The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-02-01
THE WORK COMPLETED.
HOUSTON NOW HAS TEN BLOCKS
or ASPHALT PAVEMENT.
The Ayrcs Asphalt Company COM
pIctc the Pavement from Frank
lin Avenue to Mckee street.

:, The Ayrcs Asphalt company has com
/ plc,cd IT'S first paving contract III Houston
! by laying nm asphalt pavement from
' Franklin avenue, on San Jacinto street
through Willow street 10 Mckee street IL
I the Fifth ward. This gives a complete,
, asphalt pavement from the corner o.
! San Jacinto street and Franklin avenue
on the south side OF the bayou to tn,
rythan hall in the Fifth wlrd, coye.i4e
a distance Of ten blocks.
without trip to the plant where the
work WAS done one has very litIie idel
oil the work that Is required in preparing
tho material Tor an asphalt pavement, or
the sciontiuc detail that enters into the
preparation.
Through the courtesy OF Superintendent
Donnelly a reporter for The lost made n
trip "a few days ago to RIO Ayres asphalt
pavement plant located in The Hicks-D bay
lumLer yard III the outskirts OF the Third
ward.
i Here II is that what is known as The
binder surface and the wearing surface OF
The asphalt pavement is prepared for Use.
| The first thing that attracted the ltten-
non OF the re, orter upon entering the plant
vas u chemical lahora.Drf IN charge OF
a professional chemist, Mr.. William Kap-
! pas,
What has this to 10 with street pay
| ing naturally asked the reporter.
why replied Mr. Kappas 1--WE make
| a chemical analysis Of all the crude nQphat
That comes into this yard and further
analysis Of every bit of II that we prer3re
aud send out TO the work. to see that 1t
AL Possesses correct chemical pron.rti,,s
the same specific gravity, touacity. strength
and durability. Every bit of the prepared
asphalt that leaves this yard Is thorou.,hly
testod az 10 It's strength and resistance ler
square inch; its re sistance TO the influenees
of heat AMI cold and It's qualities of 10
nacity. in this way we not uniform ~,
suits"
a wearing surface that mlrht 10 for
one climate would not suit In another. ana
TO make our wearing surface ndaptabie 10
any sort Of climatic Influence It Is nee
essary that II should be prepared aceor,iluy
10 chemical principle. hence 1t is" said
professor kepQas, that chemical Iabpr.
a,orH Is necessary adjunct 10 an asphalt
plant
But the chemical par OF the work Il a
very small one" intlpnsea MIR. George
Mertiman. the general foreman OF the
pant. 'ns you may observe ii you hut fol-
low me 10 what we call the bono and sluew
OF the work.
with this the reporter was shown into
the general yard, into which two mammo n
porary spur OF railroad track
This" said Mr. Merrlman "is our nor
table pant consisting OF Two stoal cars,
winch we carry from Maine to California,
wherever our work demands The first IL
the machinery car which weighs l2s. 600
pounds. the other--the kettle weigh
ing $4,000 pounds"
In shed nearby was an immense pile
OF blocks of crude asphalt gotten from
the asphalt beds OF California. and fixed
up IN packages OF 100 pounds each.
These blocks are broken NJ into con-
venient Jumps TO be dumped into the APP
paratus OF three large Kettles where 10 liz
boiled for twelve or fifteen hours at
temperature OF from pa degrees to S25 de-
grees, during which time Il Is thoroughly
nsitated with cold air After being treat
ed In this way the kettles are hermetrleal-
~ sealed. and by an air pressure of from
I'VE 70 hiteen pounds to the square inch
forced into each kettle the melted asphalt
rs Forced through pipes into the mixing
watts.
The other Ingredient pure San Jacinto
sand, after being Thoroughly screened aud
separated from all gravel, Is heated In two
large drums, thirty feet long, thai r,n
iohgitudnally through furnace The sand
Mter Doing thus heated 10 a temperature
OF about S2o degrees Is carried In chain
buckets into sand bin. which Is imme-
diately opposite the asphalt vat. When
this sand bin is filled with sand al
temperature OF about sa5 d grees aud the
asphalt vat With liquid asphalt nj a tenn.
resature OF about 400 degrees, the two In
gradients ara dumped into what Is known
us the mixer, where the sand and asphalt
arc thoroughly mixed by the means OF RAJ
voiving ifanges that rcvolve at the rate of
atout seventy-eight revolutions to tie
minute.
Wagons especially built for this work
are driven under the mixing box and when
the ingredients are thoroughly mixed the
hottom OF the mixing hox drops on n hinge
ana dumps the entire load OF hot stuff into
the wagon.
Carbonate of lime Is also thrown into
the mixing box while The sand and asphalt
are undergoing the process OF mixing
The preparation goes upon the street
at temperature of about 2S5 degrees and
retains about $50 degrees OF heat whom
X reaches the work. aud is spread ppon
the street where Il Is again smoothed
over with hot irons
sample from every wagon that leaves
the plant Is chemically tested, as described
npove, ana there is not u variation OF 2
per cent in the chemical properties of any
OF the prepared material. and in this way
uniformfty Of wearing surface Is secured. /