The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-12-01
ROCK ASPHALT TO
Be BEST MATERIAL
This Statement is Result of Investiqa.
tion BY State And Federal Geo
logical Departments.

b That the native rock asphalt Of Ok
lahoma will eventually become the
general paving material for the thor.
oughfares of the new industrial south,
west, is the recent statement of the
tnew director of the Oklahoma geologi.
peal survey, DR.. D. W. Ohern.
IN Although Mr.. Ohern has only recent
ly taken up active work as head of the
state survey, he has for several years
been in close touch with ex-Director
Chas. N. Gould and his methods, as
well as having complete knowledge
of the field problems of Oklahoma geo
logy. Consequently Mr. Ohern is per-
Bps the best informed man along such
lines in the state. Personally he is a
Strong progressive" in matters con-
cerning the development of the states
resources, yet at the same time his
natural conservatism creates a sense
of absolute yeracity in all his work.
The remark cited about is but the
result of detailed investigation car.
sried on by the federal and state sur
Aveys. Through this research it has
been found that deposits of asphaltic
rock, known as gilsonite. grahamite.
rand maltha together with other rock
Abitumens, occur in practically an in.
4exhaustible amount throughout the
ssouthern area of Oklahoma. In gen
eral these deposits are found impreg-
mating lfmestones, sandstones and
tshales. Many instances have been
Mound where outcrops of rock asphalt
1extend over an area of several acres.
in other cases borings have been put
%lown several hundred feet in exposures
spf this nature without going through |
this deposit. In view of these facts
Il is safe to say there is enough as
'bhalt in this state alone to answer the
SForlds demand for several generations
TO come.
Neither is the fact of its advisability
rs paving material in any sense fiction.
AAlready it has proven highly satisfac-
tory in various cities of Texas, Okla
fhoma Missouri and Kansas For ex-
Simple R. L. McAlpine, city engineer
9l0r Kansas City, states
Some of the streets of Kansas City,
AT8 have been paved with this ma
Sferial (oklahoma asphalt) and they
ore in better condition than some sheet
!, asphalt streets that have been paved
Iater, after being down fifteen years"
f. Peckham, chemist to the depart
VYent of finance of New York City in
MS book on solid bitumens says in ref
Fence to the native rock asphalt paved
,treets of Ardmore, Okla. "They are l
he product of the intelligent applica- :
Jon of sound principles of technology :
n the manipulation of the best ma
frials for the construction of solid I
rtuminous streets yet found on the !
american continents"
2 By actual experiment streets paved
With Oklahoma rock asphalt prove in
every way superior to those paved with
oil asphalt, at the same time costing
fNS9 " idy uOHH Lud nJ1e fe1ned DI- g
pmen import. United States shipped T
W from other countries 1881 short n
tons of asphalt, incidently 1882 short n
.pns OF which came from the Isle of "
Arinidad On the other hand this coun q
ry only marketed 100,656 tons of as te
phaltic rock during the same year, Ok h
lAhoma contributing but 1883 short v,
pns of that amount With the publica-
ION of these facts there has been con- al
Nderable public comment as to the m
Jason for such condition of affairs a,
n view OF tn eimmense deposits of q,
suitable material in this state. To date p
ne answer has been simple enough h,
ack OF capital and demand. Through
b1f1fforts of the state survey these ca
IRE both being aroused, with the result ra
" an already increased output It is ST
cow only question of time before the at
eople see the advantage Of superior br
Aome product-when they do Okla H
l0ma will lead the world in the pro- on
lpction of rock bitumens for pave 70
nents.