are 1 in. D & M and are covered by ready roofing. The roof slopes to the west and has a 3-ft. overhang on the sides.

The space between the wall plate and the under side of the roof boards is left open and is covered with No. 20 galvanized wire with 2-in. mesh This is for ventilation purposes and air insulation against sun action.

Extending above the roof at the south end of the ice crusher room there is a penthouse 11 ft. 6 in. wide and 10 ft. long, with a 7-ft. ceiling, which contains the machinery for the salt elevator. In the southeast

corner of the crushing room, under this penthouse, is an elevated salt storage bin of two-ton capacity. At the bottom of this bin, and five feet above the upper platform level, there is a spout with control gate for filling push carts with salt.

To the south of the crusher room is a platform 84 ft. long and 21 ft. 3 in. above top of rail, approximately the same elevation as the low point of the crusher room floor. This platform, which is of the same construction and width as the cake-icing platform below, is used for icing cars with crushed ice, carts being the means of handling same. Just

under this platform and fastened to the 8 in. by 8 in. posts are six boxes of 600-lb. capacity each, with a spout and gate control. Three of these salt boxes are located on each side of the platform, and they are spaced 28 ft. apart; salt is taken from them as the cars are being filled with crushed ice. The filling of these boxes is done from the crushed ice platform above, the salt being brought from the storage bin in the crushed ice room in carts.

Ice is delivered to a platform adjoining the manufacturing plant by means of conveyors owned and operated by the ice company. The ice is then elevated by means of an endless chain cross-bar conveyor, elevating at an angle of about 48 degrees. The ice then moves by gravity across the tracks on slides, supported on trusses, and passes into the crusher house. By means of a trap door, the ice is then either diverted into the crusher house for crushing, or on to a retarding gravity slide connecting with the chain conveyor on the cake ice platform below.

The machinery for operating the inclined elevating conveyor is located in a housing at the top of the conveyor. The trusses across the tracks, and 5 ft. apart, span 44 ft. and are clear 24 ft. above top of rail. These trusses also support a footway connecting the crusher house and ice manufacturing plant. The gravity slides where curved or exposed to severe abrasion are metal lined. The ice runs on the platform are made of oak. The conveyors and elevator are electrically operated. The plant is lighted by electricity and can be operated with the same efficiency at night as in the day.

The Sub-Committee to which this subject was assigned submits a report to cover the results of its preliminary investigations. This report is somewhat elementary in character and is intended to serve as a basis for more advanced research, which it is hoped the Sub-Committee will have opportunity to follow out next year. In the continued study of this subject it is desired to develop dependable information on the wearing qualities of the various types of floors, under actual working conditions, and to study specific cases of failure in an effort to determine if such failure was caused by inherent defects in the floor structure, by defective workmanship or by the selection of the wrong type of floor for a given installation.

FLOORS FOR RAILWAY BUILDINGS

The floor of any building, in which work is performed, is subjected to service much more severe than any other part of the building and may be considered as a part of the working equipment as well as a part of the structure. Therefore, any treatment of the subject of floors, as applied to railway buildings, logically follows a consideration of the different kinds of buildings in which floors of different types can be used most successfully.

In the following paragraphs an attempt is made, based upon what appears to be accepted practice, to indicate the types of floors commonly used in various railway buildings.

Freight Houses.

Probably the most common type of floor in use is the two-inch plank floor, laid on wooden joists or stringers. This floor is satisfactory and economical, except in locations of considerably more than minor importance, and is suitable for all frame buildings supported on posts or piers. In many cases, where wooden floors have become worn, the wearing surface in front of doors and on runways is renewed with not less than -in. dressed maple, square edged and end matched, laid on top of the original floor. Results show maple flooring so used to have a life of twenty years or more, even under heavy service, but on account of the expense involved its use is generally limited to that part of a floor which is subjected to heavy trucking.

In larger and more important freight houses, at terminals, and where a large amount of trucking is done, a floor of greater first cost is justified and in such locations concrete appears to give satisfactory results. Such

a floor is fairly permanent, sanitary, easy to keep clean, and the type of construction used fits in well with the building foundation. Its disadvantages are failure of the wearing surface, especially at expansion joints, and an unyielding surface which occasionally produces complaints from truckers. Expansion joints should be as few as possible and located outside of the heavily used surface wherever practical.

In locations where concrete floors are for any reason not considered satisfactory, some different type of wearing surface, such as wood or asphalt blocks or asphalt mastic, may be laid on a concrete foundation. This type of construction adds materially to the first cost.

Transfer Platforms.

If of wooden construction, floors on transfer platforms should be laid with the planking parallel to the line of trucking traffic, unless iron plates are used for a trucking runway, when they may be laid at right angles if the construction of the sub-structure requires. However, when plates are used repairs can be made much more easily if planks are laid longitudinally.

Where trucking traffic is not too heavy concrete floors are in some cases used, and for extremely heavy traffic a concrete base with wood or asphalt block or mastic wearing surface is used.

Freight Storage Houses.

For freight storage houses, which are usually of fireproof construction, concrete floors are generally approved.

Freight Piers.

Floors on freight piers must of necessity largely conform to the style of construction used in the pier. They should be fire-resisting and in many cases must have flexibility enough to take up the vibration caused by boats being moved along the pier.

Engine Houses.

For minor houses, where not many running repairs are made, especially houses of frame construction, a floor of clean engine cinders, well compacted, is sufficient to meet all requirements.

For houses of more importance concrete or brick give excellent results.

For houses of a still higher grade, a floor of brick or creosoted wood block on a concrete base is recommended.

Asphalt floors, either mastic or block, are not recommended for engine houses since the action of steam and oil is likely to cause their failure. Blacksmith Shops.

Cinder floors are preferred in all cases.

Machine Shops.

In small frame buildings a wood plank floor, of thickness to correspond with severity of service it has to withstand, is commonly accepted as good practice.