The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-21
ASPHALT FOR PAvEMENTs.
What the Substance is and How It is
Obtained.
From the Washington star

From the Washington star.
'rThis stuff called asphalt, with which the
streets are paved, is very curious said G
scientist recently. at was used IN very
ancient times. Egyptian buildings more
than thirty centuries old are cemented with
| IT, and il has been asserted that it was en-
ployed IN the construction Of the tower OF
| Babel
Zone ingenious crank, named D'Eyrmis,
wrote an elaborate essay $50 years ago, at
tempting to prove that Noah's ark was
coated with asphalt to make it waterproof.
1.-THE asphalt which covers the avenues
OF this city to-day was formed millions OF
years ego by the decomposition of vegete-
| bic matter beneath the surface Of the earth.
In the carboniferous epoch there were con-
| dittons Of warmth aud moisture which pro-
duced marvellous luxuriance Of vegetation.
''Plants, gigantic ferns being most com
| mon grew at an astonishing rate, their
decay being followed by generation after
generation of their successors. Thus were
| formed vast beds Of decomposed material
| which became variously metamorphosed by
chemical processes.
According to the conditions governing
they were transformed into deposits Of
coal, petroleum or bitumen, the last being
| what we call asphalt.
Probably the vegetable beds which were
change TO bitumen were laid down in the
| bottoms of rivers and lakes, where they
were covered up by sand or clay, and I'M
derwent the process Of decomposition while
moistened by water, but without contact
with air.
Zone spot where this occurred was in the
neighborhood of the Dead sea, whence
formerly great quantities of asphalt were
obtained. Very little is got from there now.
the most important source OF supply in the
world being a wonderful lake in Trinidad.
This tar lake. as it is called, is filled with
bitumen instead OF water, being about a
mile and half in diameter
Its surface IL 30 smooth that IL looks like
alake OF water, and in hot weather the sun
melts IL TO the depth of some inches. The
edges of the lake are usually hard and cold
but the asphalt becomes warmer and softer
toward the middle, while in the center it is
quite boiling.
"a slioe Of the surface Of this lake of
asphalt is 60 be exhibited at the Columbian
exposition. The deposit is thought to have
been formed by woody and other vegetable
matter carried by the river Orinoco into
the surrounding seas, where, by the infu-
ence Of the currents 1t was accumulated
its decomposition being effected by volcanic
action.
1.-THE lake Is owned by a syndicate, which
regularly mines the product, and it is from
this source that Washington procures its
paving material. Recently a rival enter
prise has been started in San Bernardino
county, California, where beds of bitumen
have been discovered It was not until
1888 that the first asphalt pavement was
laid in Paris
Asphalt is often found combined with
hmestone-a very curious mixture of the
vegetable and the mineral. It is believed
that this has been brought about by hot
vapors from decomposing vegetable beds
passing through the porous rock and lsav>
ing the bitumen behind