Evening star., 1909-04-19
AMzI |. BARBER DEAD
Asphalt King to Rest in Wash
ington Grave.
PASSES AWAY AT ARDSLEY
Remains to Be Brought Here and
Funeral Service at Belmont"
IDENTIFIED WITH CAPITAL
Instructor at Howard University in
Young Manhood-operated in
Real Estate Later.
IDENTIFIED WITH CAPITAL

Amzi Lorenzo Barber. president of the
A. L. Barber Asphalt Company. whose
wealth was estimated at many millions,
died at II o'clock Saturday night at
his home, Ardsley Towers. in Ardsley, y.
Y, of pneumonia. He was In his sixty sixth.
year, and was i'll only few days. He
had returned about week ago from a
trip to California. where he had spent
month, partly for his health and partly
to inspect asphalt properties. He was
taken Ill last Monday, and for a time the
attack was thought to be light one. But
at 5 o'clock Saturday evening his heart
showed signs of giving way, and he sank
rapidly until he died.
Funeral services will be held in Ardsley
tomorrow morning at IL o'clock. The body
will be brought to Washington.
A second service will be held in his
home here, Belmont, the magnificent resi-
dence at the corner of 18th street and
Florida avenue, covering the entire block.
The interment will also be made here
Mr.. Barber was for many years a resi-
dent of Washington. maintaining his
home here until death. He had been
closely identified with the capital since
young manhood. first as an instructor at
operator. and beginning the great asphalt
industry with which his name Is con-
nected, with headquarters here.
Belmont. the Barber home here. was
one of the most spacious houses III Its
vicinity when it was erected some years
ago, and has been the scene of. many
pleasant hospitalities extended by its late
owner and his family. OF late years their
STAYS there have been short, but scarcely
a year has passed without some part Of
hoi iy,n hn{n
Identified With Asphalt Industry.
Mr.. Barber was identified with the
asphalt industry and his career is bound
up with the Introduction of that material
as pavement and the political and COM
mercial complications which have result
ed from its exploitation. But he was also
a man of marked originality in other pur-
suits and was pioneer in the automobile
business and in the use of turbine yachts.
He was descendant Of an old Amer
lean family. and his father, the Rev. AMI
Doolittle Barber. was pastor Of the Con-
gregational Church at Saxton River.
Windham county. VT. There Amzi L.
Barber was born in 1S43, but he spent
his early years in Ohio.
He was graduated frcm Oberlin Col
lege in 1867. and for time thought of
following his fathers calling. He took a
poat-graduate course In theology. but was
induced by Gen. 0. o. Howard to take
charge of the normal department of How
ard University. He filled several posi-
tions on the staff Of the university, till in
1872 he abandoned teaching for a business
career.
Dealer In Washington Realty.
At first he took up real estate. and
was interested in ventures near Wash
ington with Senator John Sherman. Good
fortune followed his operations. He fore
saw accurately the course of the develop
ment of the city. and he laid the founda-
tion of his fortune in this line.
1t was the inquiry conducted by the
United States government into the best
methods Of paving the streets Of the capi-
tai which turned his attention to asphalt.
Pennsylvania avenue was to be made into
tha fine thoroughfare it is today, and the
authorities decided that the best material
to use was asphalt, which in 1876 was an
entire novelty.
Mr.. Barber watched its success, and
saw what immense possibilities lay in Its
development, and two years later forsook
the real estate business for the manu-
facture of asphalt pavement. The first
firm he formed was known as A. l.. Bar
ber & Co., and this in 1883 was incor-
porated as the Barber Asphalt Paving
So far Mr. Barber's concern had merely
been with the supply OF finished pave
ment. He had not thought of controlling
the sources Of supply Of the pitch from
which the pavement was made. He
bought his raw materials from the pitch
lake in the British Island of Trinidad.
Trouble With Trinidad.
At this time it was leased out to a num-
Der of small pitch farmers, with the ex-
ception Of five acres which were re-
tained by the government for its own use.
Mr.. Barber in dealing with these lease
holders, became equally interested with
them in what they considered a grave
injustice on the part Of the government.
1t was removing so much from its five
acre reservation that the pitch from the
rest of the lake was becoming seriously
reduced in quantity in filling the hole in
the governments section.
A suit to restrain this despoliatiOn of
the lake was begun by the leasehOldeTs.
1t was carried to the privy council in Lon
don, the highest court of the British en-
pire, and was decided in 1886 in favor of
the colonial government.
It seemed as though the asphalt in
dustry was doomed to destruction. Mr.
Barber then stepped into the breach, and.
acting unaided, carried on negotiations
for two years with the island authorities.
The result was that he undertook to buy
out all the small pitch farmers, and on
February 1. 1883. was granted a conces-
sion for the entire pitch lake to the Trini-
dad Asphalt Company, which he had
formed for the purpose. The concession
was for twenty-one years. but soon after
ward it's term was doubled.
Washington Loses Headquarters.
BY this means Mr.. Barber was at the
head of the two concerns. The Barber
Asphalt Paving Company bought its pitch
from the Trinidad Asphalt Company,
manufactured 1t into paving material. and
sold the finished product
The headquarters Of the Barber Asphalt
Paving Company were in 1883 moved
from Washington to New York in order
to be nearer to the center of commerce.
and ten years later, in order to avoid
prejudice against American corpora
tion doing extensive business in England
a British corporation was formed, the
Trinidad Asphalt Company, limited, of
London.
Meanwhile In 1894 the Trinidad Asphalt
Company had acquired the Venezuelan
property OF the New York and Bermudez
Company. The hacker of this concern
had been hit hard by the panic of 1893
and Mr.. Barber and his associates We're
able to acquire the property on favorable
terms.
Five years later Elkins Widener of
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