SELLING LUMBER 325 



it does ordinarily. The chief engineer of one of the principal 

 railroads recently stated that in view of the high price of steel 

 it is decidedly more economical at the present time to build bridges 

 of wood. 



Another instance in which steel has displaced wood is in the 

 manufacture of metal filing cabinets, desks, and other office equip- 

 ment. It is also used for doors, in the construction of metal lath, 



and for electric light and transmission poles, and has recently en- 



. . . .Equipment 



tered the box or shipping container field. Some time ago the of Metal 



breweries attempted to use metal cases for shipping bottled beer, 

 but they found that so many bottles were broken and that the 

 life of the case was so short that their use was not profitable. 



Steel is also entering the field of interior trim in the large 

 office buildings, and is thereby displacing quite a quantity of hard- 

 woods. The disadvantage of steel in this use, particularly as sash, 

 is that it has a tendency to rattle, and is kept weather tight with 

 difficulty. 



The manufacture of metal drums has long made inroads into 

 the barrel business. Their great weight, however, the necessity 

 of returning them to the owner, and the high loss in breakage, 

 are making their profitable use very questionable. 



Concrete has displaced wood to a very large extent in some 

 places with propriety, but in others with very great question. In 

 the construction of sidewalks there is no doubt but what the ever- 

 lasting sanitary concrete is much to be preferred over the wooden ^s^Riva! 

 sidewalk. In other places, however, it is difficult to justify the of Wood 

 use of concrete over wood. Probably the greatest use to which 

 it has been put as it affects wood, is in the so-called fireproof con- 

 struction. In office buildings and factories where loads of 300 

 pounds per square foot or more are required, the use of concrete 

 is more economical, but it must be recognized that the concrete 

 structure is more difficult to alter, and that the floors must be 

 covered with a softer material for the workmen to stand on. In 

 buildings demanding less than 300 pounds per square foot heavy tim- 

 ber construction is more economical, and when properly sprinklered The Q ra( j es 

 is decidedly preferable to any other type of construction. This is so of Lumber 

 not only on account of the ease of altering, but also on Account Concrete 7 

 of the low insurance. Concrete has also gone very largely into 

 bridge construction, particularly in rural communities. Its use 

 for this purpose is recommended, and .there is no question but 



