The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-04-04

Frcnch Methods Of Applying Pitch to
Country Hiohvvave


French Methods Of Applying Pitch 10
Country Highways.
To lay The dust on a country road
and also on q railway petroleum IS cin
ployed a great deal In Frlnce hot
pitch has been tried sufficiently to en.
courage its further use. As It's cost Is
probably greater than that Of oil. il
does not promise to displace the latel.
at least in America There can be lit
ne doabt ABOUT It's efficacy. however.
Inc American consul general a.
MarsCiles, France. says that the hss,
experiments in and near th {, ely were
mace eight years ago. sh 'hea ;he
method Of using pitch has l,s.i deycl-
oped ard the practice is now regarded
an excellent one
The system is applicable only to
hard smooth macaclm road. and not
70 loose gravel or clay 1t should also
be remembered that here is o. righ.
way aud several wrong ways to use the
pitch. The coasul general quotes as
follows FROM a report Of Road Commits.
sicner Glrardeau. Of FonJeaay-le-
Cmyte
1T is indispensable 70 use a pitch
that has not been distilled, and from
which none Of the lighter oils have
thus beea removed. Such a pitch boils
at 176 degrees Fahrenheit. This product
shoSid be brought to a temperature an.
preaching that of ebullition. slice IN
tnfs con11ion it is most mobile and
penetrltes best into The material Of the
roadway.
ITO spread a pitch at 146 degrees
Fahrenheit is a grave error; on the
other hand at 176 degrees it is easily
inhammable and spills over the side Of
the boiler This inconvenience lave
avoided by having special apparatus
made, which permits the watching ana
regulation Of the heating.
The pitch leaving this apparatus
while boiling is spread upon a roadway
prepared to receive it. The worlunen
must aim not to cover the surface as
with a carpet by spreading on it thick
layer, but rather to cause the tar to
penstrate the highway itself This re.
suit depends upon proper preparation
Of the road surface and the careful
spreading q tAe hot tar
1t is preferable to work upon a re-
surfaced road, OF one in good cndition.
All work must cease if she ground be
cold or damp. A needless spectator
might be delighted with the first aspect
Of lis work upon a damp surface, as
the pitch would promptly form
smooth carpet. Such work scarcely lasts
through one summer, and goes TO
pieces with the first frosts.
y thoroughly dried roadway must
be taken. From the surface every par
ticle Of Tnst must be removed. Ordiu-
airy mechanical sweepers are not pro-
per fer mis- task Metallic thread
brooms are equally out Of the question.
We mus have a sweeping material IS
hard than the road surface, in ordel To
clean without breaking it,
"The pitch should be distributed
from the center Of the roadway. It
should be poured not sprinkled. The
sprinkler is exactly the instrument
which Should be elected if The object
were 10 chill the coal-tar as quickly as
possible.
'lt is very simple matter to pay
out the pt1h in small quantities and to
spread it Immediately upon the surface.
The pitcf peneraies thoroughly the
Whole r>adbed. This process is aided
by rubbing il IA euergetieaIly with stir
brooms, which oPen the joints and con
Duct the pitca
zone must not be disquiated By TIE
rough aspect Of the road surface; after
several days it becomes united, COM
pact and resistant. A very little sand.
or even dnss thrown over the surface
five hours after the dosing with tar
completes c.e operation"