The New York Frear Stone Company : manufacture all kinds of building and monumental stone, of any design, known to architectural experience ...

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NEW YORK

FREAR STONE COMPANY,

MANUFACTURE ALL KINDS OF

BUILDINfi AND MONUMENTAL STONE,

OF ANY DESIGN,

KN<>\\\ ro ARCHITECTURAL EXPERIENCE, REPRESENTING IN COIA»

any of in i:

NATURAL STONE OF THIS COUNTRY,

AND SURPASSING THFM ALL IN

Durability, Strength and Beauty.

OHD BUS WILL BB TlZOMTTLr A2TBNDED TO.

1238 b:r.oa:dwa^2\

WORKS, ON CENTRAL AVENUE, Between 10th and 11th Streets,
lchntg isLAisriD city.

J. f\ y^LTTIX, O^/t^ p, j£, Parf^son,

ii i .i. i ii '1'ii p President.

Nelson Clements,

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THE FI^EAF^

Artificial §tone,

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The want of a cheap, and yet elegant and durable building
material has been long felt and appreciated by men of all
classes. And it was to meet this want that the inventor and
patentee, George A. Freer, Esq., of Chicago, patented February
4th, 1868, the combinations of certain chemicals with sand or
irravcl, which, when pressed, form a solid stone, equally as hard
as limestone and more durable, as we shall show. The materials
used are sand and gravel, which can be found in unlimited
quantities all over the country. These are fastened together
firmly by chemicals, which form a solid, insoluable stone, and is
pressed in molds of any desired pattern or form, such as bricks
of various sizes, ashlars, key-stones, corner blocks, water tables,
door and window caps, sills, cornices, etc.

We have subjected these stones to the severest tests of frost

j . „!™. their yalne as a building stone in resist
and he.M.«™«» "£^ artificial and cliera ieal
Inor nfmosohenc influences. » dIWU 1

^tstTalso been m ade, and exposure to the weather only

]l t:iZ^ -d dnrahihty forwellcurhsand walling under
.round, for culverts or bridge abutments standing under ground
or in the water, or cellar walls, there is no stone or bnck work
that equals the Frear Stone in value.

We can manufacture the stone of a color to represent per-
fect the beautiful Nora Scotia stone used so much ^m the
eastern cities, or the brown stone of New York and Philadelphia.

The minerals used render the color permanent and also solid-
ifies the mixture.

A person purchasing the right to manufacture the stone w.ll

receive full instructions. The same material may be used as a
mastic of any desired color, for covering the walls of old bnck
buildings, and is vastly superior; will cost less than halt the
ordinary oil mastic, and its color will never fade ; and is also a
durable fire-proof paint. To induce capitalists to invest their
money in this valuable patent, we have also to satisfy them of
the profit of the manufacture, which we can do to the satisfaction
of any one. Building stone of any design can be afforded in
cost much below any native stone, and at about the same cost of
brick if put in bricks, and is vastly more durable than either.
The first building ever erected of the " Frear Stone " is the

elegant dwelling of H. B. Horton, Esq., on Calumet Avenue,

Chicago ; erected in the summer of 1868, and shown herein by

plate.

In further explanation of this valuable invention we refer

with pleasure to the following notice from the Chicago

Chronicle :

ARTIFICIAL STOXE.

One of the chief needs of the country is a building material,
durable, neat and cheap. While there are numerous quarries in
00* own and other States, from which is obtained excellent
itone for building purposes, and beds of clay suitable for mak-
ing L r ""d brick, these are not generally distributed throughout
the country, and were they, the first is too expensive and the
latter are generally of a poor quality. Of course, as our growth

rapid, we often build in a hurry, and therefore sacrifice, to

ne extent, strength and permanence, to the necessity for im-
mediate shelter ; but when no such necessity compels it, build-
Ingi arc too generally of wood or other inferior material, and
this not because we are naturally a shabby people, having no
appreciation of what is proper and sensible in the erection of
our homes and places of business, but because, really, except at
great cost we cannot obtain better material.

This being the case, we judge that we shall be conferring upon
our readers a great benefit, as well as paying deserved attention
to a most important branch of manufacture by giving a portion
of onr -pace this week, to *' F rear's Artificial Stone," now being
extensively made in our city by the Frear Stone Manufacturing
Company. In a previous issue we made reference to the same
subject, and our comments thereupon having elicited considera-
ble inquiry, for the purpose of satisfying our own curiosity, and
enabling ourselves to satisfy that of others, we have made fuller
and more thorough investigations.

The attempt to supply the market with building stone, by arti-
ficial processes, is one of great antiquity. Tn parts of Europe
and Africa these processes are known to have been used for
more than a thousand years. The Barbary Moors, have for
many centuries, possessed the art of making a most durable

icrete, and when they overran Spain, seven hundred years
ago, introduced it to that country. There are now standing at
Gibraltar a tower and several walls of buildings, constructed
m holly of this material, and believed to have been erected by
the Moors during some former invasion, when they succeeded in
gaining a foothold, but were unable permanently to maintain it.

The antiquity of these relics cannot be less than a thousand
years, and still they endure, apparently unimpaired by the disin-
tegrating touch of time, and the 3torms which, for ten centuri
have beaten upon them. It has been suggested, and not with-
out reason, that the huge blocks which form the Pyramids, and
puzzle the curious of modern times with the quer}-, " whence
came we?" were not transported across the great desert, so many
weary miles from distant quarries, but were made on the spot
by some cunning process, the secret of which has perished with
the wonderous race that builded them.

In modem times, numerous experiments have been tried for
the making of artificial stones. Of these, the most successful of
winch we have any knowledge, is the process, patented a few
vears since, by Mr. Frear, who sold the right to his invention
for this State to the Frear Stone Company, whose manufactory
is located upon the Lake Shore, foot of 37th Street. It is suffi-
cient to say of the process, that it is as near an imitation of the
natural as is practicable. Precisely how, in her great laboratory
and workshop, in the strata which makes the earth's crust
hrough cycles of ages, nature has been making her mysterious
ransformations, the geologist with his hammer and chemicals
has ,n vain sought to discover, although he has learned much in'
a general way. We know of the various sandstones, which

rin' i, ;t , ? eaPOrti0 ". 0f the knOW " r ° ck d °V°^ ** they
arc in varying proporfons, according to their several species

composed of clay, lime, silex, and iron; that originally t-v

***-» overlaid £*£ 'ZTJ^SZ^Z

-.-the immense pressure thus produced hardened them huo

* 2T£2ffiE? h *T* ° f - — -*■ moistened

with a chemical solution , i ■ i . """»on sanu, moistened

The conq,ound is p tce d t V?* 1 ™** " e —T cement.

for this special purpose by Mr. F ear Tn d F" *" T?
ingenious contrive,,,,, being a co , , 1 Ta ™ ""•&»&
which multiply a riven w i! C t ° m P ,,cated ^sterna of levers,
m a «" en weight to a most hew!M e „-«„ -

Mr. Frear seems, by his invention, to have successfully emu-
lated Nature's efforts to produce pressure, and accomplished
his purpose equally well, and in considerable less time than it

k Nature to do her work. That the inventor of this nianu-
ture has well learned the lesson of the rocks, and gleaned
from the pages which have been upheaved in earth's great com-
motions the secret of Nature's handiwork, seems evident by a
Comparison of the artificial with the natural stone. In company
with several other gentlemen, we carefully examined through a
powerful microscope, two specimens, and were unable to discover
the slightest difference in their apparrent composition and struc-
ture. We were not a little surprised at being informed that one
of them was a piece of Portland Brown Stone, and the other of
In ar's Artificial.

In one respect, Mr. Frear's product is the superior of Nature's,
and that is, its less liability to disintegrate upon exposure to the
atmosphere. It must be remembered that the natural stone is
made down deep in the nether regions of the earth, away from
atmospheric influences, and that when it is removed thence to
the upper air, in obedience to the law of its structure, the ten-
dency is gradually to become friable and wear away. Whereas,
Frear's Artificial is made in the air, and with special reference
to atmospheric influence; and, therefore, the tendency is to
harden and strengthen with exposure.

This Stone has been made the subject of numerous very
careful experiments to determine its qualities. Its capacity
for resisting pressure, as compared with that of other mate-
rial, has been thoroughly tested, as will be seen by referring
to the certificate or the Ordinance Officer, at the Navy Yard,
Washington. A single 1 1-4 inch cube sustained 6000 lbs,
without cracking; a single surface foot of the Frear Stone
will sustain 432 tons. This seems almost incredible, never-
theless it is a fact.

Another test was applied to determine the relative endurance
of the stories when subjected to lateral pressure, which was con-
ducted in the following manner: A piece of each variety, three
long by six inches wide, and four inches in thickness, was
suspended by three inch bearings on either end; the pressure

■

6

was applied to the centre, with this result in the 6ereral in-
stances,— Frear's Artificial sustained a weight of 1,106 fl>s. ; the
Cleveland sand stone of 621 fcs.; Canaan marble of 640 fts.;
Portland stone of 759£ fts.; Athens marble of 971 lbs.

There is one consideration in connection with the Artificial
Stone which is of importance in comparing the degree of resist-
ance which it affords to the pressure, with the same quality in
other stones. In building with ordinary stones, it is customary,
in order to secure the utmost possible strength, t.. lay them with
their lines of stratification perpendicular to the horizon ; the
Artificial has no lines of stratification, but is molded solid, and
when removed from the molds, dries from the inside outward, so
escaping the liability to break, from flaws, when used for building
purposes.

The pillars of the Pantheon, at Paris, support a weight of
60,000 pounds to each superficial foot. The piers which uphold
the great dome of St. Paul's, in London, are subjected to a pp.
sure of 33,000 pounds on each square foot; and those beneath
the arched roof of the world-renowned St. Peter's, at Rome
bear up, per superficial foot, 33,000 pounds. As shown by the
certificates herein, and above referred to, Frear's Artificial will
sustain a weight exceeding 860,000 lbs. upon each foot of surf*
So that it might be safely employed in heavier architecture than'
that of those massive and stately piles.

Experience shows that the same natural stone disinte-ra
more rapullv from atmospheric influences in some places than in
others. Tor example, a certain Hagnesian lime stone, designed
to be employed m the construction of the British HoJS ..
Parhament, was thought to be extremely well adapted to that
Purple from the fact that the same material used at So, thw
Minster had been exposed for eight hundred years, and wm so

ibm^totserl X «£? T ^ ^ ^^ -

Bulphuric acid, not the ordinary acid of commerce, but the
manufacturers' concentrated article, which is very much stronger,
and no perceptible change was wrought; the stone came out
from its hath as firm and solid as when it took the plunge.
Athens marble — accounted the best building stone in the West
— when subjected to this same test, was entirely dissolved. It
would Beem as if this trial was decisive of the question whether
Artificial Stone may be greatly injured by city smoke. The
sulphuric acid bath, as a disintegrant, may be deemed more than
an equivalent for all the noxious acid contained in an unbroken
column of smoke rising from all the chimneys of Chicago, and
reaching the zenith.

Another specimen of the stone was boiled for fifty-five minutes
in a solution of twenty ounces of concentrated potash to three
quarts of water, and was entirely unaffected by the process; and
the same result followed from testing it with various acid-.
which were found sufficient to dissolve Athens marble. During
the severe weather of the past four winters, King Frost has had
full opportunity to try his nipping fingers at the Frear Stone,
but lias failed to produce the slightest injurious effect, and, in
fact, the stone seems to have hardened and solidified under the
exposure.

There are some peculiarities of this building material, other
than those already noted, which especially adapt it for general
use. Among these is its cheapness. It can be made at a cost
much less than that of the natural stone from the quarry. More-
over, the most beautiful architectural designs may be executed
in it with a finish and perfection which the most skillful work-
men, with the chisel, cannot equal. Then, too, it may be fur-
nished in different colors to suit the taste of the purchasers.
This being stated, it is superfluous to add that the Artificial
ne may be used for all the purposes to which native stone is
now applied. The difference in the cost between the Frear and
the natural is 60 great as to ensure a ready sale and large profits
to the manufacturer.

We are glad to learn that the Company are doing a thriving
buaineM, and rapidly introducing the product of their works into
general use. We regard their enterprise as one of the most

beneficial ever undertaken in the "West, not only because it is
an important addition to our Manufacturing Industry, but because
it promises to give to our builders a cheap material for conver-
sion into elegant, substantial and permanent structures.

From the Chicago Republican.
The great modern problem, which has offered for a solution
the grandest prize to the inventive genius of the country has
been the production of a new building material, to be composed
of elements widely distributed and easily obtainable; the manu-
facture to be simple and cheap; the resulting product to be in
the highest degree durable, capable of being easily shaped into
desired architectural forms, and to possess in color and texture a
beauty at least equal to that of the common materials used in
the construction of houses.

With the solution of this problem would begin the golden a-e
of architecture and the ownership of houses by men becomf.
the rule instead of the exception * * * >ecomes

The ^claimant to the honor of this invention has lately appeared

on belief °tWM T^ *""** A " ^ -bating
our belief hat Mr. I rear has succeeded in filling all of the re

qmred conditions, and that the long-wished for material has been"

discovered we do so, influenced as little as possible bv the o, in

ons of pro essional architects, to whom we shall, however Xe

he credit of having been among the first to recogni^S

and what is unusual in great discoveries, for having given a

bound tog e th(lr „, Cle „ ca °, ,! U »«»*7i these are firmly

9

face of the stone, is placed on top, and the whole is subjected to
an immense pressure, from fifteen to twenty-five tons, in a ma-
chine which is also the invention of Mr. Frear. On being taken
from the mold, tiie stone is allowed to dry for two or three days,
and is then again dampened and exposed to the atmosphere, be-
comes rapidly hard, and is soon fit for use.

The result is a stone much harder and capable of resisting a
much greater pressure than the Portland brown stone, Connec-
ticut limestone, Athens marble, or the best pressed brick. That
li is the undeniable fact, the severest tests have shown. The
excellence of a material for building, as is well known, must de-
pend much upon its ability to resist the disintegrating power of
moisture and heat, and the expansive action of frost. Yet we
are shown specimens of this artificial stone that have been ex-
posed to frosts for months during the extreme weather of last
winter, and which were again subjected to the intense heat, but
which are harder and firmer than before the experiments were
commenced. The artificial stone seems absolutely impervious to
the action of the elements. Its hardness and uniformity of
structure were shown when it became necessary to cut the cor-
ners of several heavy brackets. Stones whose material Mas
almost pure silica, offered no greater resistance to the cold chisel
than the solidified sand and gravel in which they were em-
bedded.

At the factory of the Artificial Stone Company we are shown
not simply specimens, but cords of stone which, in absolutely
permanent color and in texture, it would be difficult to distinguish
from the beautiful brown stone so much used for fronts in JSTew
York; others perfectly resembling Nova Scotia stone, and even
common limestone, and these not in the rough state, but in the
iorm of ashlars, key 6tones, corner blocks, water tables, door and
window caps and sills, corners, etc., not plain only, but in elabo-
rate designs and delicate coral work.

It is in the question of expense, however, that one is most liable
to become enthusiastic over this new material. If we mistake
not, the time is at hand when architectural beauty shall no longer
be monopolized by wealth, a suggestion which discloses an im-
mense field of thought relative to the cultivation and extension

10

among the people of correct principles of taste in building, when
the means of gratifying it shall have thus been brought within
their reach. Cornices, brackets and head-blocks that cost in
brown stone from thirty to forty dollars, will be furnished for one-
half that sum. A single stone carved in coral work costs from
eight to ten dollars; in artificial stone, one-third that sum.
Brown stone ashlars, worth one dollar and thirty cents a square
foot, in the new material cost sixty cents a foot — and the same
proportion exists, to whatever architectural use the material is put.

From the American Builder.
THE FEEAK STOXE.

This new building material seems growing in favor; the opin-
ion every day gaining ground in building circles is that we have
at length found a perfect substitute for natural stone; unsurpassed
in beauty, cheapness and durability.

There is no doubt as to its beauty, for in this particular it is
adapted to the highest architectural effects; and this can be said
of only a small portion of the natural stone used for building
purposes in this country. There is no noticeable difference in this
respect between the Connecticut brown stone and the Frear stone,
in fact the keenest-eyed critic will fail to detect the counterfeit

The manufacturing works are very extensive, but the pri<
so reasonable that they are crowded to their utmost capacity; all
of which would seem to indicate the cheapness of the material.

From the extent of the orders given, a very large amount of
the material will be used in our best blocks aud houses the com-
ing season.

The great question — the one in which the public is chiefly in-
terested—is the question of durability. Will it stand? Will it
resist sun, and moisture, and cold, like nature's own stone, which
has stood through the centuries i If so, then we latest born chil-
dren of Time, have stumbled on a secret indeed. We can still
boast of that high state of civilization which economizes human
labor, and yet adorn our structures with more beautiful things
than were known in past ages. As we said on a former occasion,

11

all this seems too good to be true; and yet we hope it is true, and
have no rtMOD for doubt indeed, save in that inate tendency to
incredulity which more or less characterizes us all when some
great invention modestly asserts its claims; and this the Frear
Stone lias done. It has come before the people without blare of
trumpets ; and the fact that it has come on slowly, lighting and
conquering popular prejudice every step, and, like the invention
of the art of telegraphy, growing constantly in favor, all this
gives confidence of its ultimate success.

The severe chemical and mechanical tests, and these high sci-
entitle and professional indorsements, stamp the Frear Stone as
one of the great inventions of the age, and as one particularly to
be hailed bv every man of moderate means whose taste appreci-
ates architectural beauty.

From the Albany Sunday Press.

AETIFICIAL STONE.

There is no denying the fact, this age we live in is certainly
one of wonders. Every day brings forth something new or re-
markable. The last great feature which has attracted our atten-
tion and elicited our curiosity, is the artificial stone recently
invented by George A. Frear, Esq., of Chicago, and which has
so rapidly grown into favor at Chicago, Toledo, New Orleans,
Butfaio and other leading cities of the Union. By invitation,
we had the pleasure of inspecting this last great production of
the nineteenth century, yesterday, and receiving full explanation
of its merits and usefulness from a gentleman thoroughly posted
in the matter. The component parts of this artificial stone are
Baud, water lime and certain chemicals, the latter being used for
the double purpose of coloring the mass at will, and of compact-
ing it beyond the power of ordinary tests to affect it. The
compound is placed in molds and subjected to a pressure of
thirty tons to the square foot, by means of a press invented by
Mr. Frear. The result is a solid, insoluble stone, cast in any
shape for which a mold or pattern can be made. In fact, any
device that the most florid architecture can demand, is easily ob-

12

tained. We saw some of the blocks and caps prepared from
this material, and must confess that in quality and appearance
they have every resemblance to the genuine Nova Scotia white
or Connecticut brown stones. This stone has undergone the
severest possible tests, and in all cases satisfactorily resisted
whde massy natural stones have succumbed to the same tests'
As we have already stated, it can be molded to any shape for
which a pattern can be made. This being a fact, we don't know
why it should not come into general use in this city. Its cost is
so remarkably cheap that everybody will use it in preference to
bnck, stone or iron in instances where the above articles are
used, so long as it proves equally, if not more durable. Some
of the finest residences, churches and public buildings of Chicago
are constructed from the « Frear Artificial Stone," and so far as

appearance u, concerned look by far handsomer than tl bni"

of the real article, as the photographs of said building fully
demonstrate. All that is necessary to convince any ZS
nund of the utility of this kind of building material b it
houses, fences pavements, monuments or anything eS is a

2 O.ST 1 ^ the - ar , tide - ^ ""»** h -mlerful. A
cuoe ot little over an inch wi<? fan^A f^ u

j T as Ioun ^ to bear up over fi 000

uXtne T r b ? itJ is established b ' the tests * i-^S

undergone. Therefore, any one contemplating buildine shonld
just cas heir eyes over any building where stone is used n this

c ty, witness the crumbling process it is exhibiting, and tl , if
they can, foil to declare in favor of the artificial a tide i Z
erence to the genuine. A man can now as readily |! '

stone front as a brick, and for no more ^0^1- °

compos of *o,neof\,Xt Z»sZ?I' "1 T^' ""' W

13

commence the production, as soon as possible, of artificial stone
for practical purposes. Notwithstanding they have only had the
right for a few days, already contracts for four buildings have
been received, to be built of this Artificial Stone. In Chicago
and New Orleans companies are organized with a capital of
half a million, and the stockholders are among the first citizens
of both places. The gentlemen who have purchased the right
here are all well known enterprising business men, who enjoy
the confidence of our people and cannot fail to build up a cor-
poration that will add to the future welfare, wealth and archi-
tectural beauty of our city.

From The Arts.

LOST AET EESTORED.

A> a useful invention of the nineteenth century, Mr. George
A. Frear, of this city, the discoverer of artificial stone, will hand
down to posterity a name that will rank with the highest order
of talent.

It is not the purpose of The Arts to puff into renown the
many patented or improved machines of the day, but when a
subject of such vital importance to mankind presents itself, it is
meet for us to give such matter its just due. Building materials
enter largely into the finances of a people and country. The
rapidity with which cities and towns are reared having all the
comforts and conveniences of modern device, this subject is a
natural question for capitalists, house and free-holders, particu-
larly so, when economy is a prime consideration.

The subject of artificial stone has engaged the attention of
scientists for a number of years with but indifferent results,
and, none have been brought to so successful an application
as the Frear Artificial Stone Manufacturing Company, of this
city. Extensive works have been erected throughout the
United States and Territories. Hundreds of magnificent edi-
fices arc now, and have been erected, which is proof enough
that architects and builders consider this material among the
best thus far brought to perfection. Public edifices are con-

14

strutted at Lincoln. Nebraska, under a contract with the State
authorities.

The details of manufacture of this artificial stone are briefly
summed up as follows: The base of the, artificial stone is the
ordinary s.hca, (sand or gravel,) indigenous to every country
tour parts ot calcium are thoroughly incorporated and moistened
with a caustic solution of shellac. Any of the prime alkaline
salts may be employed in preparing this solution. To one srml-
on of boiling water may be added a quarter of a ponnd of alka-
line, lastly adding the shellac, say half a pound, until the same
is thoroughly dissolved.

_ The pulp mass being saturated with this solution, it is formed
into every conceivable form, ashlars, key-stones, corner bloeka,

head-blocks, monuments, mantle-pieces, etc.

(At a public trial nnder the supervision of the U. S. Ordinance
Department at Washington, D. C, the Commander certifies that

t: : p f e 6 ci ;r cub ? f f Frea :* s **** s ^ •«-« =>„„:::

nre of 8,000 pounds to an inch and a quarter cube, the ordinal
document being now on exhibition at their office )
The chemical effect is such that as soon as the several element,

machine al.o an ingenious invention of Mr. Frear's the hv
drated lime, or calcium, combines readily with the s iica nnd
or gravel, crystalizing into a more acHd'ho^ thetoisTrf
evaporates, which requires a number of dav/ Tl i ^
as an agglomerate, aid renders ^ste^pj^^
pheric elements, and almost entirely fire proo'f. All he ,
ties of color may be given to the molden masses

out aton liT L S of T lllteCt : iral d t gU * " la - V ■- -'•'
two illustrations w hi h arl > ^ W * preSent **** **

15

From The Chicago Tribune's Annual Review, for 1809.

FBEAB'S ARTIFICIAL STONE.
In giving this our annual review of the commerce of this
great city, we cannot pass over a due notice of the wonderful
invention <>f the Frear Artificial Stone, which is now being

manufactured and need extensively in thii city and in many of
the citiei and towns throughout the country, and it is with
especial pride that we write of this, became it is the invention
of one of <>nr citizens. It is purely a Chicago institution, hut
merit is not claimed for the stone upon these gronnds, l>ut solely
Upon its I iii.ai'm M, NCAUTT, D1 i;ai:ility, and adaptability to all

purposes for which cut stone or brick is used.

During many yean repeated effort! have been made by

of scientific attainments and practical ability to produce an arti-
ficial stone which would commend itself to architects and

builders as suitable for building purposes in place of quarried

stone or brick, but every such attempt has proved abortive, until
Mr. (ieorge A. Frear, of this city, some three or four y^'nvs af
discovered the "philosopher's stone," and the result is a beautiful
brown stone — as beautiful as the most highly wrought sp

taken from the justly celebrated Portland quarries, and c

from the hands of the most skillful workman.

We have watched with great interest the introduction of this
stone, and have visited the extensive manufactory of the Frear
Stone Company, of this city, located at the foot of Wapanseh
avenue, on the lake shore, and are free to confess that we hs
never been more intensely interested in witnessing the produc-
tion of a manufactured article. The process is simple, and is
precisely that adopted by nature in her formation of rock; the
only apparent difference being that while the slow procesi of
nature occupies ages to form the stone, this invention a.^umes
nature's prerogative and produces from the sand a stone of any
size or design almost instantly, and so closely is nature's pro-
duction counterfeited in this stone, that it is extremely difficult to
detect the difference.

The Frear Stone has now been in use so long, and has re-
sisted the action of the weather so perfectly, that we can speak
with confidence of its merits, believing it superior to many

16

kinds of building stone used in various parts of the country, and
equa n value to any; while in plain cut-stone w,,lc * . fur-
Ed for one-balf J cost of native stone ; and in *g£™<3
carved work, such as window caps, plasters, modilW , etc it
can be afforded for one-third the cost of native stun,, and at the
same time pay the manufacturers an enormous profit.

Very many buildings have been erected of the Frear Stone
in this citv, of various sizes, from two-story dwelling to five-
storv business houses, asylums, etc. We give a cut on page 51
of the elegant five-story building of the Mutual Life prance
Company, constructed entirely of this stone, at No. 81 South
Wells street, in this citv. This is one of the finest structures in
the city, and is a credit to that old and well established Com-
pany, "so ablv managed by its worthy President, Merrill Ladd,
Esq. Also, on page 55, we give an illustration of the elegant
dwelling of H. BJEIorton, Esq., No. 93 Calumet avenue, this
city. This is fully equal in all respects to the finest brown-stone
palace on Fifth avenue, New York city.

The Frear Stone Company of this city are doing a very exten-
sive and prosperous business, as we are informed, and of which
we see evidences in the large amount of stone being used, which
is constantly increasing. We hail this invention as one of great
public benefit, and expect to see it generally adopted throughout
the country. We understand the right is also secured by letters
patent in England and France.

From The Lincoln, Neb., Statesman.

GEOWTH AND PEOSPEPITY OF LINCOLN.

It is with feelings of pride that we advert to the rapid growth
and marked prosperity of our city, the young Capital of the
Giant State of the Prairies.

The history of the West, though full of interest to the men of
enterprise, as affording in the rapid growth of its towns and
cities, examples unparalleled in history, has not hitherto given

IT

the world such an example of energy and enterprise as does
Lincoln, the capital of Nebraska.

Only about two years since this was one vast prairie. The
progress of civilization, in its onward western inarch, had driven
the original proprietors further toward the setting sun, and thus
nature was left unmolested to yield up her bounties to the ener-
getic efforts of progressive Americanism.

And within these two years, from this houseless prairie has
grown a city of nearly 3,000 inhabitants, with State Capitol
Buildings which would be an honor to any place, and private
dwellings and business houses of elegant design and architec-
tural finish, which argues more (present and prospective) for the
prosperity of a place than any other one thing; for, as the
traveler passes through a country seeking a location for a home
and to invest his capital in business enterprises, he is always
governed in his judgment by the character of the buildings,
architectural skill displayed, and permanency of the structures.

And the men of energy and enterprise possessing pecuniary
ability, are of the greatest benefit in aid of the growth of a
town or city— for, where capital locates, laborers will rapidly
congregate. Such men will surely pass by a town that is slov-
enly and cheaply built, to seek the association of men possessing
broader and more enlarged views, and who are willing them-
selves to aid in giving characters to the locality by the erection
of first-class buildings. Thus, every first-class building which is
erected adds to the value of every part of ground within the
limits of the municipality.

And among the many enterprises which are going forward in
this city bespeaking the energy and enterprise of our citizens,
we deem the establishment of the manufacture of the " Frear
Artificial Stone" as of the greatest importance and value to the
future growth of the place.

The Frear Stone works were started here about one year
since, and the success of the enterprise is manifest by the ele-
gant dwelling erected for his Excellency Gov. Butler, of which
the entire front and side is built of ashlars, and the entire trim-
mings of the building — such as beautifully wrought window and
door caps and sills, water table, etc.; also, the entire cut-stone
2

18

trimmings as above, in the brick dwellings of the Hon. Secretary
of State Kennard, and Hon. Auditor of State Gillespie. Th<

dwellings were all erected lasf autumn, and are of a character
that would do credit to any city. The Frear Stone is found to
stand the action of the weather perfectly and to answer all the
purposes for which the best building stone is need, while at the
same time it can be manufactured at so much less cost than cut
stone can be furnished, as to bring it within the means of all,
and thus give an architectural adornment to our city. Even the
elegant brown stone fronts on Fifth avenue, New York, do Dot
excel in beauty and durability the "Frear Stone," which it so
closely resembles.

AVe shall take occasion to inform our numerous readers from
time to time of the establishment of new and valuable enter-
prises in our midst.

From The Interior.
" FREAR ARTIFICIAL STONE."
In looking round our city among the many enterprises which
are being pushed forward with that energy 'and skill B0 charac-
teristic ot our citizens, we find none that commends itself more
readily to the capitalists, the practical builders, the property
owners, and men of science, than the manufacture of the "Frear
Artificial Stone." This is an invention of one of our own
etizens, and has been in practical operation for three year* past
and very many buildings have been constructed in whole or m
part of tins stone, which is found to stand the test of , mr severe
weather perfectly. Among the buildings so constructed are the
elegant dwelling of II. B. Horton, No. 93 Calumet avenue; he
beautiful dwelling, sidewalk, and door-yard fence, all of F,
Stone, on Indiana avenue, near Twelfth street, belonging to Col
Fairer of the Chicago Evening Journal; two elegant dVelhW
belonging to Benj. Lombard, Esq., on Kankakee ave Z , nd
Twentieth street. Blocks of dwelling, on Michigan and Wabaeh

19

avenues trimmed of the stone; the Market, corner Adams and
State streets ; the elegant five-story building on Wells street,
near Randolph, belonging to the Mutual Life Insurance Co.,
one of the finest buildings in the city, and an honor to that old
and sterling company; the elegant residence, with door-yard
fence, of Hon. C. K Holden, on West Monroe street, this city ;
the immense new Asylum building, five-stories, erected the past
season in the North division ; two dwellings for Prof. Sawyer,
near the Chicago University and numerous of other buildings,
all of which proves that the capitalists, practical men, and men
of science are thoroughly satisfied of its very great value. And
for beauty it is not surpassed by the highest wrought specimens
of the justly celebrated Portland Brown Stone, coming from the
chisel of the most skillful artist. We hail this as one of the
most valuable inventions of the age. The company manufac-
turing in this city, and who we learn have purchased the right
for this State, are composed of some of our wealthiest and most
substantial citizens, and the manufacture is prosecuted on a large
scale.

We learn that several of the Southern States are sold, and
portions of several of the Northern States, and that at New
Orleans, St. Paul, in Iowa, Michigan, Toledo, Ohio, and many
other places, extensive works are already established, and many
public buildings have been, and are now, in progress of erection
of the Frear Stone, such as the extension of the State House at
Jackson, Miss., the State Public Buildings, Governor and Sec-
retary of State's dwellings at Lincoln, Nebraska. Extensive
works are to be started at once in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

We were shown elegant window-caps of various designs,
which the company sell from $12 to $20 each, which cannot be
had in cut-stone from the quarries for less than from $40 to $80
each; and we are assured by the superintendent of the
works that very large profits are made even at these low prices.
It seems that the invention has really robbed nature of one of
her most valuable secrets, for it is impossible to detect the differ-
ence in the formation of this stone from the Portland Brown
Stone, and it can be manufactured with equal facility in any lo-
cality where sand, or sand and gravel can be obtained. This is

20

surely an age of progress, and it is evident that the native rocks
are to be permitted to quietly repose in their beds, and sleep the
sleep of ages ; and the sand hills of our country, hitherto deemed
asleep, are to be converted into elegant building stone, and thus
by the cheapness of production render it possible for the man of
limited means to decorate his home. And thus by a higher
order of architecture, to embelish our cities and towns, "and
elevate the taste of the people.

From The Standard.

A 1 S2? AP AKD VAL UABLE BUILDING MiTERlVT
FOR CHUCHES, PARSONAGES, ETC., THE S
ARTIFICIAL STONE. *KEAR

ne?' T 18 ^ SagC ^ GVer Hved ' once wrote > "there is nothing
new under the sun," but had he lived in this nineteenth center*
we fancy he would somewhat modify his declarations. lie i v

We referred to material things, or possibly to abstract princ Z
and lmm table , Be . t a§ . t m th / P phj

^ sorely not characteriaed by the rapid progress in the art
md sciences which is the wonder and admiration of all th lk i g
mina& ot this present age. "«.«"g

We are led to these flw reflections from bavin* (whil* h.

vcij/ great sui prise on learnino- that th* r^^ i

manuftcTuTed tl Te r ' ^'"M"". >* »'« it was al
-a KrT^ST °*°i*ton from our lake shore

into the «XZ££ TZtT " 1 a ° earM8t "">"->'
an intense iJlZZl Z ttC » T '*' M<i "" fo "" d
shore, where ,] le Frea ,. o " 71 ^ "^ ° D ""= lake

atone „f ft. , nosl ^^^W^T"**-** I—
wnieh e„, We8 ttem to „££ £^^£3

21

any size or architectural designs, at prices so far below native
cut-stone work as to utterly defy competition; and the Frear
Stone now having been exposed to the tests of our severe win-
ters during the past three years, is proved not only to endure the
weather perfectly, but continually grows harder from exposure
to the atmosphere, in the degree of time and exposure. We are
pleased to note that this is the invention of one of our citizens
—Mr. Geo. A. Frear; and while standing by and witnessing the
manufacture of an elegant key-stone, with large, raised figures
on its face, and a cornice finish, all made in fifteen minutes,
which would employ a stone-cutter from one to two days to chisel
the same, and also elegant window and door-caps, costing in
native stone from $40 to $125, each manufactured in the Frear
Stone more perfect in finish than can possibly be cut by an ordi-
nary workman and at a cost less than one-fourth of the cost of
native stone, actually sold for from $30 to $40, we were actually
forced to the conclusion that in giving the world the advantage
of his ideas, Mr. Frear is entitled to the appellation of a public
benefactor.

The Frear Stone Manufacturing Company of this city, having
for its President the Hon. John M. Wilson, is composed of some
of our wealthiest and most substantial citizens. The Company,
we learn, has purchased the right for this State, and propose to
sell county rights, reserving Cook county for their own manu-
facturing operations, and indeed have already sold some county
rights, and manufactories are already established in different
parts of the State. We also learn that the original owners of
the patent have sold several State rights, and that already there
are over thirty extensive manufactories in successful operation in
different parts of the country.

No man of sagacity can look upon this enterprise but with
favor, for it offers to furnish a building material ecpally as sub-
stantial as stone, and much more so than brick, and at much less
cost, and the sand banks of our country, which have hitherto
been considered of no value, can now by this invention be utilized
and converted to valuable purposes.

00

From the Chicago Real BsUtC ami Baildtag Jounul.

BUILDING MATERIAL— ANCIENT AND MODERN.

Ever since Cain went out from his father's house to the land

of Nod, and "builded a city," the subject of a cheap, substantial,

and durable building materia], has engrossed the attention of

architects, bnildere and property owners, for however prolific a

ri..n of country may be in the products of the soil, 'and I
is the real, substantial wealth of any country,) in cannot be peo-
pled and wealth extracted from the soil, withoul \ stantial,
and comfortable houses for the people. Experience t« I hat
the balloon style of modern houses, which w the
earlier settlers in the West, and such as are still being built in
many places, instead of promoting either public or private inter-
ests, is quite the reverse, and in the end is a detriment to the
interests of all. It is not always the cheapest building wL
costs the least possible sum to erect. A wise man builds not
himself alone, but for those who .ball come after him, and b< ,. „„,
the inheritors of his (it may be) hard earned fortune. The trav-
eler, in passing through a section of country, judges of the
character of its people, their habits of thrift, their intelligence
energy and enterprise, entirely by the class of buildings and
le of architecture of their towns and cities, and so indites
correctly, and if he is seeking a location for a home for himse
or lor a suitable place to make investments in business, he past
by those places where cheap wooden houses of no architectural
design is displayed ; and on entering a town or city wh, *e stret
however few or short they may be, are lined on either side with
substantial stone or brick buildings, he says to himself, -here
are men of energy and enterprise, and I will cast in my lot with
them;-here my property, if invested in merchandise, will be
comparatively safe from fire-no danger that the busing an!
prospenty of th* town will be interrupted by a conflagration

which would destroy a < w „ „ town , in an }wU] . ..

What does this argue? That real estate is rendered valuable
or invaluable, in and about a town or city according to the •
of architecture and durability of its structures. Thi w thi k
wdl not be denied by any man of judgment, but the V v 'ret
expense necessary to be incurred in the erection of st eW 1

23

dings, has nearly precluded its use in our country, except by
capitalists in our large cities. And although a substantial house
may be built of brick, it is not susceptible of any architectural
embellishment without the great cost of cut stone trimmings,
which few, comparatively, at least, can afford.

Again, we have in this country no first-class building stone,
except granite, and the cost of working and transporting that is
too great to be indulged in except by men of large means. The
lime stones which are classed under the general name of marbles,
used quite extensively in this city and throughout this and other
States for building purposes, are found to disintegrate rapidly on
the outer surface of the buildings, rendering it necessary to paint
them. This, therefore, is not in as good favor as formerly. The
native sand stones of Ohio and the West are loose and friable,
and in using them for building purposes, great care must be
taken, in dressing the stone as it comes from the quarry, to
follow the lines of stratification, that it may lay in the building
as it lay in its quarry-bed. Else it will rapidly disintegrate and
destroy the beauty of the building, if not the structure itself.
So it is with the beautiful Portland brown stone, so extensively
used in New York, Philadelphia, and other Eastern cities, and
all of these stones are seriously affected by the frosts of our
severe Northern winters.

Yet, after all, a stone house is the best that can be built, and
can be adorned by architectural skill to render it more beautiful
than one of brick or wood, and many more would be erected
were it not for their great cost.

In view of all these facts which we have adverted to, repeated
efforts have been made from time to time by men of science and
genius, to invent and manufacture an artificial stone which
should possess all the good qualities of native rock, such as
strength, beauty and durability, and at the same time be manu-
factured so cheaply, that a person of limited means could well
afford to indulge in the luxury of a substantial and beautiful
stone dwelling or business house.

But all such efforts proved abortive, and while we have ever
taken a deep interest in the success of such efforts, we cannot
avoid expressing our disapprobation of the measures adopted,

24

and the haste manifested by the owners of those patents in fore
ing the sale of worthless patents upon the public. But we con-
gratulate the public upon the tact that all but one of these
imposition are out of the way. The one to which we refer is
the so-called "Beton Coignet Agglomerate," which is being so
extensively advertised in this country as a French invention" It
is a most remarkable fact that all that has ever been done or
attempted with this, in this country, is to extensive! v and expen-
sively advertise it, which looks to us a good deal like a debate
attempt to sell a worthless patent foralargesum of mone^ S
we , prete iid to know of the "Beton Coignet," we getherftL the
published advertisements concerning it, and from the 2 nt
papers copies of which we have before us. And first it s "
very singular that the patent office will grant letters na LTf
an article that is as old as our countrv Yes ZT ? t ,
*r all there is to this wonderful SL^tf £* ° ml'
ment and sand, made into the consistency of morta „d "d"
died into a box and allowed to stand until it shall", I l
set sufficiently as to remove the boards. I^tot c^edTS

Z^^zsrzz~r mi and h «

U ... fi or not lt 1S true houses can be built of

solid mass of concrete nreciia.lv ;„ !? com P ]ete , «"<! become one
have been built inTbis c ,v R^V T' """"<' aS lw —
country at times ^SiSSi£LZ 12^ "
tery to us how men can have th, a ~ ent ' Andltlsa '»}s-

credulity of m M by °^™ « ™ P-— •*. A.
an entirely worthless article and indeed . CO " M "' e ,obe
judge from tbc e.abora.e ad^er 1S e m t, ' he •> ? t™ o" a ''' e *°
is of far less value tban the oldTsWon'cd C ° iplCt "

fact ,ba. any man can in any pfacf * c -1 ™T n' & ° m "' e
concrete, while the "Beton" ,.! . , tar house of t] 'e

ehinery, which rendeS TJ^fb. XT * T 1 - -
noeans to obtain- for be H borSma ^ J^^

25

erected and set up on the spot where the building is to be erec-
ted, for mixing and puddling purposes.

After all these repeated attempts and failures, it remained for
Mr. George A. Frear to unlock nature's laboratory and take from
thence the hidden secret that had been so securely kept since
the creation, and himself (and what he does any man can do
after a few day\s experience, the process being so simple and
inexpensive,) manufacture from sand as its base, a stone as beau-
tiful as the most elegantly wrought specimen of the justly
celebrated Portland brown stone, and so closely resembling it in
its geological formation, that the eye of the closest critic cannot
detect the manufactured from the native stone.

It is now about four years since Mr. Frear made his discovery,
and three years since the stone has been exposed in buildings,
etc., and has proven in all respects, we believe, fully equal to all
that is claimed for it by the owners of the patent, and within the
past two years has come rapidly into use, and now the " Frear
Stone" has become an established article of trade in this city
and many other parts of the country. The Frear Stone Manu-
facturing Company of this city, is composed of some of our
wealthiest, most enterprising and substantial citizens, and they
are carrying on the manufacture on an extensive scale, as is
shown by the scores of first-class buildings in our city, among
which are the elegant five-story building of the Mutual Life
Insurance Company, on Wells street; the immense Asylum
Building, live-stories high; the elegant dwellings of Hon. C. K
Holden, II. B. Horton, Esq., and Col. Farrer's beautiful house
on Indiana avenue.

This stone resists the action of the atmosphere perfectly, and
in every case has been found to increase in hardness from month
to month, and from year to year in proportion to its exposure to
atmospheric influences. It perfectly resists the action of acids
and alkalies, which will entirely disintegrate any of the native
stones.

We have watched with a great degree of interest the intro-
duction and progress of this invention, fully realizing the im-
mense value of the patent should it prove a success, as it has.

26

TESTS AND TESTIMONIALS.

The most satisfactory evidence of the value of the Frear
Stone, is the official indorsement by scientific men, our archi-
tects and experts. Some of these we give below, and first the
certificate of the Ordinance Officer, referred to in the foregoing.

[ceetifcate a. copy.]

Ordinance Office, Navy Yakd, )
Washington, D. C., March 10th, 1869. j
The following are the results of a test of building material,
presented by Mr. Charles Holland, of Chicago, through Mr.'
David A. Burr, and called by him, Frear Stone:

Height- Base. Depth.

Cube— 1 in. 27 x 1 in.30 x 1 in.29

Compression. Strength.

} ; 270 1000 «.

1 "270 2000 „

\ " -'•"' 3000 «

J "g* 4000 «

J ' 265 500() „

1 "265 6000 «

Crushed. .6050

a

The specimen was not an exact cube as is seen above -the
measurements indicate the position of the stone in the machine
when crushed. W. R. Rra*E,

[Seal.] Com'd'r U. S. Navy and Inspector of Ordinance.

The following letter from Mr. Burr, is corroborative of the
copy of the certificate abo-

CERTIFICATE B. COPT.

Office of David A. Bub*.
Counsellor at Law and Solicitor of Patents
Corner Seventh and F. Streets,
Washington, D. C, 13th March, 1869.
Chas. IIollavd, E>,-I sent you by express, v,,terdav, the
Official report Of the Ordinance officer at the Navy Yard reject-
tag the test „f the Frear Stone. The report is full, a n i I
compamed by specimens taken from the cube crashed, so that

27

the identification thereof is complete. I deem this important,
in order to remove all possibility of question as to what manner
of stone was crushed, and to prove to all interested that the test
was applied to your ordinary material, and not to a special
manufacture thereof.

I am greatly pleased with the result of the test. Any stone
which will carry 6000 ft>s. upon a cube of an inch and a quarter
is unquestionably good for the severest requirements of archi-
tecture. With kind regards, yours truly,

[Signed,] David A. Burr.

State of Illinois,
County of Cook, City of Chicago, f Chicago, Jan. 2, 1870.

I, J. Appleton Wilson, a notary public duly commissioned in and
for the City of Chicago, and County of Cook, and State of Illi-
v do hereby certify that I have read the original certificate of
. Ii. Reese, Commander U. S. Navy and Inspector of Ordinance,
dated March 10th, 1869, giving the results of a test of the Frear
Stone, and the copy on the foregoing sheet, marked A, is a cor-
rect copy of the same. I have also read the original letter of
David A. Burr, and the foregoing copy marked B, is a correct
copy thereof.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed
my notarial seal, at Chicago, this second day of Jan., A. D. 1870.
[seal.] J. Appleton Wilson, Notary PubUe.

Office of E. Burling, Architect, )
Mercantile Building, 110 LaSalle Street, v
Chicago, June 3, 1868. )

Illinois Artificial Stone Company ;

Gents: I take pleasure in saying in reply to your note ask-
ing for my opinion of the "Artificial Stone," as manufactured by
your Company, at Hyde Park, that, in my opinion, you have fully
succeeded in producing a durable and beautiful building material,
and easily fabricated into the most elaborate forms, enabling the
architect to introduce variety and ornament in his designs, with-

28

out the great expense of cutting them from stone. I would also
say that after a very careful examination of the stone manufac-
tured by you, and to be used in the front of the building now in
process of erection, it will be both elegant and durable, and will
fully answer all the purposes which are claimed for it.

E. Burling, Architect.

Office of Cochrane & Piqcenard, Architects, )
32, 33 and 34 Lombard Block, ' (•
Chicago, June 4, 1868. j

(*eo. A. Frear, Esq., Sup't III. Artificial Stone Co.

Dear Sir : Having examined and thoroughly tested " Frear's
Patent Artificial Stone," manufactured by your Company, we
have become so satisfied with our experiments as to its durability
and so much pleased with its beauty for a building material, that'
we have induced Mr. H. B. Horton to enter into contract with vou
for the erect.cn of a first-class dwelling, now being erected" on

strtr i ""'"I 16 ' betWeen T ™^-second and Twenty-third
st eets, the contract to include all the window and door caps and

£K Z£L T 7 d the -*• ash,ar front - We — SS

the best article for fronts ever introduced, and shall endeavor to
encou rage you in its manufacture by introducing it in our u tu e
building operations. Yours respectfully,

Cochrane & Piqcenard, Architects.

nave had charge of thp\r trm-i™ of xr i -r> i » v,umpan\, I
Acuity in maki,,,. ft. J'l '*" com P li ™i«» or <lif.

re-La b ; k cii tss Tr f " ■"•"^ "•"" ,ut

<tuurers. I am now superintending Hie

29

erection „f 8ome building of this stone of our own manufacture
and have hud Metsioo to cut the blocks in „m, place*, ami Bud
that although those cut had not been made Longer than four
, yet they cut as hard as any building Ston< I in

this city— and some of rhem as hard as granite. I have entire
confidence in the - Frear Stone' 1 to answer the purpose required

ct any native itona Prom the taet that ire depend frhoflj Q]
the atmosphere and etafeeali to harden H, I believe it uill per

fectly and forever resist those atmospheric influence* whirl! will

dissolve all native rocks. Very raspectfhllj

Aako.v J. OoQDBK

Chicago, Dec. 12, L86&

•• A. Fkkak, Esq.— Dmr Sir ; Having „,,.,( t | lr .. |. V ,. ;tr

Artificial Brows Stone" in buildings Ihe peel leason, 1 tak p]
ure in bearing testimony to its peal ralueasabuildinj rial.

It is both elegant and durable, ami being so readily im

into elegant forms, enables the architect to elabon
and thus produce a higher order of architecture at much
expense than formerly, and I shall with pleasure lend mv influ-
ence for its general adoption. T. V. Wai^ki

j/v////,,7\ Boom 14, (hWi /:>n/,/nnj.

Office, 15 Portland Block, )

( HICAOO, June 4 1 5

Chas. Holland, President:

Dkak Sir: I have examined and experimented wit!
men of the stone manufactured by the Illinois Artit
Company, and subjected it to chemical tests to determine
value as building material in resisting atmospheric inhY lfM l

I find that it stands the test equal to the best Athens marble.
which is extensively used in this State, and I will use my influ-
ence to have it adopted in place of either native stone or brick
in the erection of dwellings, office buildings and fronts.

L. B. Dixon, Architect db Sujperintoident.

30

Chicago, Dec. 12, 1868.
Geo. A. Feeae, Esq.— D<. ; Having used the '-Frea\

Artificial Stone" in the erection of our large market building
corner of State and Adams Sts., this city, it gives us pleasure to
say that we are perfectly satisfied with the stone in evervparfc
ular, and we believe it superior, under all considerations" to any
other building material in use. Schubehak & AIelick

Chicago MarUe Works, cor. Clark and Adand Su.

Office of Meeiam & Xocquet )
Room 43, Reynold's Block, ' (.
Chicago, March 22, 1869.
C Holland Eso.-Vear Sir: We have made a thoroU
examination of the Frear Stone, and we have already ad-.pted i
for some buddings, and intend to do so in the future. It is l ]
supermr to many kinds of building stone in use, and fully e , ,uu
to ny, for any purpose whatever. It has a superior compactnes
and consequently is entirely impervious to dampness ah of

S^ea ♦ ^ ^ Strength ' d ^ anCe ' eheapn'es and durl
bihty, cannot fad to cause a great demand for it

Very respectfully, Meeiam & fr*^

Architects and Superintendent*.

Office of F. & E. Baukak, Aechitects, )
lot. W ashington Street, (•

j« a ftM , Es ,, & x:i Marci1 15 ' 1869 ' '

chemical action, uiH.n whieh tl.o l.o ,i • ■ icsiilt. Hie

takes place so , ro Z 1 v that ^eni^g P roce * s * Copending,
W a degree of KEL^ST^ PC,WBl * * Week «*■• ^b"

builder toempttl ml •^ , *** ^ e " able a »*
CU1 P">J tiiem, even m that earlv ateta mi i

appear quite as hard as other stone ? • '' ^"^

81

durability, tin; chemical combinations brought about is such at to
randtir it permanent, and indistructable byatm< i influeno

To give evidence of our faith in the stone,

luivc adopted it. for the entire front of a li-
on Wells street, for the Mutual Life Insurance I

pectfully yours, K. A K. Bai mux,

Ksmrs. Hollakd, Fbulb A Wilson. Dear Sin ; \' the
fire which destroyed our pattern shop and ol led

to pieces, marble cracked In ei erj direction, and a large pie< i
Connecticut brown stone wasentireh decomposed, large Bam]
of Ransome stone, and samples of the Union stone, of Boston,
lost their bond andpr tlie In-at and water, and prere complete
disintegrated, becoming sufficiently sofl to be crushed readily by
pressure in the band.

The Bectiou of 1 'rear Stoi I \ near I : Bee, after b
heated to a \\ bite heat and then played upon b
from the engines, still stands, ami : monus

the superiority of Fn ar Stone and*

I am \ i n ctfully. E rw A. Bui

Lotna] \.\ \ I i; i LB 8 I

\ ' i \ 1 1 pi B, l B7<

Messbs, Bollard, I ; li\i: & WiLi I Acknowl-

edging your favor of the 24th ult., and pursuant to your r
we thii daj send by i i pictures and frai

Engine I [ouse.

We have the satisfaction of obe that the Fin

that building stands perfectly well, and a;
it ought to establish full confidcm ■<• in the minds of the pub!
of its utility as a Building Material.

We have other buildings in hand, in a I
which we hope will proi e b

Very reepectftally you

Nxwroa R]

32

Indianapolis, Jan. 21, 1868.
Friend Boyden : Some parties have been putting the Frear
Stone to a severe test to-day. They first boiled it in water for
four hours without any visible effect, and heated other pieces to
a red heat and then plunged them in water, but not a single
grain separated from the mass, or a single crack appeared. I
must confess I held my breath when I saw it drawn from its
bath, and was most agreeably surprised at the result. Tell
Holland "Frear Stone" is a brick. A. J. Elder.

Office South Park Commissioners, )
Chicago, Jan. 6, 1871. )
Hon. Geo. H. Thacher, Mayor, etc., Albany, N. Y.

Dear Sir : By request of Chas. Holland, Esq., of
this city, I write to inform you that I am familiar with the in-
troduction and use of the Frear Stone in this city, and have
taken pains to investigate its merits, and do not hesitate in the
least to add my testimony to its great value. I have deter-
mined upon using it for catch basins and inverts to sewers to
drain Boulevard and Park. From experiments which have
been made I think it is as durable as brick, or perhaps natural
stone, and considering its cost, smoothness and durability it will
prove a good substitute for brick or other material for perma-
nent sewers. Respectfully, Geo. W. Waite,

Chief Engineer South Park.

„ . . Chicago, Jan. 19. 1871.

lo whom tt may concern :

The undersigned takes measure in saying that he has
used the Frear Stone in various ways in the construction of
buddings from their foundations, during the past four vears, and
has been familiar with the manufacture and use of the stone in
this city, in buildings, sewerage, side walks, mastic, etc., and is
frank to say it stands all tests put to it perfectly I consider it
a very valuable discovery, and think it will take the place of
natural stone, to a large extent, for the purposes mentioned.

O. L. Wheklock,
Architect and Superintendent.

88

SEA WALLS, CULVERTS, ETC.

We confidently affirm that there is do natural stone that can
be made as readily available for culverts for railroads, for sea
walls or dockage, as the Frear Artificial Stone; for from experi-
ments made by specimens <>f the stone having laid in the water,
both $UU and running, for over two years, they have been in-
variably found to be hard as granite, and not to have suffered
the least abrasion or disintegration, and its cheapness of manu-
facture admits of its being fashioned into blocks closely fitting
eachother, thus constructing a solid stone wall, avoiding the
enormous expense incident upon quarrying and cutting native
rock.

3

%

I

ENGINE HOUSE, NEW ORLEANS, FRONT OF FREAR STONE ENTIRE.

diii^illft 1

/

O
2J

F ;;:

LOMBAKD BLOCK, TOLEDO, OHIO.
FRONT ENTIRE OF THE CELEBRATED FREAR STONE.

*3

BUILDING Or THE MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, CHICAGO

'

WINDOW CATS.

I

I •

SIDEOFCAP

CORBAL

5IDEOFKEY

TILEING FOB CELLARS, ETC.

Section Showing Panel'd Ashlers
with Vermiculated Pier & Scroll

Section or Wall Show/ng Cove Joint

Section or Wall Showing Ashler with Rustic Joint

END VIEW

PANEL FENCE WITH OPEN PANEL

FENCING 4FTHIGH WITH CAP a*o SILLS IF! THICK

STONE STOOP WITH NEWELL POST

WINDOW SILL 4 F 1 6 BY 8

ill

P

WINDOW SILL WITH LUGG 6 BY 8

H

i

WATER TABLE 6 BY

DOOR SILL 6 F T BY 20 INCH ESS. 6 INCHES THICK

t<2 I.

CHIMNEY TOPS

N2 2.

s//v/<

WELLS.

MAN TRAPS

p*