Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1901-11-06
OIL FOR THE ROADS

At late meeting of the San
Joaquin Valley Commercial Associa-
ton, says "Oil, Copper and Finance"
Hon. n. A. Jastro, chairman Of the
Kern County Board of Supervisors,
read an interesting paper on the max
Ing Of roads. Mr.. Jastro made an ex-
ceptionally intelligent presentation Of
the subject, as he is well able to do.
having given to II considerable
thoughtful attention. To Mr.. Jastro
more than to any other one individual
Is due whatever progress has been
made In the betterment Of Kern's high
ways. In the course Of the paper the
described as follows:
In 1899 my attention was directed
to the method by which the town OF
Chino was repairing her streets. This
town is located on dry, sandy plain
In the northern part of San Bernar-
dino county, and the surroundings,
nature OF soil and also the climate are
very similar to those in the San Joa-
quin Valley. They were sprinkling oil
on their streets. They graded their
streets slightly crowned to the center,
and were using the first year about
1000 barrels Of oil per mile on Co.
foot wide street. They were applying
the oil hot under the De Camps patent.
Their streets were dustless, and the
oil after the first years sprinkling had
left on top hard substance very simi-
lar to asphalt. These streets were
sprinkled the year following. and about
400 barrels OF oil were used per mile
and the town of Chino has today
streets IL not as elegant as the asphal-
tum paved streets, for all practical pur-
poses they are as good. There are no
ruts or chuckholes in the streets, and
they are absolutely dustless. The cost
was s225 per barrel for oil applied on
the street. and they were paying from
SIZE to $l.25 per barrel for crude oil.
After beng thoroughly convinced
that the oiling of roads will in short
time be of u permanent nature, we I'M
dertook to have oil applied to our coun-
| try roads wherever the district road
funds would permit. and during the
year of 1870 sprinkled about twenty
miles OF roadbed at cost Of $3.50 per
mile, crude oil being worth 81. This
work was done under a contract with
the owner of the De Camp patent for
applying oil to roads, and the comfort
and pleasure derived by those who
drove over these roads amply repaid
the outlay. The oil was applied on
twelve feet of the roadway, and wher-
ever the road Was in any'kind OF re-
pair-that II, when the road had been
graded and crowned TO the center-tht
effects OF oiling were so noticeable that
the cost of sprinkl!ng was materially
lesseued this year. This year we again
contracted with the same parties. pay.
ing them 81 per barrel for the oil heat.
ed and applied to the road, and in nc
instance where oil had been applied
the previous year has the cost exceeded
SIS per mile. The cost of crude oil
this year is so cents per barrel, deliver
ed at the heating station.
II wish to state again that these
figures are for applying the oil hot I'M
der the. De Camp system, and include
all the costs connected Herewith. On
the other roads we applied oil cold this
year, and find 1t can be done much
cheaper. Several miles of road were
oiled at a cost OF $50 to $50 per mile
using from 80 to $50 barrels of oil per
mile. The disadvantage ofNthe latter
process find, Is that the cold oil does
not readily assimilate with the soil
and consequently before the soil has
entirely absorbed the oil the wheels
are very apt to throw oil on inmates
OF vehicles driving on the roads. From
close observation 1t Is my Judgment
That the first application should be ap.
piled hot, so that the oil will readily
mix with the subsoil and after tho
hard substance has been left on top of
the road, thereafter the cold applica-
ton viii be just as effective, as per-
mahent and much cheaper. In conclu-
sion, | viii say that the only material
onered TO apply on roads, to have n
justices road, easy for horses to fra
vel over, and to be permanent bene-
mt from the outlay, Is OIL"
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