STATE GEOLOGIST. Oe 
CHAPTER II 
THE USES OF CEMENT IN MORTARS. 
There are three general forms in which cement is used, namely: (1) 
in mortars, (2) in plain concrete and (3) in reinforced or steel concrete 
construction. 
As a mortar, it may be used either in a neat paste, or as a real mortar 
of cement mixed with sand. In the mortar form it is used for jointing 
all classes of masonry, for plastering walls and masonry surfaces, for 
fillers in street paving, for nearly all classes of ornamental work, for 
roofing-tile, for special processes of hardening quicksand in order to 
permit of excavation, for a protective coating to the metal work of bridges 
and viaducts to prevent rust and corrosion from the smoke blast of loco- 
motives, etc., etc. 
THE DEVELOPMENT. 
Cement was undoubtedly first used in the form of mortar in laying 
stone or brick masonry. Ifa history of the development of masonry were 
written, the chronological steps of its progress would probably assume 
the following order: first, rough stones piled loosely in wall or pier form; 
second, selected stones with flat or squared surfaces set up in more reg- 
ular forms, as was done by the ancient Hebrews in building their altars; 
third, selected stones, chipped into still more rectangular shapes and more 
carefully laid into regular forms of construction; fourth, to insure greater 
stability, mud paste, clay, or bitumen was used to cement the stones in 
place, and, finally, a mortar of lime or puzzuolana was discovered and used 
which insured permanency and durability to the work. 
The oldest mortar so far discovered appears to be that found by Mr. 
Wm. Clarke, a civil engineer of England, who brought back for analysis 
a piece of mortar secured from the ruins of an ancient Phoenician temple 
near Larnaca on the island of Cypress. Mr. Wm. Wallace, in a paper read 
before the Mechanics’ Institute, at Glasgow, says (speaking of this mortar 
which he had chemically analyzed) : “Mr. Clarke supposes this to be the 
most ancient mortar in existence.” He says further, “It'is exceedingly 
hard and firm—and appears to have been made of a mixture of burnt 
lime, sharp sand and gravel.’ Of another specimen from the great Pyr- 
amid of Cheops, Mr. Wallace says, “Two specimens of mortar from the 
Pyramid of Cheops were examined, one from the interior and the other 
