The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-10-23

these small and numerous islands, a:
they were, with the mainland So rapid
is the flow of the liquid asphalt, which
amounts to ten million tons annually
into the lake, that the entire body, OF
surface, is constantly moving, thus me-
cessitating continual relayng OF the
tracks and surveyed pegs. So evident
is this movement and so peculiar is this
substance that an excavation worked
one day completely disappears in two or
three days.
As TO its depth II might be added
that az the springs or eenters of the lake
soundings have been made to depth
Of 100 feet without finding bottom. The
asphalt deposits, however, extend only
TO depth Of about 90 feet in the center
and eighteen feet along the edges OF the
shores The entire mass is supposed TO
be supported by a body of water
After the freshly excavated asphalt is
loaded on cars and conveyed TO the shore,
where the tubs, with a capacity OF one
thousand pounds each, are lifted by hy-
draulic power TO the aerial tramway,
whence il is rapidly conveyed to the pier,
some four thousand feet distant, and
dumped directly into the holds of the
vessels.
As over % per cent. of its bulk is wa
ter, its solidity can readily be imagined
when the pressure upon itself, the heat
and the motion Of the boat eliminate
this volume OF water as well as gas. Be
coming agglomerated into solid mass
on its voyage, it has to be again broken
up by picks in order TO be removed from
the vessel Upon its arrival at the fac
tory it is heated until the water is ex-
PEELED and the earthly material east to
the bottom of the large watts. 1t is then
poured through sieve into barrels,
where it solidifes.
The ordinary Trinidad asphaltum paw
ing mixture is made by adding and thor.
oughly mixing with hot refined asphalt
about 10 per cent. OF its weight of rcsid-
uum oil, the mixture serving to cement
together the sand and powdered lime.
stone which enter into the paving mix
ture. The proportions of the ingredients
vary according TO their physical and
chemical quality, as well as to the eli
mates in which the pavement is TO be
used, hot climates requiring less cement
than cold.
As to the asphalt deposits Of South
America, Just what causes these hot
springs Of asphalt is still unknown, the
great philosopher Niillet contending that
it is due to the decomposition Of accum-
ulations OF vegetation. while Daubrie
holds forth the theory that its origin IL
formed in like manner to that Of coal.
II is found in deposits varying from a
mere bubble 10 seven.acre tract all
through Venezuela, the earth often be-
ing so saturated with it as to appear
mingled with the soil and rocks. Both
the Pitch Lake Of Trinidad and the Ber-
mudez lake, in Venezuela, continually
overflow their banks, thus casting a large
amount into the rivers and the sea.
Who was the FIRST man to introduce
this natural resource into the CONNER
,ia world Il not certain, but the credit
Is laid at the door of one NJ. Merriam,
Swiss engineer, who laid a portion of
The road from Travers to Pontaher in
Is49 with this smooth material The
first pavement, however, was not laid
until 1854, when small section of a
street in Paris was paved. Business
Mans Magazine.