BUILDING MATERIALS — JOHN GALEN HOWARD. 



Wall plasters of first quality are being manufactured in ever-increasing 

 quantities. The limes of Roche Harbor and of Santa Cruz are of well- 

 known high quality. Plaster cements such as Empire, Alpine, Wood Fibre, 

 Marbleite, etc., are very largely used and give excellent satisfaction. 



The fabrication of steel has not as yet assumed great proportions in 

 California, largely owing doubtless to the difficulties in the way of securing 

 the ore and proper fuel in the same locality. It is to be hoped that some 

 means may be devised in the near future to obviate this difficulty. The 

 coast needs the development of this branch of industry more perhaps 

 than any other. The manufacture of ornamental iron has assumed con- 

 siderable proportions and the output is of an excellent quality. 



California can hardly be said to lack sand either as to moral quality 

 or as to building material, nor does it lack rocks, of the highest grade for 

 use in concrete and road building. 



Various branches of manufacture deserve favorable mention, such as 

 bitumen, asbestus, glass, nails, building paper, etc. There is an increasing 

 demand for all of these materials and excellent opportunities are offered in 

 supplying them. 



Of woods, the Golden State possesses a great variety and an enor- 

 mous supply. Redwood and Douglas fir are the greatest staples. Both 

 these woods are universally used throughout the State and are shipped to 

 other parts of the country and abroad in large quantities. The Douglas 

 fir is of splendid quality for structural work as well as for interior finish, for 

 which it is largely employed. The Redwood is famous for its beauty of 

 color and of grain. It is very easily worked and is one of the most beautiful 

 woods on the market for finishing. It is obtainable in very large pieces 

 owing to the size of the trees from which it is cut. When wisely used It ts 

 of exceeding beauty. 



Maple, oak, white cedar, laurel, white mahogany — these are a few, 

 and but a few, of the great number of building woods obtainable in the 

 State. Not all of them are widely used at present, but it is only a question 

 of time when their value will be appreciated. 



A Few of the Well Known Structures 

 Built of California Material. 



HEN the character and the quality of the buildings completed 

 or begun in the past two or three years, as illustrated by the 

 following incomplete list, are considered, it may readily be 

 understood why California building stone is growing in popu- 

 larity so rapidly. The following buildings are of sandstone: 

 James Flood Building, Kohl (formerly Hayward) Building, 

 Shereth Israel Synagogue, St. Francis Hotel, Mutual Savings Bank, 

 Crocker-Shreve, Miller, Sloss & Scott, Oakland Union Savings Bank, Red- 

 wood City Courthouse, and numerous smaller and less pretentious build- 

 ings, such as Brandenstein, Woods, Alexander, Schroth, Starr Estate, 

 Iroquois Hotel. 



The following buildings are granite: San Francisco Postoffice, Fair- 

 mount Hotel, Mercantile Trust, and Italian-American Bank. 



This is not going far away from San Francisco, but as a complete list 

 of the buildings in the State constructed of California stone is not at pres- 

 ent available, these must suffice for the purpose of illustration. To these 

 may be added the State Ferry Building in San Francisco, constructed of 

 California sandstone, and the State Capitol Building at Sacramento, of 

 granite. These two were erected many years ago. 



And the handsome buildings of the Stanford University, too, are object 

 lessons of the value of California stone. 



Of course, there are many other fine buildings, but just a few which 

 come to mind at this writing are mentioned. Obviously, it is impossible to 

 mention all. 



