The Grit-advocate., 1901-05-24
ORIGIN OF ASPHALT.
WHERE 1T is OBTAINED AND
ITS COMMERCIAL USE.
Operations At GnAnoco and Trinidad-
Some of the Noted Regions Whore
Different Grades of Asphalt Arc Found
An Asphalt Mountain.

American corporations ever the pos
session of an asphalt lake in Vene-
zuela has caused especial interest IN
what an asphalt lake is like and how
asphalt is mined and shipped to mar
ket. Asphalt, OF asphaltum, is the
solid form if bitumen. Bitumen is
generic term which is applied to va
riety of substances, ranging from
natural gas, naphtha, petroleum and
mineral tar 10 asphalt. The asphalts
of different localities vary greatly IN
composition, as is shown by their
chemical reactions. Nearly all are
amorphous and have the general ap-
pearance OF pitch. melting at about
the temperature of boiling water. AS
phalt, it is thought by scientists, has
resulted from the hardening of the
maltha and petroleum elements,
through oxygenation and evaporation.
One of the most Interesting asphalt
beds in the world is the pitch lake in
the state of Bermudez. Venezuela. This
valuable deposit was unknown to
American capitalists until 1883, when
an American engineer, Ambrose How
ard Garner received title to the prop
erty from the Venezuelan government.
This he sold to the New York and
Bermudez company, which is closely
allied to the so-called asphalt trust, of
which Gen. F. V. Greene is president.
The several square miles which are
included in the concession obtained
have, in the last thirteen years, been
steadily improved. The company has
cleared the Maturin river to naviga-
ton, so that deep sea craft from all
quarters of the globe can run in from
the Caribbean sea, past the British
possessions OF Trinidad island, and in
land to the docks of the company at
Guanoco. The town Of Guanoco is the
river terminus Of the Bermudez COM
pany's railroad. Here are hundreds
of native Venezuelans, working under
the eye of an American superinten
dent. The raw asphalt is brought from
the lake, five miles distant, on nat
cars. and shoveled into the holds of
the vessels At Guanoco this opera
tion is much simpler than at Trinidad,
where lighters are necessary because
of the long shelving beach of the har-
bor The railroad follows an old In
dian trail, which led from the river 10
the shores of the pitch lake. The sur
face of the lake is SO hard that for
some distance from the shore it sup
ports the weight Of loaded train.
AS one looks over the surface of this
great deposit he at first sees nothing
of a striking or unusual nature. He
views only black plain. resembling
anthracite coal. or flint. upon which
are groups of natives working with
picks and shovels. Closer examina-
ton, however, shows that portions Of
the surface are soft like tar. where the
asphalt is sticky and bubbling. AS
phalt is distinguishable from anthra-
cite not only by its form. but because
it is soluble in bisulphide OF carbon
and benzole. These pitch pools resem-
BILE somewhat the hot springs OF the
Yellowstone region. They slowly cool.
and become hardened after many
years. AS at Trinidad they vary in
depth. Some of them have never been
fully sounded. and are thought by the
natives to extend into the bowels Of
the earth. The asphalt which is mined
at Bermudez lake is more or less
hardened, and is obtained with some
difficulty, as it retains the suns heat
to trying degree. The Bermudez com
pany, after years of experiment. has
succeeded in putting on the market as