Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-08-15
JOY OF ASPHALTUM
FINEST ROAD OF WHICH SCI
ENCE HAS KNOWLEDGE.
VAST STRETCHES OF 1T
Over 2s4,ooo,ooo Square Feet in
the United States and Canada
and Yet the Use of the
Wonderful Material is in Its
Infancy.

ClSCS anu the JOY anu plAuC VI wal
makers. Biologists and chemists
have placed the mysterious material
in the coal and petroleum family, yet
they do not agree on its origin.
Some of they claim volcanic parent
age for the curious stuff; others trace
it's family back to the vegetable
tribe. But all are Of one mind in
that it is one of the most useful and
disable products of the earth's crust.
Time, weather, climate and soil
seem to have no effect upon aspha,'
tum. On the Island of Trinidad. in
the British West Indies. are lodges
of asphaltum which project into the
ocean. They have been there, a.1-
parently, for centuries. Salt water
breakers and waves have pounded
and hammered them for years, yet
their sharp, well-deined edges prove
that the pummeling and pounding
which have wprn away the most
obdurate of rocks have failed to even
round the edges Of the asphaltum
lodges.
About twenty-five years ago gov
eminent engineers decided to pave
Pennsylvania avenue in Washington
with asphalt. That was the begin
ming of the general use of the scie1-
tific mystery for street pavements.
Today over 234,O00,000 square feet Of
street pavements in the United States
and Canada are covered with asphalt.
This asphalt paving would make a
boulevard twenty-six feet wide over
1850 miles long and would reach
from New York to New Orleans, and
then have several miles to spare for
side streets.
Spread out in one sheet. the 10000
900 square yards of asphalt paving
which has been laid in over $50
cities in North America would
blanket eight ane one-eighth square
miles, and yet the road builders say
that this country has only just begun
the use of asphalt for street pave
ment. They cite the fact that in all
Europe there are only 100000
square yards of asphalt streets, or
but 100000 square yards more than
are laid in this country every year.
Most of the asphaltur. used for
street paving in America comes from
one of the most interesting of natural
curiosities, Pitch Lake. in the Island
Of Trinidad This lake is a veritable
pot Of asphaltum. It's area is oniv
113 acres. 1t has been the great
source of supply for years. Hun
dreds of thousands of tons of the
material have been taken from r..
but, like the widows cruise of oil, it
never can be emptied. 1t is a self
filler No matter how much is taken
out, the excavation is reflled in a
few weeks.
The lake is about mile from the
docks, and the crude asphaltum is
cut and dug out of the crust ana
hauled in mule carts, mule cars Oh
buckets, which are carried on ar
overhead cable way to the vessel
where it is dumped into the hold.
The asphaltum crust is strong
enough to support a mule and cart
although there are soft spots in whicf
the mule would sink if he stood still
The temperature of the asphaltum Is
slightly above the normal tenn
perature of the atmosphere. At some
time in the long forgotten past Pitct
lake boiled over and the Hqu,c
| asphaltum spread all over the islal L,
and ran into the sea. 1t was theI
that the lodges, which bear testimon,
to the lasting and wearing qualities
| of the material. were formed.
Must be Refined.
Crude asphaltum cannot be use(
| for paving streets. 1t must be re
fined, and the process is carried on il
| stills and retorts, for slow heat, agita
ton and precipitation make the crud
material fit for paving purposes. TIL
refined product is put in barrels ant
| shipped to the yards of the pawn!
companies, where it is mixed an
otherwise prepared for the street
The crude asphaltum is placed il
tanks, where it is melted down I
facilitate the mixing Of the othe
materials which enter into the pawn
composition, and to rid it of it
are shot through the liquid mas
while it is in the tank. so as to stir
up, for constant agitation of tn
material is necessary in hte prepars
tory stages of the process.
So that the asphaltum may melt q
lower temperature certain propol
ton of the residnum left in reflnin
crude petroleum is poured into b
asphaltum This is done because til
oils in asphaltum are volatile. and
is necessary to save these oil:
When the ''fluxing" and mixing pr:
cess is completed the mixture
called paving cement"
To make this cement "stre'
mixture" clean, sharp sand, whic
has been heated in huge revolvi1
drums. is mixed with it. The sand
conveyed by an elevator to stora?
bin which stands over an "aspha
mixer" The sand falls into a mea
uring box and a lever releases jul
the right amount and dumps it int
the mixing machine. A certai
proportion of carbonate of lime
!, also added, and The mass is taken
mechanical mixer, where tt
!, asphalt cement, sand and carbona
of lime are thoroughly mixed Wi
each other. The material now
called street mixture and is dunn
ed into carts and taken to the stree
to be paved.
Opinions.
g / Volney W. Foster, the pathfnd
of the north shore. Chicago, and O
of the original asphalt men in t