Finish.

Inspection.

II. Castings shall be true to pattern, free from cracks, flaws and excessive shrinkage. In other respects they shall conform to whatever points may be specially agreed upon.

12. The Inspector shall have reasonable facilities afforded him by the manufacturer to satisfy him that the finished material is furnished in accordance with these specifications. All tests and inspections shall, as far as possible, be made at the place of manufacture prior to shipment.

REPORT OF COMMITTEE C ON

STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR CEMENT.

The Committee on Standard Specifications for Cement. desires to present the following report:

The Standard Specifications for Cement which were reported by your Committee at the last annual meeting were formally adopted by the Society by letter ballot on November 14, 1904. The interval which has since elapsed is not considered by your committee to be of sufficient length for a thorough trial of the specifications and it has been decided to postpone the consideration of any changes in the specifications for the present.

Believing that the steps which led to the final adoption of the standard specifications for cement are, and will be, of increasing interest, the Committee presents the following statement as a matter of record:

With the rapid development of the cement industry the attainment of a standard of specifications has been carnestly sought. The report of the Committee of the American Society of Civil Engineers, on January 7, 1885, was the first step in this country in this direction. This report, however, within a very few years became too elastic and indefinite to serve the purpose.

In 1896, at the suggestion of Mr. Richard L. Humphrey, a series of editorials appeared in the Engineering Record calling attention to the inadequacy of the 1885 rules and urging the appointment of a new committee to revise them. Following this a resolution was presented by Mr. Edward P. North at a meeting of the American Society of Civil Engineers, held November 4, 1896, requesting the Board of Direction to report on the advisability of appointing a committee to report on "The Proper Manipulation of the Tests of Cement." The Board reported at the annual meeting of the Society on January 20, 1897, and was instructed to issue a letter ballot. This vote was canvassed, and on July 1, 1897, the board appointed a committee, consisting of Messrs. George F. Swain; Alfred Noble, George S. Webster, W. B. W. Howe, L. C. Sabin, O. M. Carter and H. M. York; the two members last named subsequently resigned.

This Committee organized with Prof. George F. Swain as Chair

man and Mr. H. M. York as Secretary. A circular was prepared and widely circulated, and at the annual meeting in January, 1900, a progress report was presented, giving a summary of the answers received.

At the annual meeting, held on January 10, 1901, the Committee was authorized to increase its membership to nine, and, in accordance therewith appointed Messrs. Spencer B. Newberry, Clifford Richardson, Richard L. Humphrey and F. H. Lewis.

This Committee organized by the election of Prof. George F. Swain, Chairman, and Mr. Richard L. Humphrey, Secretary. On the retirement of Prof. Swain from the chairmanship, under pressure of personal affairs, Mr. George S. Webster was elected in his place. The Committee presented to the Society a Progress Report on Uniform Tests of Cement on January 21, 1903.

Efforts were made in 1901 by the American members of the various committees on cement of the International Association for Testing Materials to secure international co-operation in the adoption of standard specifications for cement. This effort came to naught because there were no uniform methods for testing cement and because also of the inability to agree on such methods.

On June 8, 1901, the Board of Engineer Officers U. S. A., appointed by the authority of the Secretary of War, presented a report on Testing Hydraulic Cements, to which were appended Standard Specifications for both natural and Portland cements.

At the annual meeting of the American Society for Testing Materials, held on June 15, 1902, the Executive Committee was authorized to appoint a Committee to report on Standard Specifications for Cement, and in accordance therewith named Messrs. Robert W. Lesley, Booth, Garrett and Blair, A. W. Dow, Edward M. Hagar, Richard L. Humphrey, Lathbury and Spackman, Andreas Lundteigen, Charles F. McKenna, W. W. Maclay, Spencer B. Newberry, J. M. Porter, Clifford Richardson and George F. Swain, with power to increase the membership subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.

The Committee assembled at the call of Mr. Robert W. Lesley, Member of the Executive Committee and Temporary Chairman, on October 31st, 1902, and organized by the election of Prof. George F. Swain, Chairman, Mr. George S. Webster, Vice-Chairman, and Mr. Richard L. Humphrey, Secretary.

The Committee increased its number by the addition of the following members: Messrs. T. J. Brady, C. W. Boynton, Spencer Cosby, L. Henry Dumary, A. F. Gerstell, William H. Harding, F. H. Lewis, John B. Lober, Charles A. Matcham, Alfred Noble, H. W. Parkhurst, Joseph T. Richards, L. C. Sabin, H. J. Seaman, H. S. Voorhees, W. J. Wilgus, George S. Webster, H. G. Kelly, Vice-president American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association, and W. S. Eames, President American Institute of Architects. Messrs. Alfred Noble, H. W. Parkhurst and W. J. Wilgus subsequently resigned from the Committee, as did Mr. F. H. Bainbridge who was appointed to succeed Mr. Parkhurst. The Committee postponed further action pending the report of the Committee on Uniform Tests of Cement of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

On February 4, 1903, the Committee adopted as a basis for its work the report of the Committee on Uniform Tests of Cement.

In order to obtain data to aid in drafting Standard Specifications and to test the value of the methods recommended, the Committee sent four samples of natural and five samples of Portland Cement to some thirty prominent laboratories engaged in testing cement with the request that they be tested in accordance with these methods. The results of these tests were collated, and in accordance with the instructions of the Committee tentative specicifications were prepared by the Secretary, Mr. Richard L. Humphrey. These were considered on December 3, 1903, amended and approved March 29, 1904, and adopted by the Committee by letter ballot, June 11, 1904. These specifications were approved by the American Society for Testing Materials at its annual meeting, June 17, 1904, and adopted by letter ballot of the Society, November 14, 1904.

On December 9, 1902, the Association of American Portland Cement Manufacturers appointed a Committee on Standard Specifications for Cement, consisting of Messrs. W. W. Maclay, A. F. Gerstell, D. Millen, B. S. Dunn, T. M. Righter. This Committee was succeeded on January 12, 1904, by the appointment of Messrs. W. W. Maclay, Chairman; A. F. Gerstell, W. H. Harding, S. B. Newberry, Charles A. Matcham, H. J. Seaman and Charles F. Wade. The latter committee recommended the

above specifications to the Association, and they were adopted on June 16, 1904.

The Committee on Masonry of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association presented specifications for Portland and natural cement, which were adopted by the Association at the annual convention held March 19, 1903, and recommended as provisional standard specifications. At the convention held in March, 1904, no further action was taken in view of the Association having been requested to send a representative to serve on the Committee on Standard Specifications for Cement. Upon the recommendation of the same Committee the Association, in place of the provisional specification above referred to, adopted the standard specifications of the American Society for Testing Materials, on March 21, 1905.

These reports on Uniform Tests of Cement and Standard Specifications for Cement are the result of over six years' labor of a representative body covering every field from the manufacturer to the consumer. The various committees are still in existence and will from time to time recommend such changes as are found by experience to be desirable, thus gradually perfecting the specifications as a whole. In the meantime by the adoption of these specifications a standard of excellence is set which will enable the manufacturer to concentrate his efforts in operating his plant so as to produce uniformly the grade of cement required and at a minimum cost to the consumer.

Submitted on behalf of the Committee:

American Institute of Architects, W. S. Eames, President.

American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Asso

ciation, H. G. Kelly, President.