The morning call., 1894-01-24
ROTTEN BITUMEN.
What Supervisors Found
OH the Streets.
EVIDENCES OF JOBBERY.
Analysis of Samples Show That
There Was Fraud.
ASPHALTUM FALLING ASUNDER.
Old Woody Fiber and Mud Were
Mixed With the Rock Which
Disintegrates at Touch.
ASPHALTUM FALLING ASUNDER.

The Finance Committee of the Board OF
Supervisors met at an early hour yester-
day and talked about asphaltum pave
ments, jobs in covering streets with btu
minous rock and various other matters
connected with recent scandal in contracts
for paving. On Monday afternoon the
committee was authorized to make per-
sonal Investigation of the bituminous
pavement on O'Farrell street. between
Scott and Steiner, and present a report to
the board at its next session.
SO in accordance with this instruction
Supervisors DenmaD, Day. James and
Kennedy were on hand at 10 o'clock yes
terday morning and apparently anxious to
have the troublesome matter definitely
settled. Supervisor Day represented the
Street Committee, and Superintendent OF
Streets Ackerson looked out for his own
department. No formal session was held.
Still the Supervisors discussed Dtumeu In
its various forms and listened with atten-
ton to the opinions of Chemist Price. The
expert did bis best to talk in plain lam
guage, but it seemed to be a difficult un-
dertaking not to mystify the City Fathers.
II found this sample from OFarrell
street pavement contains GA per cent of
bitnmen. That l call very bad sample"
said the chemist. sit is very brittle on
account Of the woody fiber it contains. Even
with more bitumen this sample would break 10
pieces and dlsintegrate, simply because instead
OF having clean sand in 1t there Is organic mat
ter. wood and clay. The sample from Baker
street. between Hayes and Grove streets, has
IL per cent OF biIumen. That is very good
sample, but II depends upon the physical char
acteristics OF the compound aside from the
quality OF the bltumen. The mixture Is not
chemical, but purely mechanical"
Then you think il is better 10 have bitumen
mixed with sand than with clay or woody
tbeiP" Supervisor James asked.
Yes. because one is brittle and the other
adhesive. The mixture is made In nature"
This sample from Baker street was taken
from pavement put down i've years ago." said
SUI eTyisor Denman. II see il has II per cent
Ditumen."
That is frst-class rock" responded Price.
but that sample from O'Farrell street ] would
condemn even if it had II per cent. found it
would dislnlegrate or separate III my pan. The
rock is bad"
Superintendent Ackerson asked what pro-
portion OF bitnmen was required TO make a
good pavement. Mr.. Price said he would not
recommend sample solely because II contains
the greatest percentage OF bitumen. He would
also take into consideration the constituents in
the compound, whether wood fber alluvial
earth or clean sharp sand.
Contractors WHO were present made special
claims for their respective bitumlnous products,
but that was another story.
The Supervisors then drove out TO O'Farrell
and Scott strests and made an inspection of
the rotten asphalt spread out upon the streets.
They also paid visit 10 Geary street and Cen
trail avenue where a block OF unsatisfactory
pavement has been crumbng away since 1t was
laid. The former asphaltum was found in a
rotten condition. breaking up like so much dry
mud, broken with ruts. and generally disgrace
full.
when we went to Geary steeet," said Su-
pervtS0r Denman, 1--WE found the street blocked
against wagons where the biiuminous pave
ment was laid. This work has not yet been
accepted by the Board of Supervisors. yet is
going 10 pieces already and the contractor is
repairing 1t. He las the street closed while
repairing his new work. That was a private
contract job and we don't know who the con-
tractor was, though we will find him and bring
him before the board"
The report of the committee will be presented
next week TO the Board Of Supervisors and
some interesting reading may then be expected.