The Washington herald., 1911-12-05
BUILDERS EXCHANGE EXHIBIT BUILDING.

town manufacturers or supply merchants
are not already located in Washington,
the office or desk room proposition, as
the Washington exchange presents it.,
has been found to be practically ire
ISistible, for the new exchange is unQues-
tiOnably the center of activity and "buSi-
ness" for the construction interests of
the city. In cases where a manufacturer
or supply merchant finds that he can
promote his sales by actually showing
the goods and wishes to be equipped with
Office quarters on the same floor, the
combined Office and exhibit proposition
is doubly attractive-doubly or trebIy
valuable to the exhibit If the exhibitor
has office quarters so closely at hand
and. of course, dOubly or trebly valuable
If the manufacturer or merchant having
Office quarters also has his exhibit SO
closely at hand. And the projectors of
| this unique enterprise believe that as
the exchange becomes better and better
known and appreciated as the center of
the industry for the city, and, in way,
| for the whole country. the completeness
Of the whole proposition with reference
to exhibits. offices. desk room spaces, as
| soCiation headquarters, government eX-
| hibits, &c, will perhaps result in a con-
| gestion of allied interests which it might
be difficult to handle.
To Procure Department Exhibits.
| This brings us TO the national phase
| of this remarkable work of the Wash
| ington Builders Exchange and to what
might be termed the government phase
| of it. The management has already
shown that an extensive group Of de-
partment exhibits may be procured, and
that while these. in the very nature of
the case. must be expected to come and
| 90
exhibits can he made. OF and by itself.
| proposition of the utmost interest on ac-
count Of the very fact that there is mo-
ton to it,
At the very start, for illustration, there
was displayed in one of the larger rooms
Of the exchange. which has been spe-
| cially SCI aside for the purpose. model
: maCadam road under construction. and
model dairy barn. all furnished by the
! Agricultural Department, and with the
! latter was offered by that department
the free distribution Of bIueprints: and
while it might not he expected that a
model dairy barn would prove of interest
in u big city, visitors seemed to be at
traCted to it more than anything else.
during the time, Of course, while the
model barn was ION show, for it is
now to be shipped to BuenoS AyreS as
hibt in tho Argentine. There also came
in early three big relief maps iIlustrat-
ing the engineering wonders of certain
of the reclamation and irrigation prof.
eCtS of the West-theSe being loaned by
the Interior Department. The Navy De
partmcnt contributed a model of the
floating drydock Dewey, an object of in
terest to everybody concerned with tPe
problems of construction; and with ais
came model of the battle ship Illinois.
Tested building Material.
Most important of ALL perhaps, but not
more interesting than the others, is found
to be the collection of tested building
materials direct from the laboratories of
the Geological Survey at Pittsburg. This
collection comprises nineteen cement and
mortar specimens, ten specimens Illus
tating the permeability and damp-proof
qualities of YeriOus materials. seven
teen concrete specimens in various de-
grees of completeness, thirty-One clay
and brick specimens. five specimens of
hollow mortar building blocks samples |
Of lime and clay, and all the different !
grades of these as used in various ex- |
amples of concrete, and finally certain |
tested concrete columns and tested steel |
wire cables. All of these materials have |
been subjected to the hardest and most |
diversified imaginable tests at the Geo |
logical Survey laboratories, and they are |
OF practical value. especially with the |
accompanying descriptive matter fur |
nished by the experts of the survey, to |
every up-to-date engineer, building con-
tractor, student, and craftsman. who is |
making II or expecting to make 1t his |
business to be up-to-date or a little in |
advance of his competitors.
Other Interesting Specimens.
The management promises other equally |
interesting specimens AS is we'll known, |
the National Museum is moving. It will |
find. no doubt, that hundreds out of its |
celebrated collection of specimens of |
building stone will be found to be duplI-
Gated, and these are promised for a later
day. Indeed, the management has no
hesitation in offering to show to the
building interests of the whole country
of the Capital City among it's neighbors,
and of the whole country as they visit
1t were, of significant and vitality inter-
esting displays, as the various depart
ments of the government are able to
furnish them-as well, of course, as the
equally essential collection of displays
provide them-vitaI and essential displays
in either case, provided building con-
architects. home owners, and all
other interested persons wish to have
the latest view and the best Information
the up-to-date building material
proposition as a whole, as the manage
ment of this exchange is able to de-
velop it,
One important consideration touching
this continuing government exhibit is
that, whenever desired, the various ex-
perts connected with government service,
who know the most about these exhibits
and their significance in the construction
Of the country, stand ready
to address general meetings or special
groups Of interested persons at the ex-
change. !
Treasury Department Interested.
There is another important government
in this combined official and
unofficial aggregate Of building material