The Washington herald., 1912-03-20


reason that. except under special climatic
conditions. they were not suitable Tor ana
were not generally used in the construc-
ton OF foundations, walls, and the ex-
terror coating OF buildings. their use be-
Interior pIasterfnE. II is also probable
that the fact that gypsums had to be
ground after calcination In order TO oe
available as a binding material retarded
their general use among the early build
err Nor have / included Portland ce-
ment among those Of the past lalthough
Il was invented about the middle OF the
It did not cCme into general use In the
United States until 1850
Nowhere iT the history OF architecture
has i. 9itnessed Ss rs1a sc TaSicai chaSse as the
last thirty years. not only In the style
and character OF the BUILDINGS themselves
but in the materials and methods or con-
struction. In no other country has the
change been so marked as in the United
States; here rhe skyscraper has replaced
the ordinary buildings OF nick and stone
mercial purposes. dwellings OF stone,
brick, and concrete, the wooden struc-
lures 50 prevalent before the '7o.s. Every
where buildings OF monumental and per-
manent character are replacing the tenn
pcrary structures that characterized our
earlier construction. when, with the eX-
houses and buildings were the rule. Steel
largely replaced wood in the frames and
floors OF our buildings. and now steel,
brick. and masonry is in turn being dis
placed by plastic or concrete construc-
tion.
| Time Important Element.
Another element which. while not di-
rectly part VI the building. has exercised
a great influence on the methods and ma
teriaIs used, Is the element OF time. For
merly, few buildings, with the exception
of dwellings. were built primarily for
rental as a money making investment:
| ONCE buildings, as we now know them,
being unknown. while factories and man.
ufacturing plants were of gradual growth,
and consequently the amount Of money
required in the construction of buildings
paratively small compared with those be-
ing constructed at present. Therefore
the need of speed in the construction was
not as great then as now. when euild.
| ing, with the ground upon which II
/ stands, may represent an expenditure OF
several millions: consequently, the inter
est on the investment during its con-
| structive or nonearntng stage was OF less
i Importance than now, when Il constitutes
/ IN important item OF the total cost, and
to reduce this, every energy Is devoted
TO the hurrying forward OF the WORK
worn on the materials must. as far ar
possible, be done prior to actual delivery
to the work II also means, I am sorry
u
the care in preparation OF the material:
4 and their application which character
ized older work Of relatively the same
i Importance.
What the cements Of the present are is
/ clearly shown by the chart on the screen
/ which indicates graphically the produc
ton and approximate consumption in tht
United States for the past fifteen years
of Portland cement, lime, gypsum plas
tiers. and natural cements. which perioC
I have arbitrarily taken to represent thu
he reports Of the United States Geoiog
ical Survey In reducing the production
4 Of Portland cement. natural cement, anC
lime from barrels to snort tons, divlson
used. This was necessary In view o
the fact that any comparison by barreii
would be vitiated owing to the difference
In weight of a barrel of the different ma
terials From the chart Portland cemen
Is pre-eminently the cementitious ma
lteriai Of the present, Its production IN tn
than sooooo tons in iss5 to over 15,oOo. 90
tons In 1910 Gypsum products, or plaster
would appear, from the growth OF con
sumption, TO be next In importance as
while its average tonnage Is less thai
that CT lime, the rapid growth OF its con
sumption during the past hfteen years
and the fact that previous to that tim
comparatively little was used. entitle
LIT. i think, to be considered secon'
among the cements Of the present Linn
;. is third. and naturA Cement IouI1il-
| In discussing these cemenutious ma
, tarials I shall consider only the qualitie
that led to the increase OF their use dur
ling the past fifteen years. and shall omi
from consideration the effect OF certaf
qualities which lead me to question tn
claim OF some TO be enumerated anon
the chief binding materials OF the future
4 Portland Meets Requirements.
That Portland cement Is eminentl
suited to meet the immediate Requirement
OF present building conditions Is evi
, denced by the fact that In the Unite
: States over 4e4.7Oo.O 900 barrels of Portlan
cement have been produced and used 4
, the past ffteen years, quantity prohabl
! greater than the entire world productio
ii OF Portland cement IN the preceding MT
! years. and approaching the total use z
: hydraulic cements for the hrst eight
I lyears OF the nineteenth century IN
I treason for the abnormally rapid growt
, 4 IN the use 1f Portland cement as CON
. pared with the increase IN consumpuo
: on other cementitious. materials In n
I same period can, ] think, be found
: the fact that Il lends itself so perfecti
Z TO the speed required In. modern cor
struction through Its DEVELOPMENT Of y
: maximum strength In from one TO thr.
|. weeks after being placed on the worl
E The only reason that II has not mol