The record. (Greenville, Ky.) 1899-1???, 1911-02-02
0H.CeTent Concrete Roads.

important INV SdllN WON uulluR
the past year in the development of
oil-cement concrete. Portland &C.
ment concrete is rapidly becoming
universal building material. 1t
has been found during the laboratory
Investigations that it IS possible to
mingle mineral oils with concrete
which is still wet and before it is
laid or moulded in the forms, so
that the material may be rendered
absolutely water proof. Several piec
es of road surface have already been
improved by oil-cement concrete. In
addition 20 this a bridge surface has
been constructed of this material in
New Jersey, and these experiments
have up to this time proven satisfac-
tory. Oil-oement concrete is now
being given practical application
on series of new vaults at the Unit
ed States treasury. From the results
already obtained, the experiments
indicate that it would be practicable
to use this material for floors, Gel
lars, walls and other similar con
structions."
Logan Waller Page, Director Of
the Bureau of Public Roads of the
United States Government. is the
inventor of mixing oil and cement
to form a dressing for micadam
roads, in the development of which
he has been experimenting for the
past year. The idea suggested it.
self to Mr. Page that if oil and Port
land cement could be made to mix
thoroughly an important problem in
roadmaking and waterproof build
ing construction would be solved.
The following account of the devel-
opment of Mr.. Pages idea is taken
FROM the New York Times:
Experiments were started at once
by the Bureau of Public Roads.
MIR. Page threw quantity of oil in
to some raw cement, worked it thor
oughly and left it 10 set. In a short
time it had hardened as thoroughly
as ordinary concrete does. Tests of
the small blocks showed it to be
tough, durable and entirely imperv-
ious 10 moisture.
Then the experiment work began
in earnest. Mr. Page was confident
that if the new concrete showed the
strength aud endurance of ordinary
concrete il would work I revolution
in the building world. For while or
binary concrete absorbs water, dusts
and chips off and disintegrates in
some cases, the mixture of oil with
the cement in place of water seems
to remedy most of these troubles. p
Tanks have been built of the new
material, so thin that water would
have spurted through the usual con-
crete wall; but the oil concrete shows
no leakage after months of use. A
short stretch of road has been built
of the material in Washington. While
automobile tires pull up the fine par
ticles of macadam road, they seem
to have no effect on the pew surface,
and the material embraces the vir-
tues of asphalt without its great cost.
The tests have been so thorough
that a mixture of oil and cement is
now being used to construct new
vaults in the United States Treasury.
1t will probably be used for a short
section of an important engineering
work in New York next year Ex-
perimental pieces of the substance,
after six months of hard usage, have
sustained pressure of ?, 400 pounds
to the square inch before breaking
Cement manufacturers have been
sending car loads of cement to Wash
ington, and oil producers have fur
nished many barrels of oil for the
conduct OF the experiments.
This is the invention which Mr..
Page has asked to have patented in
the name of the people of the United
States 1t has reached a stage OF
development where its success seems
assuTedi and il is apparently destin-
ed to take the place OF ordinary
forms of concrete In the NOSE in
portant building operations of the
future. Royalties amounting to
millions of dollars are within the
reach OF the inventor, had he cared
to Withdraw from the public service,
carry on his experiments privately,
and patent the process for his own
use. But Mr.. Page has become one
Of the inventors for the common
good" as they have come to be