The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1909-02-02
INTERESTING EXPERIMENT. ARE
BEING MADE IN BLAiNE CoUN.
~ WITH CRUDE GYPSUM.
CREATES A FIRM CEMENT
The Vast Deposits Of Gypsum Yet
Undsvcloped in the state May Form
a Prominent Factor in Future Good
Road Building.

Watouea. Okla. Fee. l..\ll of ok
lahoma Will be Interested 800 tbr out.
come of the road building material
tests as proposed .. Che Blaine |
county commlssioncr. near h.ro and /
through which they hope to show |
.hat the state may ' utilize the /
vast deposits of gypsum aboundiug .
in western OklahomI I'm Icatious .
from nearly ALI studpoints are .
favorable The county had also hoped .
to secure the loan OF q few oouyicts /
from the state TO do the building
T. VI. Spiker and w. L. Spoon
superintcudents OF road construc-
tion of the department Of agricul.
turc at Washington. We're i'm Blaine
couny preparing five miles of road
extending west and south out of
Watonga. upon which they will lay
crushed gypsum and finish the sur
face with a sprinklup OF crude oil.
Gypsum. particularly that found in
Salt creek and Roman Nose can.
yons of Blaine county often rcferr-
ed 10 as granite possess a firm
cemcnting quality, and when treat
ed with oil having an asphaltum
base It is believed viii make ser
viceable lasting road.
Specimens of Blaine county gyp..
sum were taken to Washington for
tests in the governments large
plant. The material was made into
bricks and given a mechanical treat
ment TO bring out its qualities of
endurance. It was found that while
not possessing the toughness and
rigidity found in some sandstones and
road rocks, the bricked gypsum Weld
ed practically nothing. owing to the
! presence of nautral cement, which
has caused It to be looked upon
as possible hgh-grade material
| for roads.
The most perfectly constructed
road, according to Mr.. Spilcr. is
constantly in need Of repair After
vigorous travel upon It the materials
are ground into particles and carried
away by the wind, thus leaving
ragged or uneven surface. What con
stituted a signal for immediate work
Is that after the grinding" the road
| becomes "stringy,' or the smaller
pebbles and pieces work ont Of place,
4 so much so that the surface is prac.
tically worthless for even travel
oil with an asphatum base serves
/ as '.binder." or additional cement
in road building and has proven
! satisfactory I'm Massachusetts and
California, where the department
made other experiments In these the
oil has shown remarkable adhesive
qualities ther esult being that heavy
travel in place of loosening or grind
ing away small particles to be easily
carried by wind. tends to pack the
materials so they resist both condi-
tions.
Mr. Spiker says he believes that one
half gallon OF crude oil to the square
yard of surface, twice treated, twelve
months apart, will give road that
should last for all time. He SAYS the
cost should not be over $500 per
mile. Gypsum abounds in immense
quantities from northern Kansas
through Western oklahoma 10 mid
die Texas There Is believed to De
as much as 1OoOOO00O,00O tons
available in Blaine Caddo, Canadian
Comanche, Custer Ellis, Dewey
Greer, Kingnsher. Roger Mills. Wash
ita Woods and Woodward counties.
Another question of availability
however, arises when It is consider
-, ed that gypsum is valuable as al
article Of manufacture Plaster IS onl
, of the chief commodities made from
- gypsum Many of the early-da'
houses In western Oklahoma wer'
plastered with the raw gyp, and fo
many years It has been used In "roar
dentistry or filling holes and ru's
d usually leaving a smooth surface O
d almost concrete consistency.
- fleet to enter race