Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-07-03
VENTURA ASPHALT,
Something About the New Lawn Tennis
Court.

SOhActnluB AOOut thc Now AdWn 1eAnlS
Court.
The Sacramento Lawn Tennis Club is
paving two courts at the angle of the
pavilion grounds, on Fifteenth and NJ
streets, with Ventura asphalt The work
has excited great deal of interest because
of the spirit of street and walkway i'm
provement now moving the people.
A RECORD UNION reporter visited the
grounds yesterday to see how the work was
progressing and to pick up any items that
Smith, the representative of the contractors,
Colt, Barton & Cowles, of San Francisco,
on the grounds. Mr.. Smith first showed
him the rock as it came from the mine. 1t
has very much the appearance of coal, but
of finer grain and greater specific gravity.
He stated that it was California product
the mines being located about four and a
half miles north of Ventura that the rock
was in regularly defined lodges, varying
from one foot to thirty four feet in width,
and that the quantity was inexhaustible
He gave the reporter also an analysis by
Professor Henry g. Hanks, showing that
per cent; volatile bitumen, none; silica.
lime, carbonate, etc., rs 6 per cent.
Ex-State Mineralogist Hanks report
states that the following properties were
observed: 1.-THE mineral is unusually hard
and tough; it begins to soften at 212o Fahr.;
1T becomes waxy at 248o;; begins to volatil-
ize at 347o, but is not liquid, and begins to
melt at 1889. 1t is not affected BY salt
water or gases, and is only decomposed
and destroyed by combustion"
The reporter then examined one of the
lawn tennis courts, partly laid, and found
that an asphalt concrete, composed of
Ventura asphalt and common gravel, had
been laid to depth of two inches, and on
surface dressing, the latter being of about
equal parts Ventura asphalt and fine
sand.
The concrete of itself was evidently able
to withstand enormous pressure, such as
no ordinary street pavement would be SUBJ
jected to.
A section of the surface dressing had
just been laid prior to the arrival of the
reporter on the grounds, and although it
was SO hot as to preclude the laying on of
hands" yet it did not give under the
weight of persons walking on it or show
the indentation of heels.
SIS this not very heavy and altogether
too strong pavement for the requirements
at is, indeed" replied Mr. Smith; at is
in fact, a street pavement, and of strength
and durability far beyond the requirements
OF tennis court; but we were anxious to
show the property-owners and citizens of
Sacramento generally the full merits of our
material, both for street paving and side.
walk work. The Lawn Tennis Club is
composed of prominent property-owners
and people interested in street improve
ments, and in no more forcible way could
We show them hestrength, merit and heat
resisting qualities of our material"
How does this asphalt-concrete COM
pare with Portland cement concrete in
strength and durability
Herman Schussler. Chief Engineer of
the Spring Valley Water Works, has tested
briquettes composed of 60 per cent. sand
and 40 per cent. Ventura asphalt, and
found their tensile strength to be 925
pounds to the square inch, which is about
three times the tensile strength of Portland
cement concrete. As to durability, asphalt
concrete is indestructible, and it is also in a
marked degree more elastic, and is no.
brittle"
How does your pavement compare in
cost with asphalt pavements in the East
and in California;
Trinidad asphalt pavements in Buffalo
cost s. per square yard. Bituminous rock
pavements in California average about
81 20. Our price is 81 25."
How does your material compare with
bituminous rock ?'
According to the report of the State
Mineralogist the best bituminous rock con-
tains q per cent. fixed bitumen and Is per
cent. volatile bitumen. Ventura asphalt
contains "a 40 per cent. fixed bitumen
and no volatile bitumen whatever"
You seem to lay particular stress upon
the fact that you have no volatile bitumep
in your rock?'
when you stop to consider that the
volatile bitumen will all pass off by atmos-
pheric contact in the course of a few years,
and that the bitumen is the SO called life
or binding force which keeps the pavement
together, / do not think you will blame
me for laying particular stress upon it,
Have you had many callers?"
"a great number of people have called
and examined our work, and we are anx-
ious to have all interested in good street
pavements for Sacramento thoroughly in
spect our material and our work. W. H.
Worswick, the Vice-President and Chief
Engineer of the Ventura Asphalt Com
pany, is experimenting the work here and
will have charge of all work in Sacramento,
and he says he will give all visitors a full
and intelligent description of the material
and the uses to which it can be adapted"
Most sidewalks laid with bituminous
rock over wooden planks crack over the
spaces between the boards. Can you avoid
that cracking ~ suggested the reporter.
I'VE can. We first fill up all the inter-
stices with asphalt tempered go as to resist
great heat, and our sidewalk is laid over
planks practically cemented together, and
you can see from the work now before you
that We can make our sidewalks as smooth
and uniform as the best cement side.
walks"