New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-09-11
Steel Lumber Big Forward
Step in House Construction
Is Light in Weight, Strong in Quality and Durable;
Insurance Rates on Such Build
ings Are Lower

, joist construction Is tho most simple
OF floor constructions. 1t is conse
quently the most reliable. The joists
provide the entire carrying capacity of
the door panel, dependence not being
placed on a combination Of a number
of different materials TO develop the
total required strength. Steel joists
can be erected safely and quickly with
very little supervision and inspection,
whereas with all other fircproof sys-
TENS skilled supervision and inspection
are required The accuracy of placing
the steel is not simply a point of good
workmanship, but matter Of vital i'm
portance as regards the actual strength
and carrying capacity of the structure
1t has always been recognized that
the ideal building material. whether
Tor beams. Orders, floors or columns,
is shop fabricated material; that the
custom of using loose bars, with the
attendant necessity Of dependence upon
the human element, was wrong In prin-
ciple and dangerous in action. All at
tempts, however, to supply the proper
construction for floors, whose men,
bers were properly fabricated in ad-
vance, have proved failures CONNER
claily owing to the excessive cost of
fabrication, and the impossibility of
y
units, without serious damage in
transit and the excessive cost Of cree
ton, until the idea and application of
steel joist construction were success.
fully worked out.
"A perfect fiooT construction must be
one whose separate integral parts will
satisfy the following conditions: The
integral parts must be technically cor
rect, and the units made up of these
parts must be rigid in construction
and so designed that every detail and
part of the construction will automatic
cally and without dependence upon
skill or care, take and hold, under all
conditions, its proper place in the
its specific purpose in the construc-
ton; it must be construction whose
safety is not dependent upon the per-
sopal equation. Weather changes and
their attendant disconforts should not
affect the reliability Of the construc-
ton.
Building With Steel for Permanently
Hitherto buildings were con-
structcd of structural steel frame and
reinforced concrete floors. With the
adoption of steel lumber for the floor
systems, an all steel building can now
be erected in quicker time, with great
er economy and with less possibilities
Of doubt. Due to the light load of this
type of floor construction, great econ
omy Is effected in the footings, foun-
dations, columns and Orders through
out the entire structure. Steel offers
sure and more substantial type of
building. Every member in a steel
frame is open to inspection and to
rigid tests at the mill, in the shop and
in the field. This also applies to every
bolt or rivet which is required in the
assembling Of this structure, which
are open for inspection before and
after erection. In and about our big
city we can always notice how rapidly
the steel frame work on a building
progresses in comparison to the other
trades which follow.
Insurance interests are adopting
steel lumber as fireproof and are quot
ing insurance rates on this type Of
construction equal to that on rein
forced concrete.