The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-14

out the asphalt are all negroes. Some
of them are from Barbados and ST. Vim
cent, but the majority are natives of
the Island of Trinidad. Those from
Barbados speak English, but the ma
tive Trinidad negroes a French patolS.
They dig the asphalt out of damps with
pickaxes to a depth of from four to
five feet, loading it upon the buckets
with ShovelS. If the asphalt stands in
the buckets for a period as long as
four hours it conSolidates and has to
be dug out with a pick.
ct is poured into the hold of the
vessels just as it comes from the lake,
in large Jumps, but by the time the YES
sci reaches New York it has run to-
gether in such fashion that it has to be
excavated in the same manner that it
is taken fresh from the lake. Some of
the pitch is converted into what is
known as 'epuree,' or purified as
phalt. This is done by placing the
Jumps of crude asphalt into a vat,
which is heated by a steam coil. What
water there is in the aSphaltiS soon
evaporateS, and after several SKIM
mings and boiling down it is barreled
and exported to New York
"In nearly every geography, history
or work in which this lake Is de-
scribed you will see the statement that
the lake is ineXhaustible and that as
fast as the asphalt is taken out 1T fills UP
again. Such, 1 assure you, is not the
case, such statements being founded
on a misconception. The lake Is In
longer than another 100 years under the
present heavy drain. The way this
statement cot into circulation was as
follows: The company takes from the
lake about $50 tons per day. Now if
this 750 tons should be taken out Of one
pit by the next morning there would be
no trace left Of the excavation of the
day before.
"Most people would at once jump at
the conclusion that the holes had filled
up during the night, but such is not
quite the case, and If one will take the
trouble to stroll around the border of
the lake he will find that there is slow
but continuous subsistence going on all
the time. The holes, instead of having
filed up, have simply sunk to uniform
level, for, like water, asphalt is sub
stance that seeks It's own level when
ever it's equilibrium Is disturbed by
diggings or excavations. There is, of
course, a certain amount of asphalt
flowing in to maintain the level dis
turbed by the constant diggings. This
comes in from the seams of pitch far
under ground, and which seem to meet
in the center of the lake, where the as
phalt is softer than elsewhere but the
flow is not rapid enough to maintain
the lake at it's original level.
I'm other words the company Is TAX
ing out the asphalt faster than it is
flowing in. For example, If the COM
lake, about 10000 tons flow in from be-
low to take the place Of that removed,
so that on account Of this dispropor-
ton between the amount taken out
and>the quantity flowing in the lake is
gradually sinking, the marks Of the old
shore line being far above the present
one. The vegetation around the lake
is low and stunted. There are several
islands in the lake supporting scant
vegetation, but no trees, and although
the island is the home of the dread
'mapipire,' the coral snake and other
venomous reptiles, the lake and the
shores round about are completely deS-
titute of animal life.
"There are several very curious
things about the lake, some of which
| have never been accounted for nor
satisfactorily explained. You can walk
about over the lake, which seems per-
feetly solid and firm Except in the cen
ter, where it is so soft that although it
is possible for a person to walk over
it, it is out of the question for a pair
of oxen and q cart to attempt It's pas
sage), but If you stand five. minutes in
any one spot on the lake you will find
that you have sunk one inch into the
black, pitchy substance.
Another remarkable thing Is that the
asphalt seems to flow upward from the
center, and in so doing brings UP every
now and then a big cedar tree Of a kind
very plentiful on the island. The move
ment of the asphalt seems to be from
| the center out toward the sides, and
! as these trees come up with the pitchy
current they follow the flow, and are
! drifted out to the sides or shore of the
lake. Where these trees come from is
a mystery that many have tried but
which none have succeeded in solving
They are not in the least carbonized,
but seem to be in as fresh and green a
state as though they had been cut in
the forest only a few days before. They
evidently got into the lake before
the pitch was formed, though how is
the mystery"
In the half-century since aniline dyes