The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-20
ROADS OF MOLASSES.
One or Several New Materials h Govern
ment Is Trying.

ment Is Trying.
Experiments are now being conducted
by the Office Of Public Roads Of the
Uuited States Department at Agricul-
ture in an effort to build a dustproof
road by combining blast furnace Stag with
asphalt or tar.
This endeavor is of the utmost eco
nomic Importance. because IL the hoped
for success is attained. unsightly noun
tains Of Stag will soon disappear from the
vicinity of scores Of cities and a ready
market will have been established for
vast quantities OF this material. II
For several years the cientists in the
Office Of Public Roads as well as in many
Of the more progressive States E. have
been working to achieve two great OBJ
jects, the utilization Of ~by-products in
road building and the development Of
dustless roads. Experiments already con-
Quoted indicate that crushed rock COM
bined with tar or asphalt preparations
bid fair to solve in a measure the dust
less road problem. Exhaustive labora-
tory tests have indicated that Stag in
combination with preparations of tar or
asphalt may be made to serve rs a sub
stitute for crushed rock.
One Of these experimental stretches Of
road is now in course Of construction at
Chicago, under the supervision Of Chief
Engineer Vernon NJ. Peirce Of the Federal
bureau, and one at Birmingham. Ala,
under the direction OF b. F. Heidel, first
assistant engineer.
The road at Chicago will be Of Stag and
asphalt; that at Birmingham OF Stag and
tar. The greatest skill and care will be
used in putting down these short stretches
and they will then be carefully OBJ
served during the trying months of winter.
If in the spring 1t has been established
that this class Of road remains firm. does
not rut, sheds water and makes but little
dust a vast step forward will have been
taken in road building and an ever
failing market will have been created for
blast furnace waste.
Besides this activity in Stag expert
ments the Public Roads Office is also busy
at Newton. Mass, with a special asphalt
preparation never before tried which
the director and his ~lieutenants hope
NAV prove efficacious as a dust binding
surface material.
The Office is also preparing at tho same
place to lay a stretch of what might be
eane1 a candy road." Nobody except
q scientist would 60 SO far afield in re-
search az to adopt molasses as a road
building material, but that is exactly what
has been lone here, and Assistant Chemist
Provost Hubbard of Director Pages
scientific corps is levelling a half mile
stretch OF road near Newton and in a
few days will be in active supervision
of the laying of the first molasses road
of history. This molaSses la the almost
useless by-product Of the great cane
sugar reineries OF the South and the
beet sugar refineries of the West and
- II Il, ,snIyishI,- p,,t,at ~,
az black and as thick as tar and almost
as powerful as q binder. Having always
been a waste product it can be bought
ct n lower price than coal tar and IN
greater quantities.
When the quantity and the sticky con
sistcncy OF this material were called to
tho attention Of Director Page a number
of months ago Inc conceived the idea
that it might aid in solving the always
difficult problem of dusty roads. He
sent for a supply for laboratory expert
ments and detailed Mr.. Hubbard to
conduct them; The molesses was
mixed with rock dust, with earth and
with sand and tried out under heat and
under water. II behaved so well and held
out such promises for ideal roads that the
practical test Of a real road was recently
decided upon.
Another scientist, also from the Office
OF n ubtc iNoeAot - SNsNe.N NV &'eSlOhu-
ence, Kan. in trying to devise a method
of constructing oiled roads analogous to
the methods which have produced the
famous oiled roads OF southern Cali
fornia. He is mixing heavy oils possess
natural soil and sand and c%ompacting the
preparation with a tamping roller. One
stretch Of this peculiar class Of highway
will be under construction within a few
DAYS. The oiled roads OF California have
saved millions Of dollars to the farmers
| and fruit growers of hat fertile State in
the last few years by suppressing the dust
that formerly arose in binding h|ouds
dust clouds floating to adjacent fields and
orchards deprecated the price off farm
produce and lowered the values 81 real
estate to a startling degree. The sprink.
ling of oil was tried and the dust was held
in check. Then some Of the roads were
ploughed and the oil mixed with the
eriy crowned SURFACE. Splendid results
1 followed in most instances.