Document Mo7MkE66bzyL4G4ORxgDV6eox
Volume 4
NOVEMBER, 1934
Number 6
LEAD INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION
A 92-Year Old Lead Roof at Fort Pulaski, Georgia.
by Ralston L a ttimor i
IN 1842 a sheet lead covering was laid over the
I roofs of the casemates of Fort Pulaski, which is
located on Cockspur Island in the mouth of the
Savannah Riser, Georgia. Ninety-two years later,
notwithstanding the fact that the fort was 'ubiecmd
to a 30-hour bombardment by Northern forces in
1862, on examination by National Parks Engineer,
Reaville M. Brown, the lead was found to be in per
fect condition.
The area covered by sheet lead is approximately
1,600 ft. by 30 ft. Two and a half pound lead was
used, and purchased at an average cost of about 9l/i cents per pound. The arrangement of the roof
COURTESY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Fort Pulaski, Georgia, showing earth covered lead roof.
was complicated. The brick arches were first sealed
Over the gutters were placed first a layer of coarse
with a thin coating of cement. Two years later
gravel, then a thick layer of oyster shells, and
this was followed by a thin coating of pitch on which
finally from two to four feet of well-packed sand.
the sheet lead was directly laid. The lead roof was
On the terreplein so constructed were the barbette
covered with a layer of bricks, laid without cement,
guns of the fort.
and a covering of earth, to protect the lead against
Construction of the roof, including laying the
penetration bv falling projectiles. Although mortar
brick covering without mortar, was so planned as to
projectiles dropped on the earth covering from a
provide for the filtration and collection of rain water,
great height during the seige, subjecting the lead
conducted thence through lead pipes to storage cis
to great strain, the lead was only torn in one place.
terns located at regular intervals in the foundations
Junctions of the lead sheets were raised and the
of the fort. Though the water has become fouled in
joints protected by two courses of bricks. The lead
the cisterns, the system is still in working condition
was carried up against the back of the scarp and
after ninety-two years.
inserted in a joint of brick work just below the terreplein, and against this vertical surface was placed
Three views of roof with earth covering and bricks par tially removed, showing 92-year old lead roof and brick arch over gutter, as well as gun emplacements on top
of earth cushions.
Fort Pulaski was desig nated a National Monu ment in 1924 by proclama tion of President Coolidge
a layer of bricks, flatwise.
and is now in process of
The whole gutter of the
restoration by the National
roof was covered with an
Parks Service. Depart
arch made of bricks with
ment of the Interior, under
out mortar, having a span
the direction of Reaville
of approximately 2 feet
M. Brown, acting superin
and a rise of 18 inches.
tendent. The fort and the
* Historical Assistant, Fort Pu laski National Monument, Na tional Park Serrvice.
island on which it stands are exceptionally rich in
PHOTOS COURTESY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
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historic interest, the site having been associated in the defenses of Savannah since Colonial days. Fort Pulaski was named for the Revolutionary hero, Count Casimir Pulaski, who fell mortally wounded at the battle of Savannah in 1779. Robert E. Lee's first military assignment, on being graduated from West Point, was at this post during the early period
of construction. Early in 1861 before the beginning of the Civil War, the fort was seized by Georgia troops, and in the following year, after seige and bombardment, it was recaptured by Northern forces. It was used during the latter months of the War as a military and a political prison for detention purposes.
White Lead Used on Own Homes By 86% of Master Painters
QUESTIONNAIRE sent in September, 1934,
own his own home. No signature was necessary on
A by the Forest Products-Better Paint Cam
the reply card. The reply card provided space for
paign to approximately 3,000 master painters in all checking either white lead or "some other paint."
parts of the United States has revealed that, of the
Since those painters not owning their own homes did
269 who replied, 232 or 86 per cent, had painted
not reply, the percentage of returns was lowered
the exterior of their own homes with white lead the
accordingly.
last time they were painted. This is an overwhelm
Obviously the replies to this questionnaire give
ing vote of confidence in white lead by those who
a true picture of what the master painter thinks of
really know paint and whose businesses and reputa
white lead, and from the large percentage who apply
tions depend upon it. This is brought home par
it to their own property, he apparently thinks very
ticularly forcefully when it is realized that the
highly of it.
results show six times as many master painters using white lead on their own property as use all other paints combined. The results are a compari son of white lead against all other paints not just one other paint.
When a painter does a job he may have to use paint specified by an architect, real estate operator or home owner, but when he paints his own house he applies the paint he himself thinks best. After all, the painter is in a position to judge the quality
Many master painters who answered the question naire took the trouble to write their own comments on the cards. Typical of these comments are the following;
Our outside painting is all done with white lead. Somerville, Mass.
I do not believe a paint exists that can outlive white lead and linseed oil paint from any standpoint. Sacramento, Calif.
of paint. His life is spent with it; his livelihood
I own my own home and painted it last, October
depends upon it. When he paints his own property
1924, with white lead, is in good shape yet, will
he has no one to satisfy but himself. He will select
paint again this fall.--Shreveport, La.
the paint which his own experience has taught him will beautify and protect his property best and for the longest time, and which will be easy and inex
In the past 18 months 1 have painted all my prop erty with white lead and I have 20 separate pieces. --Baltimore, Md.
pensive to repaint when that inevitable time arrives. His choice is based upon hundreds of jobs he has done in the past and the knowledge of how the paint has performed on each of these.
Therefore, when such an overwhelming majority of master painters places its confidence in white lead,
Thirty years experience and there is nothing can take its place.--Cincinnati, Ohio.
I own my own home and painted it last with white lead, July, 1924, and repainting now, October, 1934.--Nashville, Tenn.
This survey is another convincing bit of impartial
it is a striking testimonial to the dependability of
evidence as to the competitive ranking of white lead
this time-tried paint.
as a paint. Other sources of unbiased information
The questionnaire referred to here consisted of
will show a similar high regard for the pigment.
business reply cards simply requesting painters to assist the Forest Products-Better Paint Campaign in surveying the practice of reputable master painters in painting their own property. No reply was to be
The paint specifications of the Federal Government, the specifications of State Highway Commissions, the comparative tests of State paint investigations, the practices of railroads, confirm the conclusion that
made in the event that the master painter did not
white lead-in-oil paint is a preferred product.
N Maryland are many fine old homes and build
I ings of the early days of this country which have been protected and beautified' by pure white lead
paint through the years. Perhaps one of the best
known and loveliest estates is White Mall Manor, near Annapolis, erected before the Revolution by
THE HUGHES CO.
Governor Sharp, last Colonial Governor of Mary
land. Because of a whim of the Governor that he
wanted no one living or walking over his head, the building is so constructed with the central hall rising to the roof and wings with separate stairways
Grim Evidence of Rec
and entrances that this whim was satisfied. At White Hall .Manor also is some exceptional wood carving performed by Hessian soldiers. This famous old place was painted this year with pure white lead paint, which can be relied upon to give appropriate
ELDOM is seen such grim evi
S dence of the value of red lead paint for metal protection and par ticularly when used for priming coats, as was viewed by those who
journeyed to Asbury Park on Sunday,
September 9. to see the wreck of the
Morro Castle then stranded on the
beach. This ship, the victim of the
latest sea tragedy, had just been
towed and then drifted ashore after
M having been almost completely de
stroyed by fire. One newspaper man
in his description of the hulk as she lay on the beach had the following
liven after the terr: the priming coat
to say:
THE HUGHES CO.
The stucco walls of the Von Kapff bouse at Stoneley, Md. were painted eight years ago with pure white lead,
and the paint is still in excellent shape.
"On the sides of the vessel the paint was blis tered and peeling. Great flaps of it had come loose and were moving in the breeze. The ship had been black to the water line, and as the paint dropped off, it revealed the red lead beneath."
The foregoing is by no means derogatory to the
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gates and other woodwork are finished with
enamel over ground coats of pure white lead.
Although last painted eight years ago, the
effect is still one of startling beauty and sim
plicity for white lead not only makes the most
beautiful decoration possible when skillfully
handled but makes that beauty lasting. The large Von Kapff house at Stoneley, also
near Baltimore, was built nearly 90 years ago of masonry finished with stucco. Its stucco
THE HUGHES CO.
Front and rear views of pre-Revolutionary White Hall Manor, near Annapolis, Md., recently painted with pure white lead paint, which can be depended upon to preserve this historic landmark.
exterior was completely painted last with
pure white lead paint about eight years ago
and today, after eight years of weather ex
posure. the white lead paint is in excellent
condition.
An old Baltimore residence, the Wyman
House, although brick construction, has been
entirely painted with white lead for years. In
the last thirty years it has required painting
only three times. Two of these paintings, and
possibly the third, were with pure white lead.
The white lead was tinted to gray, green and
yellow for various purposes on this house, The interior, which was also recently painted with pure
white lead, had not previously been painted for a great many years, at least 30.
Brick and stucco houses may be painted to advan
tage, either for decoration, protection, or both.
These materials always possess a certain amount
of porosity which permits the entrance of moisture.
Paint Value for Metal
This may make the house damp or it may cause eventual disintegration of the brick and stucco.
black paint, because the heat of the burning ship was so intense that iron and glass were melted and
Paint prevents the entrance of this moisture. All of the painting described in this article was
performed by John D. Becklev & Sons of Baltimore, who almost invariably use pure white lead paint
it is no wonder that the paint peeled.
for both exterior and interior work.
It is a tribute, however, to the ad
hering qualities of the red lead paint
which had been used for the priming
coat -- Reprinted from Sheet Metal
Worker, September, 1934.
In its recent publication "Red Lead
Paint, Its Usages and Advantages."
tllUHATION'AI, NEWS PHOTO
-rific f> b iU-fated Morro Castle, V 'f Ptf clung tenaciously
the United Kingdom Lead Oxide Con vention calls attention to the lament able destruction by fire of the great French liner L'Atlantique, which all
will remember The London Times is quoted as
follows:
". . . The plates of her hull have `rippled' owing
to their expansion by the heat. Nearly all the
black paint which covered the hull has gone,
leaving the Red Lead priming exposed."
THE HUGHES CO.
The Wyman residence in Baltimore, whose brick ex terior and roof, as well as its interior, are painted "with
pure white lead.
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/
New Cast Iron Main in Bethlehem/ Pa., Jointed With Lead
e t h l e h e m. Pa., which
B can boast of having had
the first water works in the
facilities provided them are of the most durable and econom ical kind.
United States, recently laid 2.600 ft. of 16 in. and 20 in. cast iron pipe. This new main is to back up existing systems on the West and North Sides of the City. Although a C.W.A. project, joints were
The plumbers of Bethlehem have learned that, by benefitting the property owners in this way, by giving them the best plumbing they can buy, they have materially benefttted themselves. Bethlehem plumb
made by the water depart
ers have no fault to find with
ment's own expert team for
the condition of the plumbing
jointing, all joints being poured
business in their city. They
lead.
are free from the ruinous com
This care to use only ma
petition of handymen and out
terials thoroughly proven by
siders because their plumbing
experience has always been
inspector, Mr. E. H. Meglat-
followed by the Bethlehem
hery, has insisted on strict ad
water and plumbing depart ments. Mr. Ario Wear, in charge of the water depart
DENNIS PHOTO SERVICE CO.
Bethlehem, Pa., water department team calk ing lead joints in new cast iron bell and
spigot water main.
herence to the first principles of plumbing, durable materials and skilled workmanship. The
ment, feels that he is not justified in experimenting
local plumbers have realized the wisdom of this
with untried materials when heavy expenditures
policy and have cooperated by using lead for all
would be caused by their failure. This is particu
wastes under bathroom floors, lead bends, and lead
larly true in jointing cast iron mains, for such mains,
at other vulnerable points of the plumbing system,
when placed in the ground, are expected to last a
and avoiding the use of less durable pipe. So pro
century or more, so that materials used for any
nounced is the healthy condition of the plumbing
shorter lengths of time are untried so far as cast
business in Bethlehem that even plumbers in other
iron mains are concerned. Mr. Wear feels that the
cities express their admiration of the way plumbing
wisest policy is to adhere to the use of time-tried
ordinances are administered and followed there.
lead, as it has given the department many years of satisfactory service and its performance can there
Bethlehem's method of protecting its investment in water supply lines, and the quality of the plumb
fore be accurately gauged.
ing furnished home owners, is the same method used
In Bethlehem, lead is also extensively used for
in city after city in the United States where the un
water services and for interior plumbing. Thus
excelled favorable characteristics of lead have been
home owners in that city have found that plumbing
appreciated for many years.
Genuine Lead-Tin Solder in Collapsible Tubes
Convenient tube of new self-fluxing genuine lead-tin paste solder.
GENUINE lead-tin solder in paste form with
A the flux mixed in has recently been placed on the market, packaged in attractive and convenient lead collapsible tubes. It should find favor quickly, particularly with the occasional solder user, because of its convenient form and the ease with which it may be applied. To solder two pieces of metal, it is simply necessary to clean the metal, squeeze some of this flux-containing paste solder along the edges to be joined, place the pieces of metal together, and
[6]
LIA25301
run a hot soldering iron down the seam. A match or candle may be used instead of a soldering iron, in which case the flame should not play directly on the solder, but rather on the metal near the solder.
There have been and are other products put up in collapsible tubes and called "solder" which are not genuine solders as known to the trade or as the word "solder" is generally defined and used. Some are simply mixtures of lacquer and aluminum powder, which makes a highly inflammable and dangerous combination. Heat is not intended to be used with .such a substance, but should it inadvert
ently be applied or should this k,nd of so-called "solder" be used for electrical connections, the result might be very dangerous.
Since these substances are not really solders but are simply cements, the user is warned against con fusing them with genuine solder. They are cheap substitutes and can not do the job of the genuine lead-tin solder in paste form recently introduced. For a real quick solder job the genuine liquid lead-tin solder will be found a surprising convenience but it is well to inquire when making purchases w'hether the solder offered is made of lead and tin.
Lead Shingle Silhouettes Attractive
FRESH and attractive note in leadwork comes
A from the far west in these silhouette shingles
Hard lead shingle silhouette for child
or signs made from hard lead sheet. They tell their specialist physician,
stories in a striking and pleasing way, thus accom
Seattle, Wash.
plishing the purpose of signs, yet they are harmoni
ous with their surroundings and appropriately dig
nified. Hard lead signs are less expensive than
mental grilles (LEAD, September, 1932) or they
bronze. They do not discolor adjacent materials.
may be used under glass to make decorative trays,
If a contrasting color is desired, parts of the sign
table tops and other similar devices.
may be tinned on the surface, resulting in a pleasant
For an inexpensive, beautiful gray, non-staining,
contrast between bright tin and soft gray lead.
enduring metal silhouette, lead is without an equal.
Lead silhouettes have a number of other uses.
The hard lead silhouettes pictured here were all
They may be mounted between glass to form orna
created by Frank Edmands of Seattle, Wash.
/
Lead Tennis Court Tapes on Fine New Courts
be used during that time and consequently consid
erable revenue was lost. Had the lines been lead,
a quick brushing to remove dirt and they would
have been ready for play. In addition to keeping
the courts in play longer, lead lines save the cost
of constant remarking, materially reducing court
maintenance.
To the player there is great advantage in the
absolute accuracy of lead markers. It is practically
impossible to mark lime lines exactly straight and
true, as clearly shown in one of the photographs
where both lead and lime lines appear on adjacent
courts. Lead tapes are laid by experts to exact
measurements and are therefore permanently accu
Courts of Tudor City Tennis Club. E. 41st St., New York. Note the precision of lead tapes on courts in fore ground compared with irregularity of lime lines on
far courts.
rate. Also lead lines cannot become scuffed out, causing questionable decisions.
So to player and court operator alike lead lines are an advantage, which is now widely recognized
ENNIS court lines made of lead tape are becom
Ting increasingly popular among players and court builders for the finest and most modern courts.
and accounts for the use of lead markers on such fine recently built courts as those illustrated here.
Three recent installations are illustrated here, at
famous Fresh Meadow Country Club on Long Island
and in the well-known Tudor City development and
at the East 73rd Street Tennis Club in New York
City. These courts were all built by Ferger and
McDermott of Hamilton Beach, Long Island, N. Y.,
using their Rigmac Red Top Fast Drying courts
and lead tapes. Lead tapes need only be painted
once a year with two coats of traffic white paint,
that being their only maintenance.
Lead tapes have many advantages over the old
lime markers. To the commercial court operator,
the largest item is probably low maintenance and
time saving. For instance, in the heavy rains of
the past September, an operator of 25 commercial courts having lime lines lost approximately three hours a week during which lines were being remarked
East 73rd St. Tennis Club. New York City, whose nes courts are marked with lead tape lines.
after rain had washed them out. Courts could not
Lead Shot, A Peace-Time Product
These fine courts at Fresh Meadow Country Club, Flush ing. Long Island, have lead tape markers.
HE cover of this issue of LEAD is just a seasonal
Treminder that this is the time of year that tons and tons of lead shot are emptied into the air in quest of game. Sin<$ there are about five tons of shot manufactured in the United States to every ton of bullets, and since practically all shot and many bullets are shot in peaceful pursuits, it is quite obvious that the manufacture of lead ammunition is really a very peaceful occupation.
THE LEAD INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION INVITES INQUIRIES ON ANY SUBJECT RELATING TO LEAD AND
fWILL BE GLAD TO COOPERATE WITHOUT OBLIGATION IN THE SOLUTION OF YOUR LEAD PROBLEMS
TJ1j