Re: Cement in bags, was RE: Malt Shipments
Tony Thompson
Schuyler Larrabee wrote:
Tony, as a materials guy, I am sure you are aware that concrete mixes were specified as so many bags of cement along with volumetric measures for the aggregate and sand, so that lends credence to the idea that cement was shipped in uniformly sized bags.
True, though the "idea" is not just a suggestion, it is based on both shipping records and on photos of men loading cement sacks into box cars. There are very similar photos of men loading 100-pound sacks of sugar in box cars. And of course those concrete formulas existed because the cement arrived that way, not because anything about materials ratios REQUIRED the cement to be in bags.
I share your peeve, Schuyler, about "cement walks," etc. but unfortunately it is just one of many, many misnomers in popular use. And after all, cement is the key ingredient -- though from that viewpoint I suppose we should call a wooden deck a "nail deck."Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
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