322
 

RECORD  AND  GTJIDE
 

February 22, 1908
 

Things More Wonderful in Building.

Robert E. Dowling in his address before the real estate class
of the Y, M. C. A, on Tuesday night prophesied that the won¬
derful things that had been done in real estate here In the last
twenty-flve years would look small when compared twenty or
twenty-five years later to the realty achievements which would
be made in that time. He said he remembered the days in the
early 80's, when a stage coach line was in operation from l(Hth
st to 32d st and Oth av, which charged each passenger ten
cents a ride, and which ran coaches on a half-hour headway.
Tlie southern end of that stage route was exactly in front of
the site on which is now being built the 6th av terminal station
Of the Hudson and Manhattan tunnel system between New
Tork and Hoboken. It was an interesting coincidence of the
changes M'bich time had wrought that the block to which the
stage ran and the tunnel route will run is the same.

Mr. Dowllng's set topic was "Realty Corporations." He said
be was in favor of the State having some sort of supervision
over their operations. The public has not much confidence in
realty corporations, and probably will not until the State con¬
trols these corporations in some w^ay similar to the supervision
it exercises over the life insurance companies and many other
corporations.

"I wish I was starting in the real estate business, because I
firmly believe that after confidence has been restored in the
soundness and stability of the corporate and business life of
this country realty progress will be made here that will truly
astonish the public. Ever since the attack on the life insur¬
ance companies in 1905 realty interests here have suffered
severely, because the great money channels of the life insur¬
ance companies have been practically closed to them. Now the
life insurance companies are lending money back to the people
who ought to be paying money to them. The sum of such loans
in about four months has reached $170,000,000, That sum, or
at least the greater part of it. would unquestionably have been
turned into real estate projects if such loans had not been
made. The strength of every real estate corporation is meas¬
ured principally by the efficiency of the individuals who manage
it."
 

Of cement plants whose construction has been undertaken
or completed within a year, a number have located in districts
alrfeady important as cement producers. Several plants along
the Pacific coast and in other Western States have settled in
fields not yet subject to overproduction. In the South only
one important new producer is to be noted—the plant of the
Dixie Portland Cement Company, at Copenhagen, Tenn. The
district in w'hicli most new plants are now under construction
or in contemplation is the area reaching from Iowa through
Kansas and Oiialahonia to northern Texas.

Mr. Oscar R, Maicas, of the Kreischer Brick Mfg. Company,
119 East 23d st, says the local situation has not as yet pre¬
sented aspects that would facilitate an augury regarding the
future probabilities, other than those already in evidence at
the commencement of the year. "In other words," added Mr.
Maicas, "barring a few minor developments which exerted no
special influence over the general situation, the condition and
future outlook in the building trades remain practically un¬
altered. Nevertheless, we believe the existing quiescent state
of the material mai'ket is merely transitory and that when the
apathy prevalent among builders against starting new opera¬
tions, and among financial institutions against the extension
of the necessary accommodations for building purposes has
been dissipated, a resumption of the interrupted activity will
be again legitimately manifest, although to some extent cur¬
tailed as compared with Ihe unprecedented years of 1905 and
1906." ,
 

Points on the Material Market.

- stocks at slate quarries are reported as low. Most of the
quarries have been running on full. time, which is unusual at
this season.

' On Feb, 25 the quartermaster at Fort Hancock, N. J., will
open bids for delivering at Highland Beach, N. J,,, 600 cubic
yards macadam stone and 300 cubic yards crushed stone.

Proposals for 10,000 bbls. of Portland cement for the U....S.
penitentiary at Atlanta, Ga,, will be received up to Feb. 28 by
the Supt.  of Prisons,   Dept.  of Justice, Washington, D.  C.

Mr. John Furlong, Jr., son of the John Furlong who was con¬
nected with G. P. Sherwood & Co. for forty-six years, has
been,admitted to the firm of Michael Cohen & Co,, dealers in
stone.                                                  ,    , .   ,

A committee of slate manufacturers is' preparing a form of
constitution for a national association. Tliere are several weak
spots in the slate business that could be reached through an
association.

Shipments of yellow pine lumber IrOm eight Southern and
Southwestern States for the year just'past, 3,691,084 M ft, com¬
pare favorably with the corresponding 1900 total of 3,354,681
M ft., though the November and December shipments were con¬
siderably lower than the end-year shipments in 1906.

The development of the North American Portland Cement
Company as the patent-holding company for the Hurry & Sea¬
man coal-burning patents, the Edison long-kiln patents and
the Carpenter impinging flame patents must necessarily ex¬
ercise an important influence on the future of the American
cement industry.

An"officiaI statement that the cement required for tlie Panama
Canal would be only 4,500.000 barrels has served to
put at rest exaggerated ideas concerning the importance of this
work to the cement trade. The further statements that bids
would be asked for delivery of clinker on the isthmus, and
that the Government might possibly erect its own cement plant
there, are also of interest to existing American plants.

Bids are wanted until Feb, 27 by the post quartermaster at
Fort Totten, N, Y,, for furnishing the following AA, double
strength glass: Three boxes 18x34 inches, 3 boxes 18x36 inches,
3 boxes 18x38 inches, 1 box 30x38 inches, 2, boxes 16x26 inches,
2 boxes 18x32 inches, 2 boxes 18x30 inches. 2 boxes 18x26 inches,
2 boxes 18x22 inches, 2 boxes 18xlS inches, 2 boxes" 16x36 inches.
1 Vox 16x34 inches. 1 box 16x32 inches, and 1 box 16x.30 inches,
Mr, John J. Bell, of the John Bell Company, dealers in masons'
building materials at 137th st and Gerard av (Harlem River),
regarding the proposition to amend the Mechanics Lien Law,
says he has always considered it a good law, except that he
believed no lien should have preference over another. "That
is." explained Mr, Bell, "that no matter M-hat time the lien is
filed it should have no priority to a subsequent lien. This
would prevent the filing of a number of liens just because one
man was hasty,"
 


 

Fredk. Holleuder'& Co;'s New Stable and Loft Building.

One of the best equipped flreproof stables of the city has just
been completed for Fredk. Holleuder & Co. at 245 Canal st
as  an   addition   to   their  plant.     The   accompanying photograph

of the complete building, of
which Messrs. Kafka & Lind¬
enmeyer are the architects,
shows an unusually interest¬
ing facade for this type of
structure. The building is
constructed entirely of rein¬
forced concrete, including the
stairs, runways and. even the
stall partitions, and the mould¬
ings of the facade were cast
in the wooden forms simul¬
taneously with the structural
work.

There are no interior col¬
umns, as reinforced concrete
girders span the.fuil width of
the building. Pin-connected
girder frames and cold twisted
lug bars manufa,ctured by the
General Fireproofing Co., of
Youngstown, Ohio, were the
reinforcement used. A great-
deal of care had to be ex¬
ercised by the contractors, the
Amsterdam Building Co., in
the entire work owing to tlie very treacherous conditions of
the soli existing in the locality and the extra heavy loads that
were to be imposed on the various floors. The Amsterdam
Building Co, has also recently completed several other difficult
pieces of work, including the extensive alterations for the
Flower Bank, 49 Broadway, and for the Childs Co., at 47
Broadway; 218 West I8lh st for E. D. & J. D, Stein, and have
under contract the reinforced concrete work for the new fac¬
tory at Buchanan, N. Y., for the Standard Oil Cloth Co.; the
new City Hall, Yonkers, N. T.. and several other general con¬
tracts in this city.
 

■■■■ --•gy.^bt.'i-^-".-^
 

OBITUARY.
 

BARNET LEVY.
One of the first Jewish builders in New York, Mr. Barnet
"Levy, died on Friday morning, Feb. 14, in the 08th year of his
age. A correspondent writes: "Mr, Barnet Levy was one of the
few left of the old school builders. His motto was honest dealings,'
and his loss is mourned by the entire trade," He was buried
from his residence 17 Madison av, Tompkinsville, S. I., and
services were held at the congregation Kal Adas Jeshurin.
 

CHARLES E. WOOD.
The senior member of the firm of Wood, Harmon & Co. died
dri" Monday, Feb, 17, at his home in Washington, D. C. Mr.
T\'^ood was attacked with pleurisy about a week prior to his
demise. The firm of Wood, Harmon & Co. was founded in
1887. Of late years they have been identified with large subur¬
ban developments. Among the corporations that Mr. W^ood
was connected with were the following: President of the Emer¬
son Pulp Co,; president of the Murray Engineering Co,; director
of the United States Trust Co.; director of the Washington Sav¬
ings Banl;; vice-president of the W^ood-Harmon Warranty Co.;'
vice-president of the United Cities Realty Co., and Vice-presi¬
dent of the New York Suburbs Co,