The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-07-30
MILLIONS FOR AVERELL.
Profits of Asphalt Awarded
To Him,
From the NelU York Sun.


office in this city in favor of Gen. W.
w. Averell, the cavalry leader. The
Judgment is the result of long years
of effort on the part of the General to
not only establish that he was the in
ventor of the American process that
made the the use of asphalt for paw
ing practicable, but to recover the pro-
fits resulting from it's use in paving OF
streets by others, whom he charged
with having appropriated his patents
and excluded him from even share
in the immense proceeds.
Failures of attempts at asphalt
paving here brought it into disfavor,
when about 1869 Edward j. De Smedt,
Belgian, representing himself as a
professor of chemistry and graduate
of the University of Brussels, employ
ed for four years by the French Gov
eminent in laying asphalt pavement in
the city Of Paris, under process of
his own invention, appeared in New
York. He met Gen. Averell, who had,
in 1869, retired from the office Of Con-
sui General of the United States in
British North America. After exam
ming, with Gen. Mcclellan, Gen. Gill
more, and Gen. Wright, of the
Government Engineer Corps, speci-
mems of De Smedt's pavemant, and in
the face of the popular prejudice then
existing against asphalt, Gen. Averell
became firm believer in it's possible
ties, and induced a number of his
friends to provide money to buy and
introduce De Smedt's pavement. He
obtained contracts to have Battery
Park, Reservoir square, and around
the Mall in Central Park. The pay
ing was done.
The pavement went to pieces in a
short time. The experiment cost
Gen. Averells friends $4,000. AL
though the Gen. lost faith in De
Smedt, he still believed in asphalt.
He did not discard the Belgian how
ever, but, as is alleged in his papers
in the litigation that has been running
for years, he retained De Smedt as an
employee, and began experimenting
with the treatment of asphalt himself.
In the spring of 1873 he perfected a
process and obtained the consent of
the city authorities to lay an expert
mental block of the pavement. He
chose the block on Fifth avenue be-
tween Broadway and Twenty-fifth
street, past the Worth monument.
This pavement remained in use on
that busy block for fourteen years,
and then, still in good order, was re-
moved and replaced with Belgian
blocks.
Forseeing the value and impor-
lance of his invention, Gen. Averell,
in 1878, leased from the British Gov
eminent part of the pitch lake in
Trinidad, and controlled the entire
importation of asphalt thence to the
United States. This arrangement was
to continue as long as the other lessees
of the lake kept their contract with
the Government From that time
until 1876 the General put down test
blocks of his pavement in different
cities, and in that year laid the first
practical area of asphalt pavement
ever put down under contract in this
country. This was the paving of
Pennsylvania avenue in Washington.
There was seven De Smedt patents
for asphalt pavement, but as Gen.
Averell alleges, costly experiment
had proved that none were of any
value.
AMI l.. Barber was wealthy coal
dealer in Washington. While Gen.
Averell was laying the pavement on
Pennsylvania avenue, De Smedt, it is
alleged, suddenly left his employ,
having been appointed, through Bar
bers influence, inspector of asphalt
pavements for the District of Colum-
bia. Gen. Averell alleges that De
Smedt signed contract with Barber
and Andrew Langdon to engage in
the laying of asphalt pavements
throughout the country by the Averell
process. No patent had yet been is
sued to Gen. Averell for this process,
but one was pending, and it was issued
Jan. IA, 1878. Then all work by the
Barber combination was stopped by
injunction. Finally a compromise
was arranged and the American As