Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-15

It's average production is eight to ten
loads.
Formerly the old asphalt torn from the
streets when repaving was done was used
TO fl holes in -macadamized and and
dlrst streets. with unsatisfactory results.
Today, thanks TO the junk heaps and the
man who saw finished machinery in their
compontnt parts, the city is saving big
money and making money, too.
The Noyes creation turns out enough re-
made asphalt every day. when working
fun time, to pave 800 yards Of street two
inches deep. Counting all costs Of haul
ing to and from the yard and all labor
cost at the plant. the expense Of the 300
yards is $5T.75. Week IN and week out the
cost Of the product is about q cents a
yard, laid on the street, but IL we add the
cost Of getting the old asphalt to the city
yard the cost reaches 81 cents a yard.
For lis product the city asphalt repair
plant collects SLIGO a yard from the street
company or any private contractor
1t may do patching for.
These figures will indicate that the city
engineer and his assistants have good
ground for their boast that Dean Noyes
and his handmade plant OF rejuvenated
scrsp material are we'll worth q visit from
anybody interested in effective engineering
at small cost. In fact, all this plant cost
the city Of Omaha was the labor expense
OF putting It together. It's success has
convinced the city engineer and all others
who have seen It that great sums can be
saved the city in a series Of years by
building a real plant to grind up the old
asphalt and make It do duty again. When
relaid It stand the wear as we'll as new
asphalt to all intents and purposes.
Complete Testing Laboratory.
The chemist Of the city engineers de-
partment( Henry Mlburn, also has his
office and laboratory at the asphalt repair
yard. It is a complete laboratory of it's
kind, too. Here all materials are scientific
ally tested, such as Sand, cement, asphalt,
everything that enters into street construo-
ton. Mr.. Milburn demonstrated for his
visitors. by a testing n achine, that cement
deteriorates to an apprecidble degree
shortly after IL has been laid and set.
Later II is stronger, and after a term of
years has reached its fun resisting power.
There is one part of Mr.. Milburn's labor
atory equipment which would gladden. the
heart Of many a prize fighter who has ad-
WINGED a claim Of having been counted
out too quick. 1t is q sort of perpetual
motion eontrivance, with a pointer that
swings backward and forward. ticking off
the seconds with a regularity that cannot
be gainsaid. 1T beats a watch all to
pieces" says the city chemist, and the
observer win readily agpAe that 1t does.
Making stone CrOsswaIks.
Across the street from the asphalt repair
plant the city engineer has established an
entirely new industry as a feature Of his
department. This is the construction Of
stone crosswalks, also in charge Of Mr..
Moves. II has not been in operation long.
but promises great results. Here cement
and broken. stone is made into sections OF
orosswalk five feet long, three feet wide,
sloping from five inches in thickness nj
the center to three inches at the outer
edges. Some twenty-five of these new
orosswalks have already been laid on un-
paved streets In different sections OF the
city, and more are being put out every
week. 1t is but a question of a few years
until not a wooden crosswalk will be left.
Assistant City Engineer Camper, talking
OF the new crosswalks, said: 1--WE can
manufacture and lay them for lust about
the first cost of the lumber in wooden
erosswalks. They are practically indie
struetible, and when any street is paved,
later on, we can take up the walks ana
place them at other locations"
a the stone crosswalk innovation
well will be seen from the fol-
lowing figures, showing lumber and nails
used In crosswalk construction during six
months Of the present year:
January, 2,508 feet lumber and 60 pounds
Of nails; February, 500 feet lumber. 1874
pounds nails; March, 26.4s1 feet lumber. 5Ss
pounds nails; April. SO, AS feet lumber. ZIG
pounds nails; May, SO.s27 feet lumber, 4s7
pounds nails; June, 1887 feet lumber, 4s4
pounds nails.
This humber for crosswalks cost s2s IL a
thousand, at the cheapest price. and The
walks had to be renewed often within a
year or two.