New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-08-14
BY James w. Alker
Vice-President, Pennsylvania {
nent CompGNu

ment Company
Many years ago when the pioneers
first started building their homes in
this country the great quantities of
excellent native timber furnished them
natural supply of building materials.
1t was only logical that they should
turn to the first material at hand, and
consequently practically all of the
houses were built of wood. With the
voyages of the old windjamming mer
chantmen came loads of brick from
Europe and the use Of timber was
varied with the construction of q num-
Der of brick houses. In communities
where natural stone was available stone
houses were built. and many of these
old structures, erected a hundred years
or more ago, are still standing. How
ever, in those early years the differ
ence in cost between frame and fire
proof buildings was so great that the
Construction of the latter type was
practically prohibited.
Concrete New Material Here
Reinforced concrete was introduced
INTO this country as a building mate
cial in the early eighties, but it was
not until the beginning Of this century
hat its possibilities were widely recog
1zed. Since that time its popularity
among leading architects and engineers
has increased by leaps and bounds, and
it is used everywhere now in construct
ing freproof buildings of every type.
There are many reasons for the popu-
.arity of concrete in building construc-
ton, and as people become aware of
them they are turning more and more
70 concrete to solve their building prob
,ems.
The life of building and its main
+enance are determined more by the
materials used than by the design and
construction, and every builder knows
hat the first cost is only one of the
rosts of a building. No matter how
itch nation may be, it cannot afford
to rebuild its buildings every thirty or
sorty years, and it cannot afford to see
one-fourth of it's new buildings go up
il smoke every year, as statistics show
fas been the case in this country for
ears past. By using concrete in con-
s.ructon the builder erects a struc-
IRE that is fireproof in itself and one
lat will act as barrier to fires start
g in adjoining buildings. Insurance
ompanies. after thorough investiga
ons, know that concrete buildings are
,e safe and have made lower rates of
surance for them. The rate fixed
n insurance represents to the insur
Ice man the lowest ratio ne can es-
ablish between income and losses, as
lown by previous experiences. 1t
as been shown that fire losses on re-
forced concrete buildings are very
w, hence the rates on them are low
he insurance rate on contents of a
uilding is not Increased If the Struc-
,ure is not insured The contents Of
enforced concrete building, whether
Il, is sprinklered or not, can be insured
Tut some mutual companies refuse to
insure the contents Of other types I'M
.ass they are sprinklered. The insur-
nee rate for q reinforced concrete
uilding is from 80 to 40 per cent lower
nan on a slow burning mill construc-
on building.
At the very start, in planning build
1g it is found that about 80 per cent
f the materials used in concrete are
ound in the immediate vicinity of the
tie for the new building. Sand and
ravel, the main parts of concrete, are
catered in plentiful supply all over
le country. This cuts off the big item
freight rates in transporting mate
ais, is the case in building Of
sher materials. Sand and gravel can
: found short distance from where
he building is to be located and can be
transported TO the site at q small cost.