The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-12-23
Unique Enterprise Promises 10 Revolutlonze the industry of Making Asphalt Blocks Scheme Originated Wth h.
 Ventor of the L0C0m0bIe
Train Will Soon Haul the Complete PIan Representing S11 1O,- 900 Out of Bridgeport Bound For Jacksonville, Fla. Scene of First Practical uSe--Fina
 Tests Prove Efficiency of Plant

On s spur track in the rear of the old plant of the wil1mot & Hobbs Go. at the foot of Howard avenue, stands a six car train that will soon set forth for Jacksonville, Fla, to revolutionize the manufacture of asphalt paving blocks Owned by the International Pavement Co, and embracing many original ideas in mechanical equip snent designed by George H. Whitney Of this city, the outfit has been built with the idea Of manufacturing paw inR blocks on the scene of their final use The plant, complete, cost $11O,- 900. and most of this was spent in
 Men prominently identified with the exenplification of MT Whitneys plant, the circus train of the Inter national Pavement Co., MT. Whitney says it's appropriate that Bridgeport known as Barnum's home town, should be the home of an industrial outfit that carries out the circus ideas of the great snowman along indus trial lines
 Though work on the plant was be- gun early in the summer. the location of the outfit is so remote from the travelled paths of Bridgeports indus tries and at the same time so con- venient of access, that it has been rapidly pushed to completion with out attracting much attention. The result is that when last Saturday, for the first time, the complete outfit was given a successful trial very few save those actively interested in the mak- ing of the equipment were aware of the presence in Bridgeport of the ex- pensive and novel enterprise
 The complete success attending the test of Saturday will result, MT Whit ney says, in the building of num- Der of outfits on the same lines The plant is mounted on six cars, the cars having been made to order especially for strength and durability, and to withstand lateral strain occasioned by the operation of the heavy machinery mounted on the
 In operation. the plant in some por- tions of the train reaches a, height of 30 feet, and a width considerably over 10 feet, the extreme of overhang al- lowed on the standard track, but the construction is such that at short notice the overhanging sections may be removed packed on the train and all may be shipped.
 The operation of the manufa ctur- ing plant requires really only five of the six cars The sixth is a machine shop. completely equipped, and hardware store. This will be for the will accompany the train on it's trav- els throughout the country.
 The asphalt blocks are manufac- tured of trap rock, lime dust, oil and asphalt One car contains the con- veyors and crushers through which the trap rock is run in order to pre- pare 1t for the mixing process. The rolls are Is ton cylinders. Auto 1natfc machinery reconveys the crush ed stone until it has passed to de- gree of fneness to admit of it's treat ment in a huge heater. In this it is brought up to 360 degrees, through heat supplied from an oil burning furnace. This furnace consumes 150 gallons of oil per hour.
 From the heater the crushed trap rock is carried on another conveyor dust is brought into the mixer on an other conveyor and the heated mass is mixed for five minutes, with an dY701 1vft fHf oil iS ta give the finished product certain resiliency.
 The mixture with the asphalt com plete, the heated mass is then con veyed onto another car up eleva.- tor to the press This Is a, power full device. hydraulic press which Eurns out the blocks at the rate of 40 to the minute. The press is held in position by Il inch bolts, but great is the strain that even these show, under measure, a give of one thirty second of an inch on each drive of the ram. The material under this tre- Inendous pressure is driven into a E17ocfx. three by five by 12 inches. The pressure is 300 tons to the square finch
 Eure, are delivered from the press to a conveyor which drops them on a. belt khat carries, them under water to cool When the block has traVeled 50 feet, practically submerged. it falls over 1he spuliey, and reversing it's position, Is reconveyed on a second submerged
 
 posed on it's first trip submerged, un- rfl at the end of a second fifty-foot ride it drops to third pulley on which the same operation takes place.
 There are two sets of these triple slfbrn erged pu1leys, and they deliver the blocks. finally cooled, at the rate of 20 each per minute Each of the blocks weighs 16 pounds.
 Mfr. George F. Whitney, the chief engineer of the International Pave Tnent Co., is well known in mechanical engineering circles. He was the in ventor of the original horse1ess car riage the patents for which he and George B. Upham sold to the Loconlo- Sile co. MT Upham is the treas urer of the paving block concern which has had MT Whitney's ide.S carried out in the equipment of the travelling asphalt block manufactory-
 Within a few days the six car train ziII pull out of the side track at the <cot of Howard avenue for it's trip to Jacksonville, Fla, where work for about six months is in store for it.
 MT Whitney has been personally supervising the work in this city. He was not aVerse to discussing the work today. we are not seeking any pub sfcity or notoriety for the plant,'f said he T'fblH I do feel that some resogni- fion should be given to the Bridge 4port industries that have made it pos sible for us 10 equip the plant, com 1lete, in this city We couldn't have