The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-08-24
FOR BETTER
STREETS
Mr.. ATWELL THOMPSON DELIV-
ERS AN ADDRESS ON THE USE
OF A COAL TAR COATING.
His Ideas Will be Put Into Effect and
the Square and Adjoining Streets
Will be Treated.

Mr.. Atwell Thompson, of Columbia,
who was formerly engaged in work
for the Government at Shiloh Nation
al Park, but who is now connected
with the engineering work of Jackson,
made an entertaining and instructive
talk on street Improvement at the
court house Tuesday night before
members of the Board of Mayor and
Aldermen and a number of represen-
tative citizens.
Mr.. Thompson was introduced by
Mayor Guest in a few well chosen
words. He explained conditions at
Jackson and Madison county, and sta
ted that all material for street and
road building had to be imported and
was secured principally at Carlo, Ill.,,
yet in spite of this fact the town and
county authorities had built many
miles of splendid streets and roads
and by the end of this year Madison
county will have spent 100000 in
road building.
He said that the city engineer of
Jackson, learning some time since of
the advantageous uses of crude oil
and common tar in road building, de-
termined to experiment with these
materials. He was fortunate enough
to SECURE two cars of oil and two tanks
of tar free of cost for this first exper-
mental work, and at once began his
experiments, in which he had the as
sistance of the U. s. Department of
Agriculture. The various grades of
oil were used on sections of road and
tar was used on other sections, and 1t
was the observation of the speaker
that tar was far the best for the work.
He stated that the streets were first
graded then macadamized, then rolled
and swept The tar was then heated
and kept hot and spread from spec
tally arranged tank. Men with brooms
the tank and spread the tar
in an even surface over the macadam
and it was allowed to sink in, penetrat
ing to a depth of from three-fourths of !
an inch to an inch and one-half The |
street sweepings or sand was then |
spread over the tar and in twenty-four |
hours the street was ready for travel, /
first having been gone over with a
heavy roller The tar, Mr.. Thomp- 1
son said, formed coating not unlike
asphalt, and had, the advantage that
while asphalt costs from SIZE to 1925
ser square yard, the tar coating cost
'nly five cents per square yard. The
ar coating prevents the particles of
nacadam from rolling together and
orming dust, and in fact does away
With a large per cent. of the dust. 1t
'revents erosion of the macadam and
the life of the street twelve
r fourteen years. It forms a cushion
Which deadens the noise of travel 1t
$ impervious to water, and in winter
yhen water soaks into other streets
nd they freeze and break in many
faces, the water simply drains of
he tar covered streets and waahes
hem clean. The tar covering forms
resultant cushion, which is easy on
he feet of horses and is of benefit to
hem. Tar is deoderizer and germ
eide, and has the advantage of stay
lg where you place it and not cling
ig to ladies' dresses or getting on
lens shoes and being tramped into
arpets.
Mr.. Thompson told of the expert
tents made with oil, and said the
ght oils had been of little benefit, y
Tough good results had been obtained a
ON the use of the medium and heavy
lis, but the heavy oils were difficult p
} handle because they had to be heat