Arizona republican., 1898-07-09
LAKE OF ASPHALT.
Description of the Queer Deposit in
 inc Island of Trinidad.

Canada, Peru, Turkey, Venezuela, Argentine, Syria. Mexico and cur own California all contain deposits of as phalt, but the largest and most inter esting of the supply fields is to be found in the island of Trinidad.
 The one natural curiosity on this is land is the plain known as Pitch Lake," which is just mile inland. An asphalt road leads from the steamer docks to the lake, which is a great sheet, containing 109 acres of brown ish black substance, hard and brittle, except all the center One strike of the pick will break off a large piece which appears to be heavy, but is cas- fly lifted by one man.
 The material of the lake is solid TO depth of several feet, except in few spots near the center, where it re- mains in a soft condition. The sur face of the lake is far from smooth. In walking over it one has to jump not only the soft spots, but the large pud- dies and small streams of water that are everywhere. Scattered ever its surface are about thirty small, shallow patches of earth covered with bushes and small trees. This strange brown substance, which is formed the same as coal, is dug out in large pieces lifted into carts, and sent off to the coast where it is shipped to all parts of the world.
 After digging down three or four feet the workmen find the pitch softer, and elastic, rather than brittle. The strange part of it is that as fast as they dig it out the holes are filled up with more. Two days after a great pit has been dug some strange force from below raises a new supply to the sur face, thus keeping the lake level. Over 5OO,O00 tons have been taken within small space near the lakes edge, and yet from all appearances there is as much there as the day the vorkmen began digging out the great brown chunks. It is impossible to tell any thing about the extent of the supply.
 Pitch lake is the property of the gov ernment of Trinidad. The asphalt companies pay the government 40 cents a ton for the pitch, and s1.20 a ton ex- port duty. The cost of digging, cart ing and loading on the steamer is about $1.50 a ton, making the whole cost $3.10 ton on board.
 The pitch senu to the United States is shipped in bulk as it is dug from the lake, while that sent to Europe is first refined. Most of the Trinidad asphalt used in this country is refined in New York and then sold to the differen; paving companies
 The Trinidad lake asphalt in it's nat ural conditions is too brittle for cur northern climate. It is toughe1ed by mixture with another bitumen. This combination is so hard that it loes not become soft in the heat of summer and so tough that it does not crack in the cold of winter To this sand and lime are added, which makes a pave ment that will resist wear. One hun dred thousand tons Of asphalt rom the pitch lake of Trinidad are shipped
 to the United States every year.
 The California asphalt is of two kinds, the semi-liquid, more like a mineral tar, and the solid, which is used for road substances. About 4C,- 900 tons year of the California as- phalt are now used, but the cost ot transportation by land prevents its use here, as it can be brought much cheaper from Trinidad or Europa- Philadelphia Press