The herald., 1898-02-05
NATURAL PRODUCT THE BEST
MORTALITY OF THE CITY DURING
JANUARY
"A New idea to Effect a Saving in the
Drug Contract-Street Improve
ment-City Hall Notes

lie works in many months Will De ina
which will be presented at the mex
council meeting. 1t will contain COM
plete statement of the result of the
analysis of paving asphaltum which ha:
been made by Prof. Samuel p. Sadtlel
of Philadelphia OH samples submitted
by a number of companies engaged ir
the asphaltum business in this city.
Several months ago one of the loca
companies petitioned the council to
change the specifications for street
work, claiming that it was not able to
enter into competition under the pres
ent specifications, which expressly pro-
vide that no asphaltum produced from
crude petroleum shall be used. The COM
pany claimed that this was unfair, as It
was able to produce asphaltum as good
as the natural product. Several pieces
of good street work were pointed to as
samples of its work and the quality of
its material.
The matter was the subject of many
heated debates in the council and be-
fore the board of public works. and,
after months of waiting, ii was decided
to submit number of samples to tests
by an expert chemist. An effort was
made to have the government experts
do this work, but their services could
not be secured. The samples were, early
In December, sent to Prof. Sadtler. He
was formerly chief chemist for the
Standard Oil company, and is an expert
of high standing. His report was re-
ceived by the board several DAYS ago
and at the regular meeting yesterday it
bers of oil men were present. The re-
port in full follows:
THE RESULT
The samples of asphalts anI asphaltic
HuXes shipped by you for analy, sis reached
me on the 18th inst. 1 have now completed
the analyses and physical tetts on the
same and am ready to report VI pon them
The same samples were exit acted first
h ith petroleum ether and then with chic
IN orm, and the extracts obtain ed careful
Iv 70, aighed and examined
In a. Heordance with usage IL at portion
extracA, with the first solven is called
petrolena and that with the secc nd solvent
asphaltene,, The two portions together
make up tlfN> total bitumen of the sam
pies.
The residues OF the original sa' hples were
then ignited, and the loss tai ten as or
ganic non-bitumen while thu It still re-
manning gave the Inorganic or n hneral resi-
due.
No 1 A-Petrolene 1928, asphaltene
25 72o, organic non-blrnmen 0FR: total 100.
No A--Petrolene sa1s6, asphaltene
oe4s, organic nom bitumen QEG; total leo
No B-Petroene Se.5ao, 7.sphaltene
IL $50, organic non-bitunsen 0.595 mineral
residue 1.122; total 100
No. B-Petroene $3.50 asphaltene
% OSS, organic on-bitum,sh 1876 mineral
residue 12.116; total 100.
No. C-Petrolene 60F74, asphaltene
3s 76l, organic non-biturneu 0s!60 mineral
residue 0.205; total 100
Deductng the constituents other than
bitumen. we may examine the ratio OF the
petrolehe, or tenacious and Jsohs ssive mate
rial, to that Of the asphaHeIld, or harder
brittle component.
No. A-Petrolene 74.155, asphaltene
R5.s15; total 100
No. A-Petrolene $685., asphaltene
065; total 100.
No. 3 B-Petrolene ss.o4s asphaltene
IL 954; total 100.
No. B-Petroleue 74.457. asphaltene
25.543; total 100.
No. C-Petrolene CLOG, asphatene
1884, total 100.
The best ratio, according to most au-
thorties. for tough ahd yet solid and
durable paving cement is akbut three
parts of petrolene to one part ~ asphalt
enc. At the same time, the petI plene must
have certain body AND tenaci ty, and not
be made up simply OF thin llitumen or
light oils, which. Of course, ATE soluable
in petroleum ether.
For this reason the examination of the
bitumens as extracted is important in
throwing light upon this question.
The petroleum ether extract from A
was brownish black and tenacions. as was
leo hat PrA,, q
however, was thinner and possessed less
tenacity, while that from C was still
thinner and would flow on inclining the
flask containing ii.
The percentage in loss in weight on
heating the samples to 300 degrees Fahr-
enheit for ten hours was next determined
as indicating the amounts of bitumen
volatile at this temperature
Loss at 800 degrees Fahrenheit on heat
ing for ten hours:
Sample No. l A paving cement, 1S6 per
cent
Sample No. A fux, 5.53 per cent
Sample No. B f1ux, $40 per cent.
Sample No 3 paving cement, $50 per
cent.
Sample No. s C paving cement, $50 per
cent.
Three of the samples were examined
specially for sulphur and all showed its
presence. contained the most A next
and Z the least.
With this much light upon the nature
of the materials from chemical point of
view, l next proceeded to make up paving
mixtures for the purpose of applying
physical tests.
AS no samples of the grades of sand that
1t is proposed to require to be used or
which the contractors may have submit
ted as intended to be used by them. were
sent or referred to In your letter. I was
left to choose such amounts Of fine sand
pulver1zed limestone and mixture of paw
Ing cement and fiuX as seemed to me to be
adapted TO give a strong and satisfac-
tory paving mixture. ! however treated
the three classes of asphatic materials
alike SO that the results should fairly show
their different values under these condi-
tions. The three mixtures were therefore
made up as follows:
Mixture No. 1-Fne sand, 7S.5 per cent
or 942 srammes; pulverized limestone. 10
per cent, or 120 srammes; paving cement
A, 10 per cent or 120 grammes; LIQUID
flux, A, 1.5 per cent, or IS grammes.
Mixture No. 2-Fine sand, 1876 per cent, or
s42 grammes; pulverized limestone, 10 per
cent, or l20 grammes paving cement 4 B,
10 per cent, or 120 grammes; liquid f1ux, &,
I6 per cent, or is grammes.
Mixture No. 3-F'ine sand. 7S.5 percent
or s42 grammes; pulverized limestone, 10
per cent, or 120 grammes; paving cement,
3 Z. lib per cent, or 1888 grammes.
From each of these mixtufes four bril-
q