colo
weather They can be operated from
any point along the chute to the roof
by double cords running on pulieys.
There are six eight-inch inlet ventila-
tors thru the walls of the stable, each
ventilator being made of two elbows
and a point Of pipe placed upright in
the wall and there is one outlet ven
tilator 27x27 inches made of matched
, six-inch flooring and leading from ten
inches near the ground floor TO the
peak of the roof Some fresh air also
comes in thru crevices around doors
and windows.
There are thirty-one 'dows in the
barn all of the same size, l2x2o gas
with four lights to each sash me
lower windows, eighteen in number,
have double glass. All windows are
protected inside and outside by heavy
wire screen The screen frames are
held in place by wood screws tight
ened Up against the cement.
There are no window frames and
door frames in the walls to rot out.
The window sash fits in the cement
and is held there by common window
bolts which fasten into small oak
/ blocks in the cement. Barn doors are
hung on rollers and the square tub
ular track is fastened on the wall by
bolts passing thru the wall. Holes for
all these bolts were provided for when
the wall was built.
Boxes made of light materials that
could be knocked out afterwards were
also placed in the wall when 1t was
built to provide sockets Of correct size
in which now rest the ends OF joists
J and joist bearers.
The heavy work OF mixing and lift
ing concrete, elevating lumber and lift
ing the forms was done with the gaso-
| line engine. Every time the forms
were raised the outside Of the wall
was painted with a mixture OF pure
cement and water. A double drum
hoist was used in connection with the
| engine and cable on one drum pulled
the gravel truck up above the mixer
and rope on the other drum operated
on the jim-crane to do hosting. The
centerpole Of this homemade crane
was sixty-four feet high.
The barn is fifty-three feet high