The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-14
The Strangest OF All Lakes
ACRES IN TRINIDAD WORLDS ASPHALT SUP
PLY BUBBLES THE DEPTHS.

Mr.. Edward r. Smart, civil en-
gineer in the employ of the British
government stopped last week at the
National, where he arrived several
days before from the Island of Trini-
dad There, for the past fifteen years,
he has been engaged in making
number of surveys for this, one of the
} richest and most valuable of the Brit
ish West Indies. Trinidad is the ISL
and on which is situated the celebrat-
ed asphalt lake that supplies this and
other cor >ries with paving material,
and which is without doubt one of the
most remarkable natural wonders in
existence, says the Washington Post.
"The Island of Trinidad" said Mr..
Smart, 'is nearly square, with the eX-
ception of it's western coast, which
runs out in two long capes, partly in
circling body Of water known as the
Gulf of Paria. The capital of the ISL
and and principal seaport, Port of
Spain, is situated on the southern
most of these two capes, while the
pitch lake is located at a place called
Brighton, on the northern cape, thirty
three miles across the Gulf Of Paria
from Port of Spain. The lake itself is
situated one mile inland, and covers
ninety acres. Extending over an area
of nearly 100 acres to the north Of the
lake is a black and barren tract of as
phalt that appears to have dried out
and hardened, and which is mixed
with the soil to such an extent that it
is not quite so good as that of the
lake.
ST doubt If there is anyone outside
of those who have visited the lake who
understands it's true character Most
people seem to think that it is a spring
of some sort, but this is a mistake.
The facts are that almost the entire
island of Trinidad is underlaid with
seams or strata of the same kind Of
pitch that is found in the lake. When
ever q we'll is dug to any depth,
eighty feet or more, those doing the
digging are sure to pass through a
seam of this asphalt before they strike
water, and the we'll has to be at once
curbed with bricks or boards to pre-
vent the asphalt in these seams from
flowing into and filling UP the we'll.
''Along various parts of the seacoast,
wherever the banks are high and cut
away by the waves, these seams of
pitch are exposed, but so hardened on
the surface that they have not flowed
outward to any great extent. The
lake seems, therefore, to be a pocket
of this pitch. The various layers seem
/ to have dipped upward and run to-
gether at this point, forming the lake,
the surface of which, under perfectly
natural and undisturbed conditions,
would be stationary, neither rising nor
falling
THE lake belongs to the British
crown, but is leased for period Of 49
years to the New Trinidad Asphalt
company, whose time limit has AZ years
more to run. This company pays no
rental or lease money for it's right, but,
instead, pays royalty on every ton of
asphalt exported from its station,
Brighton, on the coast near the lake.
From this royalty Great Britain de-
rives a revenue of 6 10000 ($200000)
per year, which is spent in building
roads and making improvements over
the island. The company is an English
corporation, but owing to the fact that
nearly all of the asphalt exported is
shipped to New York, the concern is
managed from that point and all of the
white clerks, superintendent and man
ayers, to the number of eight or more,
stationed at the company's plant at
Brighton are young men from the Unit
ed States.
"The New Trinidad Asphalt company
has long wharf extending out to deep
water at Brighton. From the end of
this wharf a cable tramway extends to
the power house, a mile inland and on
the edge Of the lake, and from there
small railway makes loop out and
over a part of the lake, which is every
Wnefe naru enough TO walk upon eX-
cept, perhaps, in the center, where it
is very soft. This railway, or tram
way, should have said, is laid upon
straw to prevent its sinking down into
the, asphalt but even this is not suffi-
cient to prevent it's subsistence, and as
further means of support it is anchor
ed by long cables of steel wire to the
stanchions of wood driven in the
ground around the shore Of the lake,
which in form is almost circular.
'%These cables not only prevent the
railway from sinking, but also keep the
track from sagging on one side or get
ting out Of shape in other ways. The
cars that run over this roadway carry
two buckets that hold 500 pounds of
: asphalt each. The asphalt is loaded in
to these buckets from pits along side of
the track, and when the cars reach
the shore Of the lake the buckets are
lifted UP on the cable tramWay and
whirled down to the end of the wharf,
where their contents are dumped into
the holds of vessels lying alongside
the pier They are then sent back
empty over the same galloway to be re-
filed.
1.-THE labcrers employed in getting