The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-02-03
VALUE OF TAR ON
ROADS To PREVENT
WASHING BY RAINS
Jackson, Tenny Makes Valuable
Use of Tar Shipped from
EnsleN Ala.
APPLIED TO MACADAM
ROAD BECOMES DUSTLESS
Has Every Appearance of Asphalt and
the Lessened Vibration Makes
Roads Much More Suitable
for All Traffic.

shows that tar was put ON the roads of
Tennessee county, coming from Ensley, at
cost of less than cents a square yard.
1t was used on roads that had been
macadanized Is years, and had worn
down just like those in Jefferson.
Here is the report of the department OF
agriculture on the experiments:
During the spring and summer of 1905
the office of public roads co-operated with
Mr.. Sam C. Lancaster, city engineer Of
Jackson, Tenn, and chief engineer of the
Madison county good roads commission,
in making a series of careful experiments
at Jackson, Tenn, to determine the value
of coal tar for the Improvement of ma
cadam streets and roads. Tests were also
made of the utility of crude Texas oil,
and several grades of it's residue when
applied to earth and macadam roads.
Experiments With Tar.
The macadam streets in the, business
center of the city of Jackson we're built
originally of the hard siliceous rock
known as novaculite. About May 1, 1905,
after Is years of wear repair Of these
face, was first swept clean with horse
sweeper, so as to expose the solid pave
ment beneath. This was done because tar
will not penetrate a road surface which
is covered with dust and loose material.
Next, the surface was loosened by means
of spikes placed m the Wheeis OIL w.
ton steam folsr' the street. iesnapeu a
NIL
ne" material aooeu m"eie ne0u
road was then sprinhieu' roieo' polueu
ana hhisheo 10 FORM nalu' oo''p"o''
even surface anu aiio"eu " uiS ''
ougnly oelore elciief Tai VI on was "p
Piled Tor these substances can nol pe"e-
trate moist ROAD surface Ing oes'
results are optaihed "heh the WIN 10
done IN hot dry weather. ana accoruins-
~ the tar was hrst applied ln<Ausus'' IL
may pc Wen TO auo thae ,he nov aeuNee
useo III tue eoils'ruo'ioh VI ''o
an almost nohapsorpehl roeN.
other seetiois oi streets an" ios''s VIZ
built OF new nlaleriai eh'ireiy anu az
cordlng TO Weii-hnoWh prnieip'es Vi ma
cadam CONSTRUCTIONS pu' no '"i "a oA ""9
put on them uhlii ai'er 'neF i"u 0eSi
SUBJECTED 10 tranic' oeotions Vi oou"siy
roaqs whlch hao oeen puiie iof peiious VI
from one to two years were aiso uea'eu
with tar and oil. Careiul recoros were
kept-temperatures, weather conoitions'
etc. noted-and photographs taken u IL
lustrate the progress OIL the WORK.
Tar Came From Ensley.
The tar used was furnished free by a
PHILADELPHIA company, and came from
Enslev. tt was a by-product from the
manufacture of coke. and was practically
free from moisture. 1t was received at
the railway station in standard steel tanks
of about 5000 gallons capacity. A port
able boiler was connected with the steam
coils of these tank cars to heat the tar
and keen It hot. thus saving time in
bringing 1t to the temperature desired for
snreadinp on the road. 1t was then taken
from the tank cars and poured into a cyl
indrical tank wagon Of 500 gallons ca
pacity by means of hand lever pump.
This portable tank had a smail nrepox
under one end, with flue running direct
ly beneath the tank to smoKestack at
the other end. "A fire was Kept IN uhe ire
box and the tar brought TO a temperature
which generally reached zlo degrees f'
but when placed on the ROAD IL was re-
duced to temperature OF from loo TO le
degrees F. The hottest tar produced the
best results. A horizontal pipe with an
adjustable, longitudinal slot, attached 10
the rear of the wagon and extending
down close to the surface Oh the road
was first used to spread the tar, butsthls
became clogged and dig not give an even
flow 1t was therefore abandoned, and In
place of it a piece of four-ply one and
one-quarter inch rubber hose was at
tached to the wagon. This hose had
nozzle of sne-inch pipe, slightly fiattened
at the end to produce a broad stream, and
was provided with a valve for control
ling the flow. The tar was spread with
tlrs hose over a radius of about Is feet
or road surface. H
u..n M.s snre,d
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