February 3, 1912





RECORD  AND   GUIDE





233





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BUILDING   SECT







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A WONDERFUL DISPLAY OF THE USES OF CEMENT.

A Working Model of the Panama Canal with Smoking Steamers Being Locked
Through Gatun—A Peace Gun That Shoots Cement—Show a Big Success.





ALL the wonders of the new cement age
were disclosed at the IVIadison Square
Garden this week and thousands of peo¬
ple daily thronged the aisles. The grip
on popular interest wliich the annual Ce¬
ment Show secured last year was not re¬
laxed, even though this year there were
no convention proceedings as an adjunct.
In some particulars the exhibition was
superior in attractiveness over its prede¬
cessor; some of the finest exliibits ever
seen at a cement exposition were gath¬
ered here this week, and the setting of
tricts in spite of the cold weather being
the arena as a whole was handsomer
than at  the sliow of a year ago.

While there was no convention of ce¬
ment manufacturers at the Garden as
last year, the annual meetings of three
other national associations were held at
otlier places in town—the Building Sup¬
ply Association and the Lime Manufac¬
turers at the Hotel Astor and the Sewer
Pipe IVTanufacturers at the Knickerbock¬
er. Hon. Seth Low addressed the supply
men at noon on Wednesday. Tuesday
was Building Commissioners' Day at the
big show, and on Wednesday a big dele¬
gation of dealers and contractors from
the Northwest, headed by the Chairman
of the executive comniittee of the North¬
western Portland Cement Association ar¬
rived and made a stir.

All the principal cement manufacturing
concerns of the East were represented
in the show, together with a hundred
other exhibitors in related lines. The
main floor was divided into booths of
regular size by molded concrete back
partitions and side fences, and some ex¬
hibitors occupied two or more spaces. In
the balconies and also in the basement
were more things to interest. A Nile
green canopy enveloped the ceiling and
at each end of the arena hung an im¬
mense scenic curtain over two hundred
feet wide and thirty-five feet high. The
draperies simulated tapestry effects and
depicted scenes showing the uses of ce¬
ment as exemplified in practice. One
great design pictured a grand estate com¬
prising a mansion, garage, pergolas,
fences, balustrades, bridges and swim¬
ming pool all done in concrete.

The show was given under the auspices
of the Cement Products' Exhibition Com¬
pany, of which Edward M. Hager is pres¬
ident and had the sanction of the Ameri¬
can Portland Cement IVIanufacturers. Mr.
Hager is president of the Universal Port¬
land Cement Co. Its object was educa¬
tional rather than merely commercial, as
the concrete interests believe that if they
can thoroughly inform the lay public in
the possibilities of concrete construction
the business side of the question will take
care of itself. The tendency toward fire¬
proofing is distinctly in favor of tlie con¬
crete industry. Every year sees it mak¬
ing progress as concrete products are
multiplied and perfected. In connection
with the subject of fireproofing it is per¬
tinent to say here that one of the most
significant exhibits in the Garden is a
new kind of shingle, made of cement and
asbestos in combination, iu various col¬
ors. They will make the roofs of houses
fireproof as well as its walls.

Another important invention is the ce¬
ment gun. One specimen attracted large
crowds to the basement and another to
the concert hall. This is a weapon not of
powder variety, hut is for the purpose of
spreading cement upon large areas. It
is now being used in the construction of
the Panama Canal and other lai'ge works.
The gun is a cannon-like affair and the
concrete is sent whizzing through a thick
hose at high pressure.

Numerous examples of architectural
forms and some pieces of statuary gave
an art tone to tbe exposition such as it
never before possessed. Among the gen¬
eral lines of exhibits are laboratory ma¬
chinery, moulding machhies, mixing ma¬
chines, conveyors, derricks, steel rein¬
forcement of all Itinds, brick machines
and photographs and models of innumer¬
able things made of concrete. Even burial
vaults are now made of concrete. One
sliown at the Garden is suitable to re¬
ceive a single casket. It is claimed to be
imperishable.   Another interesting exhibit





is the model of a concrete, fireproof town,
now in course of construction near Scran¬
ton, Pa., by the Morrill Molds Corpora¬
tion for the mine woriiers in the employ
of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western
Railroad.

Not the least prominent are the differ¬
ent "city" beautiful" designs. This de¬
partment includes monolithic staff work
loaned by the different park boards in
the largest cities of the country and shows
what is being done in the improvement of
the big park systems. An Italian garden,
in which everything is concrete, from the
fountain to the figure of a woman, is one
of the beautiful exhibits. Just across the
way is a bungalow under course of con¬
struction which is the model of a $1,800
home to be erected this spring.

Models of houses and buildings by
architects of standing in solid miniature
and in protographs are in countless num¬
ber. There is one exhibit of a model
farm, showing seventy-eight purposes for
which cement may be used in farm build¬
ings, residences, poultry and cattle barbs,
dairies and  roadways.

The cement and concrete work at Pan¬
ama is featured in the large and beauti¬
ful exhibit of the Atlas Cement Co., show¬
ing in miniature a fine model of the
Gatun locks and dam of the canal as they
will look when finished. The model,
which is ten feet long, represents the
canal in great detail, with its series of
three locks, and three steamships in the
actual course of being lifted In one after
the other to a represented height of
eighty-five feet to the level of Gatun
Lake,

The model of the locks on exhibition
lias been highly praised by the army en¬
gineers; its accuracy in detail and real¬
ism shows how the largest ocean steam¬
ships using tlie canal will pass throu.gh
the locks. A model is shown of the
Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse just entering
the locks, while in the centre chamber is
shown the Cunard Line Steamsiiip Caro-
nia at the crest of its rise. The model
of tiie Caronia rises and falls, with smoke
pouring from her funnels.

Near the entrance to the Garden at the
head of the south middle aisle the Toch
Brothers have a large exhibit, filling three
ordinary spaces and making a special
drive for R. I. W. Paints and "Toxe-
ment" for waterproofing cement. "Toxe-
nient" is the material that was used in
the construction of the latest drydoek at
the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Large pictures
of the Woolworth, the Bankers' Trust,
Metropolitan, Singer and other buildings
signify by their presence in this space
that R. I. W. Paints were specified for
their construction. The setting of the
booth is handsome, corresponding to the
color scheme of the Show, and Charles
H.  Spotts is in charge.

The "Vulcanite Portland Cement Co.,
with Mr. Moyer in charge, shows
model silos, cow barns, drinking troughs,
cesspools and other concrete forms and
appliances. The Vulcanite company is
furnishing all the Portland cement used
in the coustruction of the New Torii Post
Ofiice. The Universal Portland Cement
Company, which is Mr. Hager's company,
occupies four ordinary spaces for a sceni-
ographic model of one of their cement
mills—Plant No. 5, at Universal, Pa.
There is also a display of the proper
method of tying and handling cement
sacks.

Turner Construction Co., of 11 Broad¬
way, has a model of a. reinforced con¬
crete building, photographs and transpar¬
encies showing exteriors and interiors of
buildings erected by this company and
also a color section illustrating tbe man¬
ner of spiral reinforcement. Charles War¬
ner Co.. of Wilmington, shows various
artistic forms of stucco from Alca, Lime.
Limoid and Nazareth cement. The great
American Steel and Wire Company, to¬
gether with the Illinois Steel Company
and the Carnegie Steel Company, show
various steel products used in the cement
industry. The first-named corporation
manufactures the well-known Triangle
Mesh  reinforcement.

Alsen American Portland Cement
Works, with offices at 45 Broadway, have





a workman molding cement art placques.
He produced one in five minutes and
at the end of that time it was hard
enough to handle- A legend posted up
was that "Alsen requires no waterproof¬
ing." The Allentown Portland Cement
Co. also had an attractive exhibit, and
the Atlas, with the model of a section of
the Panama Canal, was a star attraction.
The Atlas conipany is furnishing all the
cement used in building the canal.

The Concrete-Steel Company, of 29
Broadway, makes an interesting display
of concrete reinforcing bars, safety treads,
etc. The Ceresit Waterproofing Co. ex¬
plained in an attractive way the. water-
repelling characteristics of "Ceresit," The
Detroit Steel Products Co., of Detroit
displayed "Fenestra" solid steel windows
and  "Crittal" metal casements.

Erkins Studios contributes an appreci-
ted art tone to the show, displaying vari-
ous works of art, including a statue of
Venus, vases, statues, pedestals, manu¬
factured from Pompeiian Stone or Art
Stone. The advance that has been made
m producing concrete which in color tex¬
ture and hardness simulates stone and
marble is strikingly evidenced at this
year's exposition. Some examples could
not readily be distinguished from marble,
the coping of the balustrade surrounding
the space of the Atlas Cement Company,
for instance.

Hennebique Construction Co., 1170
Broadway, representing a long-estab¬
lished system of construction, shows pho¬
tographs of various structures of their
erection and distributed pamphlets on en¬
gineering and construction work. Every
exhibitor has some kind of literature to
distribute, and any inquiring student'
could have gained .a very liberal, tech¬
nical education in concrete construction'
by, collecting and studying the free litera¬
ture obtainable at the Garden this week.

The booth of Jacobson & Co., of 241
East 44th street, contains some beautiful
cement mantels and other art objects ap^
parently of stone, but in reality of con¬
crete.

Johns-Manville Company has a model
section of a cottage showing a roof cov¬
ered with "J.-M." asbestos shingles.
Other products shown are ready roofings,
built-up roofings and stucco, "J.-M." wa¬
terproofing coatings and "J.-M." 'Asbes-
toside." Clifford L. Miller, of 116 East
23d street, shows the Curry bag-tyer for
cement bags and for binding reinforcing
rods   in   concrete  construction.

The Minwax Company has a prominent
place at the head of the north middle
aisle in which to make a display of Min¬
wax waterproofings. Minwax floor finish,
Minwax coatings for brick cement and
structural steel and stone hacking and
expansion   joint   cements.

Other interesting ■ exhibits are to he
found at the booths of the Association of
American Pojtland Cement Manufactur¬
ers, the Blaw Collapsible Steel Centering
Conipany, Clinton Wire Cloth Co., the
Lock Joint Pipe Co. and Dexter Bros., of
Boston, who made a large display of
"Petrifax," a damp-resisting coaling for
both exterior and interior concrete stucco
and bricl!;, aud also of "Dextrolite," a
decorativev interior enamel.

Much public interest has been mani-.
fested in the show and it is being said
that there has been a very large repre¬
sentation of "country gentlemen," to
which class the show makes a strong ap¬
peal.

-----------------4-----------------

Molds for Cement.
Under a patent granted recently molds
made of paraffin wax or similar material
are produced bv dipping a mold-former
covered with a layer of moisture, into
melted parafiin wax, then withdrawing it,
and detaching the film of wax in the
form of a mold. The walls of the mold
may be laminated by coating the mold-
former with successive layers of w-ax,
which shrink one u"on another. Concrete,
cement, or the like, after mixing with
water, is introduced into the wax molds,
and when it has set, the wax mold is
melted off by means of hot water,—"Ce¬
ment Age."