The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-12-03

there is a colony OF neat poured
houses" almost as IL 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 Guy
they will see, jutting out along the
waterfront, the magnificent new
docks OF the City OF New YORK. buiI'
OF concrete and steel. They VIII ride
through the concrete subway, walk on
cement sidewalks and sleep In hrc'
proof hotels built OF reinforced con
crete.
Mother Invention has been active
in causing the civil engineers and the
architects OF the twentieth century 10
develop the possibilities OF this artih'
cial compound as our supply OF timber
rapidly decreases. The initial high
cost of granite and sandstone, as well
as the difficulty OF handling large
blocks of the heavy material, mas
caused builders 10 use cement wher'
ever possible. The relative superior
fly or the higher grades OF Portland
cement over all the cheaper grades or
brick has brought about an ever'in-
creasing popularity or the artinciai
compound, which was Invented by an
Englishman-Joseph Aspdin. in 1874.
This manufacturer from Leeds look
out q patent on cement which he
made by calcining a mixture OF lime
stone and clay. He gave the result
ing product the name OF portland
because OF fancied resemblance De-
tween the set cement and the famous
limestone at that time extensively
quarried for building purposes al Port
land. England. The name has adj
hered because the product looked like
Portland stone. and not because X
originally came from Portland. As
matter OF fact, there never has been
q cement manufacturing plant at Port
land, England: Portland. Oregon, or
Portland. Maine.
The most gigantic project for which
american Portland cement has ever
been used Is, OF course, the Panama
Canal In this work IL Is estimated
that 5000, 900 cubic yards OF concrete
will be used, chiefly in the constric-
ton 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 Concrete also will
line the great spillway OF the artificial
lake al Gatun. The contract for fur
nishing this enormous amount OF ce-
ment was let after open competition.
Most OF It Is being made in Northamp-
ton. Pennsylvania. and is being ship
ped through Jersey City The con
tract calls for 1900 900 barrels OF &c
ment, and not more than 10000 nor
less than 1000 barrels per day must
be ready for shipment.
But one does not have 70 go TO Pan
anna to witness big engineering pro
jects in which cement Is playing an
important part. The great dam which
Is 10 be thrown across the Mississippi
river just below the rapids at Keokuk.
Iowa, Is exceeded in size only by the
great Assouan dam across the Nile
This American dam will require $780,
900 barrels OF cement and 1000 tons
OF structural steel. 1t will be thirty
seven feet high, seven-eighths OF a
mile long and forty-three feet thick at
the base. When IL Is completed the
dam will enable the harnessed Father
OF Waters" to supply 100000 horse
power TO a territory which Will en-
brace St Louis, distance OF 40
miles to the south.
Cement has been put TO an entirely
different use at Cambridge. Mass,
where IL was the material selected
for the Harvard Stadium, an enormous
structure seating 10000 people, which
was built at a cost Of $475.000. This
IL the largest athletic arena OF its kind
In the United states. Last summer
similar structure, OF cement and steel,
was completed in Tacoma, Washing
ton. and presented TO the city. II Is
stadium seating 10000. and Will be
used for high school athletic and sim
liar events. The cost OF 100000 was
met almost entirely by popular sub
scription.
The steel and concrete steamship
docks which have recently been com
pleted In lew York harbor at a cost
Of $4,000, 900. demonstrate how we'll
cement lends itself TO decorative arch
itecture. There are nine OF these
piers, seven double and two single,
and their substantial architectural
lines. az well as their pleasing yet
unobstrusive ornamentation. are in
striking contrast to the old docks
which were an eyesore along the river
front for SO many years. The initial
cost OF 100000 was not so great
when Il IS remembered that the city
Is receiving an annual rental OF sb65,-
900 from the steamship lines using the
docks.
Except in such cases as the one
mentioned above. cement has played
only small part In decorative archi-
lecture up to the present time, but
after the successful moulding or
colossal statue OF an Indian In Illinois,
Il would he unsafe to say that the
grayish powder will not In the fu-
ture hold a distinguished niche in
hall OF fame. This statue
is of Blackhawk. chief OF the Sacs and
the Foxes. n Is forty-eight feet high.
and stands on rocky blum $50 feet
high. near Eagles Nest across the
river from Oregon. Illinois. The artist
was employed for three years In its
but he believes that he
has created work of such enduring
art that II will be in existence long
after the Egyptian Sphinx has crum.
bled into dust.
The United States Department OF
recently gave great i'm
petus 10 the cement industry by H.
suing bulletin setting forth the
truly startling losses suffered by
farmers, grain merchants and others
LII