The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-04-26

constantly being found for asDhaltum
in its various forms: in addition to the
| increasing demands for asphaltum as
a paving material. gilsonite is being
used in manufacturing varnish, Japan
and for insulating purposes, and ii is
safe 10 predict that within a few years
the consumption viii increase one hun
dred fold. AS an illustration of one of
the uses for which asphaltum is es-
pecially ADAPTED. and has no equal, it
NAV have been said that Mr.. st. V. lie
Sieur of this city put in an asDhaltum
floor in the Anheuser- Busch Brewing
company's storehouse in 1889. which is
in good condition today. and in 1890 one
was nut in for the Fisher Brewing
company in Salt Lake City, in which
there is not a break. the acid and wear
having made no perceptible impression
on the asphaltum.
Mr.. lie Sieur can truthfully be said
to be the founder of the asphaltum in
dustry in the United States and to his
energy and perseverance, more than to
all other causes combined, is due the
progress that has been made in using
and shipping Utah aSphaltum and gill
sonite. In the fail of 1885 Mr.. lie Sieur
passed through Utah from California,
and while he was delayed at P. V
Junction he was shown piece OF as
phaltum by Mr.. William Liter of that
town. taken from the mountains near
Thistle. Mr.. LIE Sieur took a sample
with him to St Louis, and after ex-
Deriments which fully demonstrated
the value of the material, he organized
the North American Asphalt company,
composed OF St. Louis capitalists. for
the purpose of developing the Thistle
asphaltum deposits, and placing the ar
ticle on the market In 1886 he returned
to Utah as the representative of this
company. and secured some of the val
liable asphaltum grounds around This
tie, and erected a mill at that point for
preparing the material for market, at
cost Of s6S.00e and that year the first
varnish made from Utah gilsonite was
also manufactured in st. Louis, under
Mr. lie Sieur's management.
In 1887 he paved 10000 square feet of
sidewalk in ST. Louis with Utah as
phaltum. and paved the sidewalk of
street in this CITY. The following year
600 tons were shipped to St. Louis.
In 1890 he in connection with Salt
Lake gentlemen organized the Wa
satch Asphaltum and Salt Lake Gilso-
mite company. which concern after
wards bought the mill erected by the
North American company at Thistle.
The principal mines of that company
are located in Wasatch county, near
the west boundaries of the Uncom-
pahgre reservation. This company
nav>d Richards street in Salt Lake
City in 1891. and paved eight blocks on
Main and Second South streets in Salt
Lake CITY in 1898.
In 1894 the Colorado Gilsonite COM
pany was organized through Mr.. LIE
Sieur's efforts. and a deposit of gibson
lite in Colorado. on the east side OF the
Uncompahsre Indian reservation was
opened up and large shipments made
frof- Fruita. Colorado.
Since 1885 Nj lie Sieur has been de-
veloping asDhaltum mines and making
shipments on his own account; some
of his most valuable mines are located
in Wasatch county on the west border
of the reservation. and his shipments
not only go TO various parts OF the
United States. but TO England. France,
Germany and Japan. Mr.. lie Sieur and
the Gilsonite Asphalt company OF St
Louis. which was organized in 1885 and
owns valuable mines near Fort Du-
chesne. purchased at q cost of $1S5,OO0.
are the only shippers from Utah that ,
supply the general market. the Wa
satch company having contracted its
entire output to a Chicago paving /
firm.