TnE OMAHA DAILY REE: PrNDAY. ATEIL IT. 1004.
2
ClirS C05TR0L OF BUILDING
OfGaan n Thorn tb &Mpont bilty for
Pcblw Bsrty Earu.
roun inspectors are provided tor
Ba11ta, F.ltrtl. Plaasfctwa- eat
Her FljTt. ki F.iUrrr Lawa
aa llea-wlaltaae la Taelr
IrimJ Liar.
Responsibility tor the Inspection of buiid
tnr and to fuarantee their proper con
struction la vested In Irur city officer,
one. th bulldin- Inspector being elective
and the other. ety electrician, rwller In
spector and plumWng: Inspector, etnc p
palntlva by the mayor with the adric and
oonaent of tba council. Tb buildin- Is
apector and city electrician are paid a
alary of CM a year each, and tha
boiler Inspector and tha plumhtnn tnsi-ector
reoelv tl.MO a year each. The building In
spector, by arrans;eroent of the mayor and
council, has one assistant who draw 1
a month, and a clerk who draw the same,
and perform tha ofOne work for the boiler
and plambinc Inspector. Tha cJty elec
trician, by similar arrangement, Lai on
assistant receiving W.81 a month and a
stenographer paid M) a month.
The offloe of building inspector la cre
ated for tha purpose of anforclng all or
dinance pertaining t party wall or the
ractlon, construction, alteration, removal
or repair of an bulldlnr. According to
tli charter the Inspector shall "provide
ftor th removal of all dangerous build
ing and for the condemnation and re
nova of any building when the same shall
bava beea damaged iy fire, drear or other
wise.' When the damage has readied
per cent, even though the building Is In
m tmmlnent danger of collapse. It ha
been the custom of th department V
consider destruction warranted. Before
th building 1 torn down tanctlon must
be obtained from th advisory board, whcli
always gives two weeks' Unit for the
owner to be beard before authorising
actual demolition. In some caes the costs
of removal ar taxed against the owner.
which proceeding Is authorized by the
charier. In all cane the owner li lirsi
given a chance to do th work himself.
BaUdta la.pector'a Baslaess.
The building Inspector 1 directed by tha
charter, also, to enforce the ordinances
' regulating house movers and prescribe the
kinds of building that can be moved In
the different parts of the city; also to
regulate the raising and lowering of build
ing In th Are limit. Th ordinance de
fining the fire limit ar to be enforced by
thl department.
Permission to do any of the following
must first be obtained through the offioe
of the building Inspector. To erect,
change, alter or repair any building or
tructure; to occupy any part of the street
or alley adjoining property on which Im
provements ar contemplated or being
made; to authorise and allow any licensed
housemover to move a building along or
across any street or alley; to use space
under th street, alley or sidewalk for
areaway. stairway or vults, and to con
struct and erect sign and billboard; to
rnstan plumbing and to operate steam
boilers and elevator.
Coooarnlng new building, the first duty
o tha Inspector Is to carefully examine
th plana and specifications, which In all
vw uim ucxurv a permit is
Issued, -and ascertain that th proposed
structure shall have sufficient strength;
that means of egress and Ingress are suf
ficient and that tha sanitary arrangements
are proper. After the permit la Issued and
tha building under way tha inspector or
his assistant make frequent examinations
to discover whether or not the wort la
being executed according to the plans on
Me in his office and to prosecute person
found violating the building ordinances.
In this oast tha permit is immediately re
voked and th owner, agent or contractor
directed to cease operations until further
notio attar be has oomplied with the
laws.
Details af His Daty.
Tba matter of fir escapes comes partly
under the building inspector's duties, and
be is required also to know that theaters
uiner puuuc ouuaing ar in condition
io resist fir and for th prompt expulsion
f as many persons as they will hold. In
all departments of his work, constant vlgi
lanoe is necessary in order that violations,
which ar frequent and eonitant, may be
checked.
Th building ordinances proper consist
f ninety sections governing th follow-
. lng: direction, alteration or repair of
any buildings, anchored walla, areawaya,
which must have railing; awnings, brick,
as to their sis and quality; brick piers
under girders, brick fluea, thickness of
brick walla, boiler room a, projection of
bow window and balconies, "cornice on
brick building, columns In brick building,
chimneys, as to else, localon and coping;
also when dangerous; coal holes, division
wall, elevator shafts, which must hsva
Bra proof doors, automatic rails, gate.
. ate.; exits of public buildings, excavations
buildings, foundation, fire proof par
tfc s and celling, construction of fur
ace pipes, setting of furnaces, fireproof
loora and abutters, how floor Joists are
to, be cut, fir escapes and ladders, slse
f framing timbers, heighth of fences,
keighth of buildings, how hot air pipe
hall be put in, arrangement of wood and
Iron lintels, strength of materiala, en
Hoaing stairway, protection to smok
tlpes, theaters, theater exit a, eiagea, cur
tain, weight to be allowed on floors,
eating and others pertaining to detail.
Corbin's
Locks
Do You
This b a
fit Latest
Jas. Morton & Son Co.
1511 Dodge St.
i
I
! Contractors' Builders' Hardware Nu and
Supplies Sash Weights
sltogeTher making small parted volume,
whir Tray b bad cm sppll'tnon to tht
building department.
Llertrlrtaa Peealtar Fra !.
Tli first and foremost purpose of th
electrical department Is to control elec
tric Installation rf all kind for the pur
pose of safety to life and property, it I
also made the duty of the department by
charier to have charge of all electrical
wcrt done bv. or performed for. the dry
with a view of Injuring tht all contract
niot with the city by private corpora
tion are pr:perly fulfilled in the true
spirit and Intent of th contract A rec
ord la mode In the office of every Installa
tion for electric airing for IikM, heat or
power, and for each new Installation a per
mit is fued lor such work awd same I In
spected when finished and before current
cannot be applied.
The law provide that all electrical In
stallations for lipht, heat and power he re
inspected t lest once each year. Thl
law I carried out to th fullest extent the
time of th department will permit, and
Improvements en old Installation ar or
dered from time to time.
All outside wiring, overhead as well a
underground, come under the Jurisdiction
of thl depsrtment, and all such wiring U
inspected when installation Is made, a
well as from time to time. With regard to
the theater of the city Inspection of the
permanent wiring Is mde about twice a
year while all electrical apparatus of
traveling: rompe-nies I Inspected before the
performance 1 given.
PlaBBBilag mmi Boiler.
Tha law makes the building inspector th
superior of the plumbing and boiler In
spector, but gives him no Jurisdiction over
the city ehictrician. All plumbers allowed
to do buaines In the city must first be
licensed after passing an examination la
fore a board of plumbers., appointed by the
mayor, of which the plumbing Inspector 1
one. Before any plumbing work 1 done
permit must lie obtained by application 1o
the plumbing Inspector, who must examine
and approve the work. The boiler inspec
tor hss to 1e?rt all siesm boilers In the city
and examine engineers and elevator con
ductor a to their fitness for such tasl.s
No boiler may lie operated without bis
certificate or sr.y stntlonary engineer or
leva 1 or conductor allowed to perform
such duties without a license from the
boiler lnppector.
In all crises smsll fees are required for
permits, eifihllns esrh t f?."e to pay Its own
expenses and in addition contribute silently
to the revenues of the city.
MUCH PAINT BEING SPREAD
Omaha Pe-eple 4re Brlrbelag Their
Homes by Pleatlfal Tee
of Colors.
Chester C. Clark, mannrer of the paint
department of the Myers-PIllon Drug com
pany, says:
"If any one In Omaha Is contemplating
painting, ther was never a more oppor
tune time, for the very simple reason that
the price of paint Is exceptionally low.
A great many people must have realised
this fact, for we are selling more paint
than we had any hopes of doing. Of course,
there is one thing that Influences this big
increase, and that Is that there Is so much
building going on; new houses must be
painted, and that makes the house next
door look a Httle old and shabby, so the
owner of It get busy and paints up also;
In fact, there seem to be a tacit under
standing amongst the home owners of
Omaha to get together and help beautify
the city. One of the jleasure of the at
tractive home Is occasional change and im
provement. Our bt'.Blness is increasing
steadily. There has not been a month thnt
has not shown a gain. It Is true that we
must also give credit to tha fact that wa
handle a paint thi.t 1 made by one cf tlie
most well known and thoroughly reliable
paint manufacturer In the country,
namely, Lowe Bros., whose every effort 1
to manufacture the best paint that time.
Intelligence, experience and money can pro
duce. Our stock Is complete in every de
tail. There is not a demand, no matter
how exacting, that we cannot filL This
ldoa we try to convey by the catch line In
our ads.. "Tte right paint for every pur
pose." Let us soy Just once more that there
1 no time from every standpoint like the
present to paint up.
ARCHITECTS ARE VERY BUSY
O flare ef AsT.rd a F.celleat
rrwaf at the Activity
EalstlaaT.
J. P. Quth, architect and superintendent,
located in the Paxton block, gave us one
of tha best evidence of th extent of th
building operation In Omaha by submitting
a list of some of the work he has under
way. Among it were ten residence, one of
which is to coat S5.S0Q, another to cost K 000
all of them modern in every respect.
There was also a two-story brick store and
bank building a two-story brick building
for one cf the Omaha breweries, and sev
eral brick building waiting for new brick,
and two pressed brick flat buildings, one a
double eight-room building, the other a
four-apartment six-room building, strictly
modern.
Oaal Del t ves far trt. Iaaila.
Miss Cora M. Strayer of Chicago say she
Is organizing In BU Louis a female detective
agency, the officer of which will be woman
exclusively. Miss Strayer 1 visiting In
Alton and makng dally trip to Bt. Lou for
the purpose of ierfectlng plans for starting
the agency. Miss Btrayer believes that a
woman Is better equipped to do detective
work than is a man and that her project
will he a success, especially during the
World s lair.
Want It?
L'nitn Lock
Idea In Locks
Tools
MATERIALS FOR BUILDINGS
S'.ane, Bric, Trm Oo:t and Ltn,b Hit
Fk'iiioni as Fad.
HOME-BAKED BRICK IN HIGH TAV0R
Mawt af Omaha' Saapllea Are Brwwaht
reaa ikrwi, bat Oaly tba
Best Material I 1 se
wy Bail a era.
In the billdlng of houses, stone, brick,
terra cotta. wood and Iron ar the prin
cipal factor, and In only one 1 Omaha
particularly fortunate. That la briok. Ex
cellent clay f.r pressed brick Is in abun
dance in Douglas county, while the other
material have to be hauled tor long dis
tances. The st on comes from various dis
tant places.
"Bedford stone is the only generally used
building stone." said J. E. Merriam. "There
la blue and buff Bedford, but lltU of the
first, which Is the harder, 1 brought to
Omaha The reason that this stone 1 so
atirfactory and o comparatively cheap 1
that it 1 of ao uniform quality and so
free from grit that It can be worked on
the planers very easily. Bandsione i so
gritty that It quickly use tip the machine.
Borne of the Black Hills stone would be
good but It contain pieces of Iron ore
and when the planer strike one of these it
knock the machine all to piece. Bedford
Is the best molded stone and th cheapest
molded stone because it Is so easily
worktd."
In past year a number of building
stone have been brought to Omaha ex
perimentally, and some of them have been
found fitted to the climate and other en
tirely useless. Tha red stone U9ed on the
building oocupied by the I'eople store and
the M. E. Pmlih building has crumbled
badly In this changing climate, while It wus
a good stone In some other localities. Most
of the red stone comee from Colorado and
from Lake Superior, the former supplying
the larger amount. From Mankato, Minn.,
comes a hard limestone which is consider
ably used for sill work. Cottonwood Fklls.
to the south, also supplies this ort of
stone. The library building used Hot
Springs stone, and this would probably be
popular but for It cost, due to the diffi
culty of pinning It, and to the freight.
Thl last consideration effects ail stone,
and because of the transportation stone Is
more expensive her thun In most cities
and ston building will continue to be
rare.
Omaha Pressed Brick.
The manufacture of brick ha broadened
very much In ten year. The clay of Doug
las county, while not so good for ordinary
brick a that found In many other places,
Is of the first quality for pressed brick.
The plant at Avery now turn out brick of
one son or another, ranging In catalogue
number from 130 to 7T7. Of course a large
number of these are molded brick. The
red pressed brick 1 made In five shades.
Fourteen year ago the manufacture of
pressed brick began in Omaha, and at that
tlnie nothing but the red brick were made,
tut now these have lost their popularity
end are little used, while the grey, buff
and mottled brick are used In almost every
new building. The light brick have been
made here for only about seven year. Be
fore that tlm they came from Bt. Louis
and Columbus, O. The lemon colored Mil
waukee brick ha never been popular here
and the Bchlltx hotel 1 the only large
building In which they were used. Roman
brick are the latest thing and are coming
to be very popular. They ar long and
thin and make a handsome wall. They
were first brought here from Columbus.
They ar made in red, buff, grey and mot
t cd. The urinary ilg.it bi.cte are buff,
iron spotted, light, medium and dark buff;
light, medium and dark grey and mottled
grey. These different colors are gained by
using local clay with different amounts
of Imported clay, by artificial coloring and
by the introduction of iron to make spot.
No. B7S i th most expensive of these
bricks and i the sort of which th Ben
nett store is made.
One of the principal reasons for the de
cline of the red brick Is the alkali which
it contain. When there have been con
tinued rains the red brick walls become
white with this alkali and sometime re
ma lh so nearly the entire year. The mak
ers of the light brick guarantee them to be
free from this objection. Style has more
to do with it than anything else. Grey
brick ar the newest thing and the man
who Is to build must have them.
Molded Brick a Trtwsss.
Th greatest advance in 'the brlck
tnaker' art ha been in molded brick.
Ten years ago they were not generally
used In the west, at least, while now no
good Job is done without them. They ere
made for Jamb work and for cornice and
the regular design carried in stock are
numerous. These brick almost equal some
of the terra cotta work and are as durable
and much cheaper. Th brick ar molded
solid, while the terra cotta ha a core.
The brick have many advantage for oor
nloe. The galvanised iron cornice is the
cheapest, but has a life when well cared
for of only twelve ar fifteen years. Th
brick are second in expense. Btone and
terra cotta are higher in price and cost
about the same. The disadvantage in
terra cotta is that the price varies con
siderably without any apparent reason.
trick, according to the contractors. Is
growing In favor yearly. Hardly any
house is now put up costing more than
111). (Hie that ia not built of brick or atone.
As lumber continues to Increase in cost,
aa the brick men say It will, the other ma
terials will get somewhat cheuir, so
these maintain, the result i obvious
Terra Tatta a Fashionable Favarite.
Terr cotta 1 nowadays on of th most
used and most effective building material
wc have. It comes in almost any color
and glaaing and is modeled into th most
intricate design for building work. The
burning of clay for this purpose is no new
tiling, but th present high state of per
fection Is a matter of memory with most
men. Th use of it ha increased very
rapidly and it is pressing stone very hard,
at least In section of th country to which
the natural material ha to b carried for
long distances. Terra cotta is probably
one-half lea in cost than It was ten years
ago and the increase In Its use has been
during thl period. Th cost still remains
higher than could be wished, and this is
due to the large amount of lua In making
and burning th clay. Crooked burning
la th greatest fsult and sometimes a high
per cent of a kiln will b ruined. Then the
shade and quality may not be uniform.
But th manufacturer are alway at
work and the defect are gradually be
ing passed behind.
The American terra cotta industry is
largely centered in Ohio and Illinois, but
it fiourlanea wherever the proper clay la
found. England was the birthplace of til
making. Borne adventurous English manu
facturer put a few rude line of terra
cotta on th market and la u-r enamelel
bricks. The were accepted and copied
and a fair degree of excellence reached.
About fifteen year ago the first terra
cotta was made in this country. The Amer
icas manufacturers ground their brains for
new Ideaa, while the Englishmen were
thoroughly pleased with their jittery work,
so that now tb American output I far
uperlur, and iom of the foreign 1 im
ported They had a struggle tt first and
er Im.g in geutng a uniform gUtx and
one which would stand the earner.
Orl It la Aay rt!ar.
Th natural eUur oi terra cotta la almost
lwj dark red or gildn buff. The
cluy is burred In the rnuth, and then the
bisque is enameled im -.he color added
They are glased in almost any shsfle. A
bu.lding lately finished c-n I'ougla street
1 noticeable as the only structure In loan
having a hite terra ctta This w mde
by taking ground porcelain and cover. i.g
the terra cotta and burning and glaaing it
precisely a an ordinary porcelain plate is
made While the frt.nt cf this building
may grow dirty, so the dealer In these
building ware say. any g'od rain w .11
wash it clean. A man with soap end water
and a boatswain s chair muy wah It clean
Just as a dinner plate 1 wahed clean, and
the building will look new when It Is old.
a thing w hit h cannot le said of brick and
stone. The Tsxton blink was on of the
f.rst buildings In Omaha In which terra
cotta was used. From simple blocks the
manufacture has advanced until now very
large and ornamental blocks are built up
after th architect's specificationa These
are hollow and strengthened with ribs and
must be largely handwork. When th
molding is done, the finishing is mad by
an expert.
Coarrele la Madera Appllcatlaa.
Concrete Is entering every day more
largely Into th structure of buildings
Thi 1 particularly the caa with ware
house and other building In which
strength and durability are mora thought
of than aj'jtarance. In the east such build
ings have been made entirely of concrete,
being monoliths. This is a particularly
useful construction for cold storage houses.
The climate of Nebraska seems to disin
tegrate such construction and render it im
practical. What 1 called th reinforced concretf
floor 1 gaining favor In fireproof buildings.
It is very strong and is much cheaper than
the older form of fireproof floor. In the
latter form of construction fireproof tiling
is arched In between heavy steel 1 beam
The new Idea forms what Is In reality a
sus,,iilon floor. Bleel cable arc stretched
across the building where the floor I to
le, and tightened up with proper ma
chinery. On thee cable 1 laid a strung
wire mesh. A temporary tight wooden
floor is then Uiid under the cables and ce
ment pressed down and muae compact. A
tliickrieii of five Inches Is all that la re
quired to erve In storage room. The
cable being Imbedded in the cement will
not rut away. In the new sanitarium at
Batu Creek, Mich., floor KiUxT feet art
made In this way. The Lincoln Telephone
exchange, Just built, was fitted with these
floor by an Omaha concern
Terra cotta water coping 1 one of the
most useful Invention the builder has been
blessed with Vp to the time of their in
troduction It wa the custom to cover the
top of the brick walls with cement. This
cracked off after a time and exposed the
wall to damage. The tilea are made like
flattened half sections of drain tiles and
re laid along the top and are very effec
tive.
For five or six years the building ordi
nance have required the use of fireclay
flue linlnga. These come In pieces two
feet In length, and made a smooth inner
urface for the flue. Formerly cement was
used and soot ooliected on the rough sur
face. With the tile lining defective brick
work cannot cause a fir.
Substitutes for While Plae.
The feature of the lumber business Is
the substitution of other lumbers for whit
pine. Ten years ago the northern pine
in the upper grades was from 60 to 76
par cent cheaper than it i today, and
was used for almost every part of the
frame structure. The advance is due to
the great consumption which ha reduced
the forest. The price is so high that in
ferior pine was used and people began to
look about for other lumber. Tellow pine
has oome to be more extensively used and
has the advantage of not being easily ex
haustible. This pin 1 a trifle lower in
cost this year than last owing to an over
production. Tellow pine is now used In
very many way in which a few year
ago it would not have been considered.
Fir lumber from th Pacific coast ha come
to be used for porch flooring and other
places where it will be exposed to the
weather. It ha proved an admirable sub
stitute for the white pine. The great
change ha come in the matter of lap
siding. Where the lumber yards forroerly
carried only the different grade of white
pine Biding, they now hav fully ten dif
ferent woods and th various grade of
each. Among these are red wood, red
cedar, flr and cyprese. When pine began
to grow expensive many woods were tried
in an attempt to find a substitute. Borne
of these were found useless ia this climate
and others have proved to be a good or
better than th northern pine. All the
substitute are somewhat more expensive
tnan the pin wa formerly, but all are
very much lower In oost than it is now.
California red wood Is little used her
except In the sidings, but the red cedar has
found considerable use. Thi hi the cas
in shingle where the western wood ha
sold the northern out of the market. Fully
80 per cent of the shingles used during the
last eight years have been the red oedar
These are thought to be cheaper for the
money than the pin, and have aold Uie
latter out of business.
Had liawd la Desnaad,
The biiulng of better and finer flni.hed
house has brought th hard wood part of
the lumberman business much mor to
th front. Oak and other hard woods arc
growing in fsvor. The use of hard wood
Boor has been greatly Increased by the in
troduction a few year ago of thin quarter
sawed oak and other hard wood boarding.
Machinery was then perfected which would
turn out this perfectly matched flooring
with a thickness of only three-eighths of
an inch. The old flooring wa much
thicker and the change naturaily reduced
the price of a hard wood floor considertbly.
Th thin board can be laid over en old
floor or on the sub-floor of a new building.
There 1 little change In dimension lum
ber. Tellow pin is principally used and
will be In future.
An interesting development of mill work
Is the general use of th large colonial
porch column. The slender post of a few
year ago ha been largely superceded.
Borne of the lactone began th manufac
ture of the colonial column as a specialty
and so many of them went Into this line
that an over-prodiirtlon resulted and an
xK column Is row at first cost only t- 50 or
C7S. The factories build theae up from
scrap of lumber, and while they ar of
fine appearance they contain wood which
might otherwlae he wasted.
The factories have a large Burnt- of
pattern moldings and these ar !etng In
creased and Improved every year, so that
what wa the pet molding of a factory a
few year ago now gets the pining amlle.
Id tba making of doors the finer grade Is
put together with the lflea of the plat
glas panel. The sash nd door factories
are not snowed tinder with order now
they were last year, and ar filling them
with promptness.
Mart-lag Ureases.
fp to noon April 16 the following couple
had beet! licensed to wed:
Name and Kesidence. Ag
George A (SHllland Omaha
Cleo at. Kliiot, eimnna 3
One Kaaaiuwen, Osnaha h
KCv.u Jkewvnn. uniaua ,
Fred Plola. South Omaha
There layers, south Omaha
Iamei H. Hickman. Omaha
Ella Hatter) . CJOuaba ...
rtin1 A. Cashmi n. 1rnoi. J ...
Elisabeth M'Mre, Corning, la ,
W ill: am E lindy. Kiarny
Ida B. Bmitk. Kearney
. ri
. r?
. 21
.
. M
. S7
.
. Si
lfc K Waaou-g tunga Edhoim, JewUer.
BUILDING TRADES UNIONS
X
Spfffttinc Abort tht Men fho Do '.be 'Work
cf CrBstrurtion.
DIVISION Of TRADES A rODERN FEATURE
Advaac-e la Method f Balldlag
Brlac Change la CraftstBra
aad Maltlpltrlty at Tbelr
Vrgaalsailoaa.
One of the fei.tui; of metropolitan
building operations 1 the presence of
unions of workmen. Thi growth. hlie
more malked in recent year. Is not new
but has taken upon itself niw phases with
the development of specialisation in the j
work or erecting buildings.
A few years ago the building trades were
confined essentially to three, or poss.bly
four occupations, while today at iest
eleven distinct trade are recogn;sed at in
dependent, with perhaps a twelfth which
1 considered Jusiiy a one of the necejisary
part of the building trade. A few year
ago the bricklayer, who was then the plas
terer; me carpenter, w no was aiso me sin-
Ished wood worker; the stone mason, when
he was not aiso the bricklayer, and the black
smith in rare cases, erected th buhdit gs.
while today tb recognised building trade
include carpenters, bricklayers, plasterers,
plumbers, painters, electrical worker,
structural iron worker, sheet metal work
ers, lather, stone cutters and mason tend
ers, with the hoisuiig engineers, who run
the engines used to lift heavy parts of
large buildings,, asking to I fully recog
nized as one of the building craila.
With the diversification of the work came
an increase In the number of unl. ns and
organizations which were formed by the
workmen to improve their condition. Htre
in Omaha the growth of the unions wa
flrt started by the Knight cf L:.bor.
wliicli recognized the division of lnte:-ets
by permitting the formation tf trades
semblles under the guidance of the generU
organisation, in which assemh.it s the men
working at th particular truae foi which
It wus instituted hud exclusive voice and
vote as to conditions under which they
wouid work, but the general society exer
cised supervision In case of strikes or other
troubles which might arise.
Cask Ualiaiug trade I aloaa.
The history of the Omaha organization
fellows thai Ui hi at of the bui.uing U aue
unions to be toruivd unoer the luie of the
Knights of 1-abur was the : aimers, v. ho
formed a local trades assembly about lsaa.
The organization did little more than or
ganize and get lulu shape La malt? icquesl
for shorter hour when it was dropped, and I
In 1KK7 th tminlera went into the interna-
I UoIuli unltn of xtKiT crafl. At thnt time
wages were from 2s cents to Ml cents per
hour and ten hour constituted a dny's
work. At thl tlm there is an eight -hour
work day. with a scale of 40 cent an hour.
rrobably the first union of any kind
among the building trades formed In the
city was that of the plasterer, w ho formed
a local society In 1S7S A fee- jeers later
they entered the International organiza
tion, and with the othar building trades
have reduced the hours cf labor from ten
to eight, with increase In the price per
hour.
The first union to oecure an eight-hour
work day for its members in Omaha was
the stonecutter, which was organized In
18M. Two week after It was organized it
secured an Increase in wage without trio-
tlon, probably the only Instance of the kind
in the history of th city.
Th Bricklayer' union, considered from
Its position as one of the most effective in
the allied cfafts, wa -jrganlzed in 1881, and
has had In It peculiar field more success
than any other, although encountering
many of the vicissitude attendant upon
labor organisation. When the union was
organized the scale was placed at 80 cents
an hour and ten hour was a day" work.
Today the recognized scale Is 6?v cents an
hour, with an eight-hour work day, and
msnv men receiving more than the scale.
Th first organization of the sheet metal
worker wa perfected In 1. and w hile It
has from time to time exercised little Itv
fluence over hour and wages It has main
tained the society ever slnc. It. with the
other crsfts, ha sn eight -hour day In
place of ten. with higher wages than at the
time of the organization.
fctrraarta. aad wicakaeaa.
One of th strongest unions numerically,
but because ot its position with reference
to work one of the unions which lacks
many elements of strength, is the carpen
ters' union. Th first organisation of this
craft was in the Knights of Labor days,
Uabout IBs. It existed for several yoars.
but was not strong enough to enforce a
seal for ahorter hour or higher wreges
generally, because of the fact that,, as ex
pressed by a member, "every man who
can drive a plane or push a saw is a car
penter whan ther is trouble." For this
reason tha carpenters have not been .
successful la securing higher wages as the
bricklayers and plumbers, while they have
reduced the hours to eight per day. Th
present vrJon was formed some time in
the early 'sua. but was of little importance
In the labor world until 1887, when It was
given an Impetus by the Transmiasisslppl
exposition, and from that time has had
comparatively easy sailing and secured ad
vances in wages from an average of 11
cent an hour to an average of 40 cents.
The plumbers of Omaha have a record
running back to 1S7K. whan as organiza
tion was formed undtir th old interna
tional union, which did not exist long as
a factor in building affaire, although th
society wa maintained. Th present so
ciety wa formed in 1KH0 and after some
hard experience in attempting to secur
shorter hours and higher pay finally
reached th point where it lias a scale of
U Jer day for eight hours.
The local union of electrical workers was
formed in l&k2, but did little work until
Just before the exposition, when It se
cured without trouble the eight-hour day
and the present scale of wages.
Th tructural iron worker 1 the young
est of tb building trade unions, having
been formed four years ago. Tne union
is necessarily small in numbers, compared
with many of the other trades, but has
been successful In thi time In securing an
advance In wages from 17 cent an hour
with a ten-hour day to 40 cent an hour
for a day of eight houra
Not considered a a trade, but of -can-siderabl
Importance In the building line
is 'he maon tender's or hod carrier's
union, which was formed In 1K9H. There
are now two organizations, one composed
of white men and th other of negroe.
They work in harmony and have a scale of
26 and 27 cents an hour, in place of tb
171, and 'A cents as hour which was In
eflect at the time th union wa organised
The hoisting engineer ate members of
th stationary et.girers' union and their
bcbie Is regulated by that society, but they
have at times atked for membership in the
building trades council, which at thi tint
is not concedad.
Iblemharahip in tha lncat unions varies
greatly with the condition of business
There ar many unmarried men in all of
the organizations and not a few of them
travel from plaoe to place, being In the
south dur.ng th winter and la tli north
in the lumnicr. For this reason th local
organizations a re not a large now as they
will be in thirty day. 'when the birds of
passage arrive. Exact statistics are not at
htnd, but estimates made by those fa
miliar with the unlns place the average
mmberalilp about a follow: Bricklayer,
USi, carpenters, feO, hud carrier, ZtL; paitil-
u
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THE BEST WORKMANSHIP
M7 Work -
Woodworking
can be secured in Omaha.
Our Prices Are Right. Too.
Insist that your contractor and architect have the
work done by an Omaha firm.
Omaha Woodworking Co.,
1029-1035 South 18th St.
Telephone 2246. Omaha, Neb.
"JUS"
D03MEB WINDOWS. GALTAXIZED IBOJV
FiyiA LS, W1XIK) W CA rs. SET LIGB TS, E TC.
F. RUEMP1NG
Twenty-three year experience a a manufacturer of .
Ornamental Galvanized Iron Cornices
Best Work. Best Material. Lowest Prices.
Tin. Iron and Slate Roof inc.
1413-15 Jackson St. Tel. 627. C m ah a, Neb.
if
JOHN
e
n
i
CONTRACTOR
601 BEE BUILDING.
Artificial Stone Walks 14c per foot
GUARANTEED Five Years.
TEL. L2038.
uiiViiiViViiiV
J. P.
la
Architect Superintendent
All Classes of Buildings.
2 For 15 Years Has Made a Specialty of
Brewery Work.
5 Rooms 516-517 Paxton Block.
era, 5S; plumbers, J'aj; sheet metal work
era, Kj. hrickmakers. IS; structural lroa
workers. 71, electrical worker, at, plas
terer. i0 . -
One of tht best feature ui the Oman
unions is the nunibtr of men who hav
developed from the membership and are
us eonu-atlurs a amoi, tha bricklayers
Did it ever oc
cur to you that
Lighting Fixtures
have as tnucti to
do with furnish
ing your home as
any other article
of furniture? Let
us assist you.
IN
GRANT,
GUTH, I
fa
ne Tel. 193 u
iNY,
msy I tner.uond Chart
Ktekeiison, f'runk Gould, W.j
A- C. Busk and fYed Hoj
raeUil workers show
among 01 Lets; lb coin f?tJlTT.
th piumber. Harry M- ,
are ctn.iracLII lur
other utiaa.