The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-06-16
Are Putting OIL on Road.

street, from the city limits to point
three and half miles south, Is arous-
ing much interest in Norfolk. Many
visitors are making the trip to the
scene of activity and are commenting
very favorably on the first work of It's
kind in north Nebraska.
j. I. Moore, under direction of the
Commercial club, and County Com.
missioner Burr Taft is In charge of
the work. Mr.. Taft constructed an
oil spreader tank with regular oil
sprcader connected. This is placed on
an ordinary wagon, on the rear of
which release brakes are placed
The tank holds 500 gallons of oil.
The Standard Oil car has been spotted
on high track near the Northwestern
coal chutes at the Junction and some
delay is experienced in making lhe
long haul. c. p. Christensen is acting
as driver of the spreader.
The Commercial club has spent
much money in claying sandy spots i'm
the road, but w. A. Witzigman chalr
man of the oil roads committee, has
conceived plan by which he can save
"
There has been about $500 spent for
the cIaying of the road and there re.
mains yet many sandy spots wnicr VIII
be experimental upon.
For several hundred yards north of
a starting point, the oil has soaked
well in the sand and Mr.. Curtis, the
Standard Oil company's representa-
tive here, agrees with Mr.. Wit2igman
that two layers of the oil on sandy
spots will do as much good as the clay
ing. The first few hundred yards of
sand will not require any more oil,
but further north. where the sand
'bloW-outs" are extremely bad, it is
found the oil does not soak in readily.
These extremely bad strips will be
gone over with n harrow, after which
one more layer of oil will be admins
tered Mr.. Curtis declared the sand
will readily mix with the oil and as
phalt which is contained in the oil.
and good road will be the result
$50 a Day for CIaying.
This will do away entirely with the
expensive work of claying, and be
more economical 1t costs less for the
second layer of oil than it does for
clayng. 1t has cost about $50 per day
for the claying work. The CONNER
cial club purchased an acre of clay
ground on South Thirteenth street and
has decided the property to the county.
The farmers are working in har-
mony with the Commercial club and
are giving much assistance to the
Workmen on the ground.
Thirteenth street has changed great
ly since the work has begun. For
nearly four miles the road has been
graded and glade grader is going
over the road continually.
Following the glade grader comes
the oil spreader. Mr.. Curtis HAD
charge of the brakes yesterday after
noon. At each trip, the oil spreader
comes closer to the city. Mr. Curtis
took his seat behind the spreader and
turned a lever which released the
heavy black oil from the tank. The
oil came out of pipes onto a low plat
form, from which it came down on
the road in an even stream, covering
the entire surface. Where the sand
was dry, little bubbles would appear
and the dry sand would turn up the
oil. These are the spots which will
have to be gone over once more to in
sure satisfactory foundation. Had
the sand been wet, Mr.. Curtis declares,
the second layer would be unneces-
sary as the oil mixes freely with wet
sand. With the dry sand however,
there is no foundation, the oil will
soak in about ten inches, but will
eventually turn up. Therefore it is
necessary to mix the first coat of oil
with the dry sand and then give it a
finishing layer. Then the oil spreader
reached strips in the road where the
sand had received a layer of clay, the
oil changed the yellow to black. 1t
soaked in we'll and dried quickly.
Looks Like Asphalt.
On inspection of the first work,
which was declared satisfactory by
Mr.. Curtis, it was seen that the oil and
sand had mixed well and it gave the
road a look of the first workings of an
asphalt pavement. 1t is planned by
the county to finish the oiling of the
road to Madison, after the Norfolk side
has been finished. Should the idea of
Mr.. Witzigman prove success, this
part of the oiling will be more econom-
ical, inasmuch as there will be no more
claying to do.
After the first of the oiling has been
finished street in this city is to be
oiled. One question to be solved is,
whether or not there is danger of chill.
dren who run on the oiled street car
rying into the homes some OF the oil
on their shoes, thus running carpets,
etc. This question, it is said, has caus-
ed the delay in oiling one of Norfolk's
most beautiful residence streets.
Chairman Witzigman made an in
spection of the first oil work Friday
afternoon and he is satisfied with the
work 80 far as II has progressed. Com
missioner Burr Taft who is donating
much of his time to make the work a
success, was also visitor on the road
and took active part in the work.