The age-herald., 1901-11-19
Residue Oil Should be. Used for the Purpose and
 Not Petroleum
ROAD EXPERT TELLS
 HOW II SHOULD BE DONE
M. o. Eldridge, Assistant Director of the Government Bureau of Public Road Inquiries, Discusses
 the Subject.

NJ. o. Eldridge, assistant director of the government bureau of public road inquir- les, who is in Birmingham with the Southern Railway good. roads train, is one of the pioneers in the movement to settle dust on the highways by an appli- cation of oil.
 MT. Eldrfdge experimented on a mile of roadbed in the District of Columbia several months ago. and from his sue cess there he says he is confident Blr- mingham could be saved from the rav- ages of the dust by freely sprinkling the streets with the refuse oil which is left after the refining process.
 Many cities and persons have made great mistakes by using petroleum or kerosene in this sprinkling experiment, and they consequently met with failure" explained Mir. Eldridge "The proper oil to use is what is known as the residue oil, which up to the last few years had residum which is left after the kero- sene, benzine, naphtha and other volatile substances have been removed from the crude oil. It has considerable body to it, and when sprinked on road consoli- dates with the particles of dust and forms a crust over the highway some what resembling leather. This crust or shell Is impervious to water and only the heaviest of rains can partially penetrate it. It Is a sure preventative of dust
 Of No Value In Sand. "You must understand" continued MT. Eldridge, that the oil will not prove sue cessful in every climate or on any kind of dirt On sandy soil it is of practically no value, but it makes an excellent cov- ering for loam and clay soil, with which
 1t readily mixes"
 Do you think it would be successful on chert or macadam as we have in Bir- mingham? was asked.
 '.'Yes, it would be great preventative of dust. and I believe would keep such a street in condition for at least one year"
 What would it cost to sprinkle block with the oil you mention?'
 "The price of the residue oil ranges all the way from 50 cents to 75 cents per bar
 rel. These barrels contain forty gallons of oil, and it would not require more than fifty of them to one of your blocks. base that on information that the streets are sixty feet wide and the blocks 400 feet long, This would make the oil cost say,
 at 75 cents per barrel, s37.5o per block
 not more than $50 at the outside" Ways of Putting 1t On. There are several ways of putting this oil down." continued MT. Eidridge.
 "but believe the most common method Is the ordinary street sprinkler. How
 ever, I have seen a machine used which somewhat resembles wheat drill. It goes | over the road lightly blowing it up, and l on each of the teeth a sream of the oil
 flows. filling up the little furrows. When this is done a street packer should be run over the road. pressing the oil and particles of dust together. In few days A crust will form which is nearly as
 hard as asphalt. This will last about one year and the process will then have to be repeated"
 Tn Rediands and Los Angeles. Cal, successful experiments have been made with oil." Mir. Eldridge continued, land several miles of the streets in each city are covered with crust which prevents dust and forms soft, spongy footing for horses. On account of the conditions in that state and the peculiar kind of soil, the crude petroleum as it Is taken from the wells is poured on the streets" Cannot Use Kerosene. Mir Eldridge says that kerosene or pe- troleum can never be used successfully on account of their volatile nature. "Kerosene evaporates quickly on the road On account of its great tendency to 20 into vapor, 1t cannot be kept in the earth more than few weeks" In conclusion. Mir. Eldridge said he saw no reason why the streets of Birming- l ham could not be covered with oil and | the people saved from the dust. -->--sr--- - People who suffered with rheumatism have taken Hoods Sarsaparilla and Ktx.rr vatta