The St. Charles herald., 1922-09-16
Ranue Varies From Art Windows
to Swimming Pool for
Hippopotamus.
DASH OF ROMANCE IN STORY
Portland Cement Has Been In Use
Nearly Hundred Years-oeveIop-
ment of Uses in Recent
Years Remarkable.

Washington.-There Is dash OF
romance and a fairy story theme In
the commonplace chug and rattle OF
the concrete mixer. Every one Is con-
yersant with the ordinary uses OF
Portland cement.
Perhaps some first impressions OF
this material date back to the de-
lights of coasting on bicycle over
the even surface of cement sidewalk
back In the days when cement SIDE
walks were considered more or less
of a luxury. Perhaps it was a cellar
floor. or a foundation, or the sight OF
workmen mixing cement mortar.
Years ago cement was an established
member of the construction family,
but the development of It's uses DUR
ing the last few years has been SO
varied and remarkable that 1t Is
doubtful IL the average citizen mas
even the remotest idea Of 1t.
The historical incident which
brought about the need for Portland
cement was the construction OF the
| Eddystone lighthouse in the Engiish
channel In 1855 by an engineer named
John Smeaton, who while looking for
a mortar for this purpose discovered
that an impure limestone containing a
certain amount Of clayey matter con-
tanned hydraulic properties when cal
| cined or roasted.
Natural Cement Restricted.
The cement used by Smeaton
| marked the beginning of modern ce-
ment-making practice, but the early
cements were different from the Port
land cement of today, for natural ce-
ments depend on nature to prepare
their material and are consequently
restricted to the rocks having the
proper proportions Of materials In
their makeup and any variation in the
composition cannot be regulated.
Smeaton's discovery apparently
| stimulated interest In the industry
About 1895 James Parker Of North
fleet, England, patented process fol
manufacturing cement by turning i'm
pure limestone almost to vitrificatiOr
In ordinary lime kilns, and grinding
the resulting clinker to powder. HI
gave this material the name Of Roman
cement. In France there had beer
experimentation along similar lines.
The first recorded manufacture o
fhis product In the United States wa
IN 1919 in Madison county, New York
for the Erie canal project. Its us
, was developed by Benjamin Wrigh
and Canvass White. All of the abov
cements may be classed as natura
cement because they were prepare
nv burning a natural 'rock withou
previous preparation, and by grindin
the burned product to fine powder.
Almost a Century Old.
Almost 100 years ago. in 1924,
brick-layer of England, Joseph AspdiI
took out patent for what he. calle
portland cement. He gave 1t tn
name because when hardened 1t r.
sembled the famous stone found o
the Isle of Portland Off the coast
England. Aspdin's patent specific
that definite amounts of clay and linn
stone be used. and described tn
process Of amalgamating and clarif
ing these two materials in the mani
facture Of the product. This consl
tutes the distinction between natur
and Portland cements.
Few attempts were made to produ'
Portland cement in the United Stat
until about 1870. During the 70's, hoV
ever. plants were operated at sever
points, including Wampum and Co
Law, Pa; Kalamazoo. Mich, Sou
BEND, ind, and ROckport, Me.
Industry Grows Rapidly.
The. remarkable growth Of the
dustry, and the consequent develo
ment Of new uses for the material
beet shown by the annual output Q