Investigations are being made into the effects of fire and the rate of
conductivity of heat on concrete and reinforced concrete, brick, tile,
building stone, etc., as a guide to the use of the most suitable
materials for fire-proof building construction and the proper
dimensioning of fire-resistive coverings.

Investigations and tests are being made, with a view to the preparation
of working specifications for use in Government construction, of bricks,
tile, sand-lime brick, paving brick, sewer pipe, roofing slates,
flooring tiles, cable conduits, electric insulators, architectural terra
cotta, fire-brick, and all shapes of refractories and other clay
products, regarding which no satisfactory data for the preparation of
specifications of working values now exist.

Investigations of the clay deposits throughout the United States are in
progress, to determine proper methods of converting them into building
brick, tile, etc., at the most reasonable cost, and the suitability of
the resulting material for erection in structural forms and to meet
building requirements.

Investigations are being made in the field, of building stones locally
available, and physical and chemical tests of these building stones to
determine their bearing or crushing strength; the most suitable mortars
for use with them; their resistance to weathering; their fire-resistive
and fire-proof qualities, etc., regarding which practically no adequate
information is available as a guide to Government engineering and
building design.

_Results Accomplished._--During one period of six months alone, more
than 2,500 samples, taken from Government purchases of structural