Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-19
ODORIFEROUS ASPHALT.
HOW 1T Is MANIPULATED Be
FORE USING.

Scenes Around the Factory on the
Banks of the Ogeechee Canal
Where BrOughton Streets Pave
ment is Made-Baking sand to Mix
With the Cooked Trinidad Tar.
At shutdown last night the paving of
Brougbton street was completed from
West Broad to Barnard and the concrete
base was all laid with the exception OF a
few square yards near Abercorn street.
Laying the two inches OF base is the tedi-
GUS part OF the work.
Putting on the asphalt can be
done very rapidly. The crumbly
black mixture is prepared at 1.-THE
works. on the Ogeechee canal, near
the end of Indian street lane. The force
there is nearly as large as the force on
the street and things look very lively.
FThe works" consist of a boiler and en-
CINE, mixer and some tanks rooted over
and some more tanks and five sand heat
ers that are not covered by roof. Along
the canal bank is big pile OF sand that
was hauled up there on fats. on at one
end OF the lot is a pig pile OF barrels
that contain refined asphalt, a tarry-like
substance. A darkey, who handles the
axe in an exhausted way, unhoops the
barrels, which are then dumped into big
tank, under which il a blazing. hot fire,
In that tank the Asphalt gets warmed up
TO pretty high temperature. One old
darkey stands over the tank and fishes
the hoops and slaves and barrel-head5 out
OF the boiling mass, and another old man
dips the liquid cut into a trough, down
which it runs into another tank or boiler.
While this Ia going on, five men are busy
shoveling sand into the heaters, for
the sand has 10 be hot TO mix
properly. The heaters are great,
long cylindrical affairs, set on an i'm
cline. There are five of them standing
in row. Each one has a furnace along
the bottom, and the sand and the wood
are both put in at the same end, but not
at the same door. Each, too, has some
machinery inside that works the sand
down toward the lower end. The sand
Sits out in a steady stream, but it is not
safe to experiment with il with the bare
hand, as 1t is hot enough to instantly
roast the toughest chestnut published this
year.
The sand does not have q chance to cool
off much, for il is Immediately shoveed
up on platform and measured in a big
iron bucket that holds three or four
bushels. Two men shovel sand
into the bucket, while one
man shovels in finely ground limestone.
Roughly the proportions are one OF pow
dered limestone and two Of sand. AS
this is dumped into the mixer big
bucketful of the boiling asphalt is poured
in over it. The Odor is not as fragrant as
''white rose' or 'SMarie Stuart" but 1t is
said to be healthy. The mixer being upon
platform, the carts are backed under il.
The mixture falls down in the cart, and
the mule has load before he has time to
seem to have the easiest time. Every
body else hustles around lively, while
the drivers leisurely ride back and forth.
The first layer of asphalt that is
put down does not get near so
hard as the surface does, for it is
prepared differently. The half inch
on top of the concrete is called 1.-THE
cushion" On that the two inches of sur
face is laid. When the asphalt for the
surface is dumped out of the carts it is
smoking not and plastic. After the five
ton steam roller goes over it though, it
hardens rapidly, and in twenty-iour hours
or less is ready for Use, and the heaviest
drays leave no impression on its surface.
The contractor, MIR. Scharf, hardly ex-
poets to finish up BrOughtOn street this
week, but if the weather is favorable he
will PROBABLY get through early next week.
The contract for paving Bull street, be-
tween Congress and State streets, has not
yet been signed.
The portion of BrOughton street that is
finished makes a handsome appearance
and Is comparatively nOiseless. Drivers
seem very anxious to try it and go half a
dozen blocks out of their way to get on to
the asphalt pavement.