The Red Cloud chief., 1901-05-24
ORIGIN OF ASPHALT.
WHERE IT IS OBTAINED AND
IT'S COM MERCiAL USE.
Operations NJ Guaroco and Trinidad %
some Of the Noted Regions Where
different Grades Of Asphalt Are Found
An Asphalt Mountain.

ylcIa mas CNllScu tSnptliI lnlCIPSt III
what an asphalt lake Is like and how
asphalt t. mined and shipped To mar
kct Asphalt. or asphaltum. is the
solid form IL hitumcn. Bitumcn Is n
generic term which Is applied to II va
riCty OF substances, ranging from
natural gas. naphtha. petroleum and
mineral tar tO asphalt. Tho %asphalts
OF different localities vary greatly III
composition. Az * shown Ivy their
chemical reactions. Nearly all are
amnrphOus and have the general ap-
pnaranrC Of pitch. melting ut about
the temperature Of boiling water. AS
phalt. 1t is thought by scientists, has
resulted from the hardening OF the
maltha and petroleum clements.
through o~Xygenltion and evaporation.
one " the most interesting asphalt
beds in the world Is the pi,Ch LAX" IN
the state OF Bcrmudc2. Venezuela. This
valuable deposit was unknown To
American capitalists until 1855, when
an American engineer. Ambrose How
ard Garner. received a title To the prop
crty from tho Venezuelan government.
This he sold to the New York and
Bcrmudc2 company. which rs closely
allied to the so-callcd asphalt trust, OF
which Gen. T.. V. Greene is president.
The several square miles which ar,
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 hat 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 Ncnozuelans. working under
the eye of an American %superinten-
dent. The raw asphalt Is brought from
the lake. five miles distant. on Hat
ears and shoyeled into the holds OF
tho vessels. At GuanoCO this opera
tion is much simpler han at Trinidad,
where lighters are necessary because
of the long shelving beach OF the mar
bor. The railroad follows an old In
dian trail. which led from the river 20
the shores of the pitch lake. The sur
face of the lake Is so hard that for
some distance from the shore 1t sup
ports the weight Of a loaded train.
As one looks over the surface of this
great deposit he at first sees nothing
of IA striking or unusual nature. lie
views only a black plain. resembling
anthracite coal, or flint, upon whic!
are groups of natives working with
picks and shovels. Closer examina'
ton, however, shows that portions 81
the surface are soft like tar. where the
asphalt Is sticky and bubbling. AS
phalt Is distinguishable from anthra
cite not only by It's form. but becaus'
1t is soluble in bisulphide Of carbon
and benzole. These pitch pools resem
BILE somewhat the hot springs Of thu
Yellowstone region. They slowly cool
and become hardened after many
years. As at Trinidad, they vary In
depth. Some of them have never beer
fully sounded. and arc thought by thu
natives to extend into the bowels 81
the earth. The asphalt which Is mined
at Bermudcz lake Is more or less
hardened, and Is obtained with some
difficulty, as IL retains the suns hea'
to "A trying degree. The Bermudez com
pany, after years OF experiment, has
succeeded in putting on the market as
phalt which will neither crack from
cold nor melt under the burning sun
About a decade ago vehicles were like
~ to cut into asphalt pavCments II
the summer months BY Chemica
treatment this has been obviated II
all the newer pavementS, even in no
countries. where 1t fully le3ists tn
suns heat, and at the same time re
tains its durability and elasticity. As
phalt Is used largely in the manufac
ture of cemcnts. IL Is mixed with
petroleum residue to render II plastic
and Is then tempered with o~ne-seventi
It's weight OF sand, II also forms OF
Of the most durable waterproof mater
ials known. For roofing purposes !
/, Is mixed, while hot, with fine gravel
or is absorbed by thick rolls OF felt pa
per. Asphalt Ia found IN many coun
| tries. In Vera Cruz, Mexico, near tn
village Of MOlOasan, Is a mountain
largely composed of asphalt. The de
, posts at Seyssei. France, aud at Va
, de Travcrs, Switzerland, consist q
4, limestone impregnated with bitumi
. nous matter, which, when heated
/ crumbles to a powder. After it ha
| been pounded into mOlds and Is coole.
II resembles the original rock. Owe
20 1000 miles Of tho streets Of Paris hay
| been supplied from these two local
\, ties. New York Tribune,