Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1907-04-19
Prefers Tar TO Oil.

way Commissioner James H. Macdon-
aid, of Connecticut, has been treating
stretch of highway near Hartford
with coating of tar as top dress
ing, and as the result appears to have
been satisfactory the Com missioner
in his recent report expresses some
decided views upon the comparative
merits of tar =; t.I-3 Cl treat-
ments Of L.e4may surfaces, to the ad-
vantage of the former, at the same
time admitting that the present
method of spreading the tar is crude
and must be perfected to obtain the
desired lasting results. Mr.. Macdon-
aid says:
'The treatment of highway with
a tar compound is, of course, prim-
arily to make upon its surface coat
ing which will withstand traffic
whether of teams or automobiles. To
succeed perfectly in this matter the
method of applying the tac must be
improved upon. At present it is prim-
tive. A barrel or so of tar is heat
ed in a jacketed boiler and run out
upon the surface of the highway from
a two inch pipe, the flow being con-
trolled by valve. When once on
the surface of the highway the hot
tar is spread by means of brooms or
a squeegee, the distribution being un-
even as result. Now, some means
must be devised of getting this tar
or tar product upon the surface of
the road in an even coating, and some
invention to this end must be dis
covered. A second thing which must
be regarded is the weather. The tar
must be applied when the weather is
dry and hot, the dryer and hotter
thus treated is to stand against the
force of the automobile. The exper-
fence of the past warrants the belief
that the method of applying tar will
be SO perfected that the treatment
will prove successful. The end is, of
course, to secure a road surface that
will withstand all the strain of traffic,
and to this end experiments with
crude oil or some tar product are be-
ing made. There are. advocates of
both fluids and it will take time to
tell which is the better.
Heat is essential in the applica-
tion of either tar or oil, heat being
necessary to bring out the efficiency
of the valuable elements. From my
experience with tar l should iay that
the degree of heat necessary in apply
ing it successfully is about the same
as that needed in repairing concrete
sidewalks. The road surface should
be dry and the application made dur
ing a prolonged dry season at that.
The tar should be heated to about
800 degrees and should be applied
evenly, so as to form complete veil
over the surface of the road. The
ordinary tar as produced as a by-pro-
duct of the gas house is not calcu-
lated for the work, being too thin
and containing elements not desir-
used should be thicker, certain vola-
tile elements having been driven out
of it. After the compound has been
applied it should be followed by a
coating of fresh stone no larger than
will run through half-inch screen.
The stone should be thoroughly clean
and free from dust and should also
be heated when put upon the tar
compound. The road, for that mat
ter, should have been cleared of dust
before the application Of the tar. At
ter the stone has been applied the
road should be rolled and then kept
free from trafllc until thoroughly
cool, in order that the coating upon
the surface may NOT be torn up by
any vehicle.
THE use of crude oil has been
more extensive, probably, than the
use OF the tar products, but in some
respects it must be treated in differ
ent manner. 1t is desired. however,
to attain the same end. that of form
ing an elastic, siust-proof cushion