pany near Montreal, during the winter; and, when the paint was applied to the cold steel, it would not adhere, consequently another brand had to be employed.

Mr. Howard P. Quick, Consulting Engineer, formerly Mechanical Engineer and Designer for the Pearson Engineering Corporation and Associated Companies in Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Spain, and the United States, has very kindly furnished the author with the following information concerning the developing of a suitable paint for steelwork of all kinds to meet the abnormal climatic conditions of Brazil at a place where no paint of any kind imported from either America or Europe could endure the tropical humidity. Various American engineers on Brazilian Constructions, recognizing the gravity of the situation, combined forces, and had the chemists of the Rio Janeiro Gas Company experiment for them in their search for a paint that would meet the conditions. That company possessed an up-to-date, by-products, coke-retort system, and produced therefrom plenty of tar and other residues; consequently its chemists set to work investigating the question on the basis of utilizing these by-products, and finally developed a tough, adhesive, elastic, and glossy-surfaced paint which had all the qualities desired, barring appearance. The composition as reported to Mr. Quick by the American Chemist, Dr. Harrop, General Manager of the Societé Anonyme du Gaz, was as follows:

1 part of Portland cement.

1 part of kerosene, and

4 parts of gas-works tar.

The cement was first mixed with the kerosene, and then tar was added to develop the consistency required. This produced a glossy, quick-drying paint of a dark, greenish-black color which dried as hard as rock and was unaffected by weather or temperature changes.

Such a paint ought to be quite inexpensive; and it should be tried in other tropical climates than that of Brazil and also in the Gulf States of the U. S. A. The author surmises that it might not withstand well the cold winters of our northern states; but it would be well to give it a trial there.

To-day all first-class paint-manufacturers recognize that it is absolutely essential to know about the peculiarities of the climate where any structure is to be erected before starting to manufacture the field coats of paint therefor.

Spraying of Paint

Spraying paint on bridge metal is a lately-developed custom; and concerning the satisfactoriness of the process there are both pros and cons. It involves a wastage of paint that is unavoidable, but which may be kept down to reasonable limits by constant care and attention; and it is claimed by some painters  that  it  does  not  work  the  paint  into the pores of the metal