El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-02-21
BY FREDERIC J. HASKlN

that the cost Of the forms and super
vision need not amount 70 more IMAM
SO per silo-
world has required such vast guam
tity Of cement as the Panama canal
Not only does IL require several MIL
lion barrels for the locks and dam $
but many hundreds Of thousands or
barrels for dry docks. piers and other
structures for the accommodation OF
an enormous amount of shipping
Much concrete will also be used In
lighting the canal All OF the DIG
range lighting towers and DeaconS
through the canal viii be built Of this
material
Likewise, the banks Of the great
Culebra cut Will be lined with cement
This viii be literally shot into posi-
ton, a cement gun being used for that
purpose This gun resembles an oNy-
hydrogen blow pine. On large truck
are mounted two tanks, one filled with
water and the other with mixed ce-
ment and sand Both Of these are eN-
PEELED under heavy pressure Iney
meet near the nozzle where the mixing
process goes on, and from whence It
spOuts in a stream against the bank
Of the canal Here 70 IS allowed to
dry. when It becomes as hard as ad-
amant
One Of the most recent Of the great
engineering projects OF the world IS
the building OF an addition to the ia
nous AssOuan dam, which holds In
check the waters OF the Nile This
dam is being raised by % feet IT for
merly furnished over quarter OF
trillion gallons OF water for the irri-
cation Of half a million acres OF land
in the Nile valley With the adcl-
tiOnal height. the amount OF water
stored and the number OF acres irri-
land cement makes IT possible to add
a sub-structure OF this kind and Sc
curely to tie It on to the original dam
Another Concrete victory.
Another victory for concrete will be
the construction OF the Arrow Rock
Idaho. This dam VIII be $50 feet
high, making ft the highest structure
Of Its kind in the world The one
nearest approaching Il in height is the
which is 326 feet high The Arrow
River dam. ike the one at Cody. is
beinF built IN connection with a gov
eminent irrigation project
Concrete Is now being widely used
by railroads IN the construction OF
snOWsheds to protect trains from ava
lanches in the mountainous regions OF
the country The Great Northern rail-
road is spending half a million dollars
in the construction OF one concrete
shed nearly mile long in the heart
OF the Cascade mountains This shed
Is 50 built that II becomes practically
an integral part OF the mountain. be-
ing anchored TO solid rock. and made
to slope in such a way that the big
EE1L dNa4auE44E LAaL ever swept down
across a railroad track viii slide safe
" over the roof OF the shed instead OF
over the track itself
Many cities are now taking steps to
prevent the glare and heat caused BY
the use OF concrete pavements They
have ordinances which require that
lamp black shall be mixed with the
concrete in order that the rays OF the
sun shall not be reflected. Wherever
this method has been tried IT has DEM
onstrated that the addition OF the
lamp-b black prevents the excessive re-
Election OF heat from the pavements
in hot weather
The concrete engineers Of the coun-
try believe that rapid as has been fba
expansion OF the use OF cement in con
crete construction IN the United states
In the past decade. an even greater
record VIII be made in the decade
ahead Boats and scoWs are now be-
Ing made OF this material. burial vaults