The St. Mary banner., 1901-06-22
FACTS ABOUT ASPHALT.
Where 1t Is Obtained - Its Origin ard
Commercial Uae.

W mere IL IS ODiNIueo - ltS VII
Commercial Jse.
The dispute between two rival Amer
lean corporations over the possession
of La Felicidad, an asphalt lake III
Venezuela, has caused especial inter
est in what an asphalt lake is like
and how asphalt is mined and shipped
to market Asphalt. or asphaltum. Is
the solid form of bitumen. Bitumen
is a generic term which is applied
to variety of substances. ranging
from natural gas. naphtha. petroleum
and mineral tar to asphalt. The as.
phalts of different localities vary great.
ly in composition. shown by their
chemical reactions. Nearly all are
amorphorus 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
naphtha 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 tC
American capitalists until 1883, when
an American engineer, Ambrose How
ard Garner, received a title to the
property from the Venezuelan govern
ment. This he sold to the New York
and BermudeZ company. which is
closely allied to the so-called asphalt
trust, of which General +. V. Greene
is president. The several square miles
which are included in the concession
obtained has in the last 13 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 i'll from
the Caribbean sea past the British
possession of Trinidad Island and i'll
land to the docks of the company at
Guanoco.
The town OF Guanoco is the river
terminus of the Bermudez company's
railroad. Here are hundreds Of native
Venezuelans, working under the eye
of an American superintendent. The
raw asphalt is brought from the lake,
shoveled into the holds of the vessels,
At Guanoco this operation is much
simpler than at Trinidad. where light,
ers are necessary because Of the long
shelving beach of the harbor. The
railroad follows an old Indian trail,
which led from the river to the shores
of the pitch lake. The surface of the
lake is so hard that for some distance
from the shore it supports the weight
of a loaded train. AS one looks over
the surface of this great deposit he at
first sees nothing of striking or un'
usual nature. He views only black
plain, resembling anthracite coal. or
flint, upon which are groups OF ma.
tives working with picks and shovels.
Closer examination. however, shows
that portions Of the surface are soft
like tar, where the asphalt is sticky
and bubbling Asphalt is distinguish.
able from anthracite not only by Its
form. but because it is soluble in BIZ
sulphide OF carbon and benzole. These
pitch pools resemble somewhat the hot
springs of the Yellowstone region.
They slowly cool. and become har-
dened after many years. AS at IFmi
dad, they vary in depth. Some OF
them have never been fully sounded
and are thought by the natives to ex-
tend into the bowels Of the earth.
Asphalt is used largely in the man
ufacture of ccments. 1t is mixed with
a petroleum residue to render it pias
tic, and is then tempered with one
seventh it's weight of sand. 1t also
forms one of the nest durable water
proof materials known. For roofing
purposes it is mixed. while hot. with
fine gravel or is absorbed by thick
rolls of felt paper.
Asphalt is found in many countries
In Vera Cruz. Mexico. near the village
of Moloasan. is mountain largely
composed of asphalt. The deposits
at Seyssel, France. and at Val dc
Travars, Switzerland. consist of lime
stone impregnated with bituminous
matter, which. when heated, crumbles
| to a powder After it has been pound
ed into molds and is cooled it resnm
bles the original rock. Over 1000 miles
of the streets Of Paris have been sup
piled from these two localities.