The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1899-12-29
OILING ROADWAYS.
PRODUCES EXCELLENT RESULTS IN
CALIFORNIA.
iSnnLs Made ms Smooth, Hard aud
Clean as Nacodn.n at an ESpcnse
OF Ero-i S:OO TO $500 Ter Milc--R1t-
ted Reads s,ou,d &c Repaired.


ted Reads s&ou,d &c Repaired.
County and road supervisors In
southern California ere .uuanimous, in
tx belief that tie problem OF excel.
l,Etiy macada m;zcd ro@'.:s ut small cost
Las at last been solved. mnd THAI soiu-
rN!.,of it has been attained through
Il; pl,calion to them of crude oil There
are Low nearly 4 hundred miles Of road
liz tie several Counties of the southern
part of the state which have been
treated Ii this manner, and so pro.
nOuncel IL every instance and particu.
lar has been the success of the trial
that there is no. doubt, that nearly Il
thousand miles will be put under con-
tact for the treatment during the COM
ing year. It has been found that to
place roads in condition through the
Use cf oil Is cheaper than maintaining
them in half condition during n single
SEASON by .spriukling with water. And
w.he1 read has once been put into
condition With Oil it requires bot slight
additional expenditure to keep it so.
On all the main highways in Los An
gGles county 5il coating is now applied
Many Of them have but patches Of It.
half mile or mile In extent. the oil
being uScuupon them to test the effect
1t will have upon carths Of different
character and upon roads of varying
qualities. 1t has been found that where
The road had an even, hard foundation,
smooth and clear of ruts, and about
two inches of dust on the surface the
cil is complete success and gives Il
surface rs. polished, clean and clear as
an asphalt street. Where the soil Is
clayey. though the surface Is rutty, 1t
Will maintain the hard character Of the
ground. aiiay all dust and prevent fur
thcr decay by resisting the formation
Cf mud. the oily and impcrvious ground
holding the>water in the ruts until 1t
dries out and preserving the earth be-
meath from becoming saturated with Ii.
On road Of deep, loose sand. how
ever, the oil appears to show little
benefit, though opinion is yet divided
as to whether or not repeated applca-
tionS OF. 1T upon surfaces of this charac-
ter would not ultimately so pack the
sand as to make it a hard, tight body
Those who claim it would not point
TO the fact. that the wheels cut into the
oiled sand as before, while those who
think it would pack believe the sand
when applied. to streets in the city
would come to be much the same rs
bitumtnous lime rock, which is nothing
more than sand thoroughly saturated
with bitunlen. This substance when
applied to hard surfaces packs readily.
1t is n fact, however, that the sand
read does not predominate in Califor-
pfa and that the most common high
way has a hard foundation composed
az clay. with a, dust covering worn
f,0m the surface which will blow
away with the wind. and thereby
cause more dust to be released from
the surface, as a result of which ac-
lion the road IS eaten down and be-
comes rutty and wornout With this
character of road, especially before the
ruts get into it.. the oil lis lasting
Icon. Roads whicf> have ruts should
le repaired before being treated, and
ON sandy stretches the sand should be
:IeLl9red or overcome, even though it
might be necessary TO spread upon the
surface q layer Of clay and roll it
down before applying the oil.
One hundred. barrels Of Oil per mile,
spread over an area IS feet in width,
Will put & read in condition along the
eXtcnt OF the oiled surface and give an
excellent roadway. adequate for Or
binary traffic. The oil is put on in
three applications, the first at the rate
Of 90 barrels per mile and the two
subsequent treatments at rate Of 20
barrels per mile each. Great care
must be taken in delivering the oil. 1t
should be- hot when discharged and
poured upon hot surface, so that the
wol!i Of the oil sprinkling is confined
to the heat of the day. The oil cannot
be poured on indscriminatcly, but
must be drilled into the dust as, wheat
is drilled into land prepared to receive
It. If it is not so applied, the oil will
not saturate evenly the dust area, but
will lie in Spiotches, run together ana
so make very imperfect success.
either as a job Of sprinklins or as al
oiled surface.
In order to meet the requirements a.
machine has been devised which, willie
1t does'not by any means limit the field
for inventions of this sort. nevertheless
supplies n want in this direction. A
big tank, mounted on four wheels,
drags n sort of tender box supported
by two wheels. into which is run from
the tank supply Of oil. This box has
furnace beneath ii which heats the
OIL and attached to 1t is drag, look
ing something like hayrake. A num-
bpr Of curVpl rods OF fingers 90 ont
from the bottom, and these are drawn
through the dust and along the road.
They mark little burrows in the dust,
and into these Burrows, through. Sc
; rIes Of pipes. is. discharged the 6iis a
second finger or sort of thumP arrange
ment. fixed farther back, turns the