Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-07-29
CEMENT is AS
BAKERS FLOUR
TO A BUILDER
BY FREDERIC j. HAsKIN.

a dash of romance and a fairy story
theme in the commonplace chug
and rattle of the concrete mixer.
Everyone is conversant with the
ordinary uses of Portland cement.
Perhaps some first impressions of
this material date back to the de-
lights of coasting on a bicycle over
the even surface of a cement side
walk--back in the days when ce-
ment sidewalks were considered
more or less of a luxury. Perhaps
1t was a cellar floor, or a founda-
ton, or the sight of workmen mix
ing cement mortar. Years ago ce-
ment was an established member
of the construction family, but the
development of its uses during the
last few years has been so varied
and remarkable that it is doubtful
If the average citizen has even the
remotest idea of it.
The historical incident which
brought about the need for Port
land cement was the construction
of the Eddystone lighthouse in the
English channel in 1856 by an en-
blllCtl Ildllltu JUN ADlllCdIoli, "iib
while looking for a mortar for this
purpose discovered that an impure
limestone containing a certain
amount of clayey matter contained
hydraulic properties when calcined,
or roasted. The cement used by
Smeaton marked the beginning of
modern cement making practice.
but the early cementS were differ
ent from the Portland cement of
today, for natural cements depend
on nature to prepare their material
and are consequently restricted to
the rocks having the proper pro-
portions of materials in their
makeup, and any variation In the
composition cannot be regulated.
Smeaton's discovery apparently
stimulated interest in the industry.
About 1896 James Parker, of
Northfleet, England, patented a
process for manufacturing cement
by turning impure limestone almost
to vitrification in ordinary lime
kilns, and grinding the resulting
clinker to powder. He gave this
the name of Roman ce-
ment. In France there had been
experimentation along similar
lines.
The first recorded manufacture
of this product in the United States
was in 1919 in Madison county, New
York, for the Erie canal project
and was developed by Benjamin
Wright and Canvass White. All of
the above cements may be classed
as natural cement because they
were prepared by burning natural
rock without previous preparation,
and by grinding the burned product
to a fine powder.
Almost q Century Old.
Almost 100 years ago, in 1924, a
bricklayer of England, Joseph
took out a patent for what
he called Portland cement. He
gave it this name because when
hardened it resembled the famous
stone found on the Isle of Portland
off the coast of England. Aspdin's
patent specified that definite
amounts of clay and limestone be
used, and described the process of
amalgamating and clarifying these
two materials in the manufacture
of his product. This constitutes
the distinction between natural and
Portland cements.
Few attempts were made TO pro-
duce Portland cement in the United
States until about 1870. During the
'70's, however, plants were operated
at several points, including WAN"
pun and Coplay, Pa, Kalamazoo,
Mich, South Bend, Ind, and Rock
port, Me.
The remarkable growth of the IN"
lustry, and the conseqent develop
nent of new uses for the materlai |
s being shown by the annual out
put figures. In 1880 production OF
Portland cement in the United
States was only $4,000 barrels; in
1890 it was $4,000 barrels; in 1900,
s,4S2,O2O barrels; in 1910, rs, 549,-
Isl barrels and in 1920, lO0,5O2'-
100 barrels.
One hundred million barrels of
,ement-the 1920 output-would
,e sufficient to build nine trans
highways, eight inches
hick and eighteen feet wide, from
Jew York to San Francisco. Or IL
would build 100000 six-room con-
rete houses with a porch and SIDE
Walk thrown in. Or it would build
wenty-three and one-half great
,yramids like those Of Egypt. Or
would build sidewalk five feet
vide and four inches thick thaf
would reach from Washington 10
he moon-a distance or. 245,ooo
niles.
The quantity of the output is
by the fact that in 1921
he industry required nearly 81
700, 900 tons of coal. The amount
If coal burned in manufacturing
barrel Of cement varies from
so to 200 pounds, so that when
purchasing sack of cement the
consumer is paying for nearly
10 pounds of coal.
Almost anyone who builds now
days uses concrete in some form
n otner. Concrete piles are the
of thousands of our
arge office buildings, and the
anne material goes into the skele-
on and framework. In bungalow
r. sEyscraper, concrete is as COM
non to the contractor as flour
$ to the baker.
teyolutionized Paving Industry.
During the last 10 years Port
and cement has revolutionized
he paving industry. Thousands of
niles of concrete roads have
een built, and every year sees
n increasing number contracted
( 1S-foot concrete highway were
or. Last year almost 5000 miles
in this country. City
treets are paved with concrete,
lleys are paved with the same
curbs and cutters, side
,alks, fence posts, ornamental
ghting standards, park benches,
swimming pools-into
very sort of civic improvement
ement enters in some way or
Their.
Portland cement has accom-
lished wonders for the farmer. !,
he same kind OF cement that ,
ayes his roads and gives him !,
ccess to his markets is used in ..
his house and barns. .
is used for silos and water
'oughs, replacing the old wood