The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-07-12
$50 A DAY PROFIT
That Is What City Asphalt Is
Making Now.
About $500 Spent in Putting
Plant in Order.
CREMATORY USEFUL PLACE
Thousand Loads of Trash
Thousand Loads of Trasl
Burned Every Month.
Hancock Hopes To Resurface
Many Old Streets.

Operating at a clear profit of more
! than $50 per day to the city of To-
peka, the city asphalt plant is now
turning out from twelve to sixteen
tons of asphalt, cooked and prepared
ready to be used on the streets. under
the direction of Commissioner Han
cock.
When Hancock took charge Of the
plant this spring the plant had not
| been in operation since last fall. Be-
fore it could be used a great deal of
work was done in repairing and i'm
proving the plant. The city spent
around $500 in putting the plant in
order. At the present time the city
asphalt plant is one of the best. most
efficient and well equipped municipal
plants in the middle west. Hancock
says he knows of no better municipal
plants.
The asphalt cookery machinery has
a capacity of sixteen tons of prepared
material a day. This is a greater ca
pacity or output than is possible in
the city plant in Kansas City. Kan.
New Boiler Installed.
In putting the plant in order Han
cock installed a new boiler. a heater
for the revolving drum in which the
asphalt is cooked and then built a
wooden frame building over the new
equipment. This was necessary as the
old building was not large enough to
| contain the new, additional machin-
| cry.
At about o'clock in the morning
men go to the plant and start the fires
under the boilers. These are banked
during the night in order to save heat
and fuel and to facilitate starting
| Q ~ -nlr
work begins. The pure asphalt is
mixed, about one-eighth asphalt with
rock flour and grouting. 1t is dumped
| into the revolving drum and heated up
to n temperature of $50 degrees.
When properly heated and prepared
! the asphalt mixture is poured into a
| covered wagon and taken to places
where street repairing is in progress.
About four loads, averaging $500
pounds to the load, are hauled away
! from the plant each day. AS the stuff
has to be worked up when it is hot.
work shuts down at the plant at about
o'clock. The last load each after
noon is placed in its place on the street
| at just about quitting time.
At Crematory Plant.
The crematory, now under the d.
rection of Commissioner Hancock, is
also another interesting plant. 1t is
a large brick and cement building OF
entirely modern structure and is much
more pretentiOuS than the asphalt
plant. The furnaces are on the lower
floor placed several feet below the
level of the ground. They are filled
from the second floor. A drive way
leads UP to the second floor. Wagons
are driven directly up on the floor
above the furnaces to steel doors in
the floor. or various sized holes. for
different purposes, covered with
heavy steel lids and then unloaded
A trolley runs around the ceiling from
which is suspended a large pulley and
chain. This is used in lifting the steel
coverings from the tops of the fur
naces in order to dump trash into the
pits. Some of the holes open into
pits for burning trash. Others are
used for drying wet, or moist ma
terial. When it is dried out, the ma.
ehinery is arranged so that it may be
dumped into the furnaces and burned
as soon as it becomes dry enough.
About 1000 loads of various sort,
of trash are burned each month
Last month as barrel of feathers were
burned. All sorts of trash and litter
are burned in the huge pits.
Some firms send over quantities OF
boxes of wood to be burned Some
arrangement should be made tina
} these boxes might be sold as kindling
Often enough boxes are burned t.
keep a French town supplied will
kindling for a month.
Resurface Old Streets.
Commissioner Hancock is yer,
strongly in favor of the system of put
ting down strips of asphalt on pave
ment that has become worn. In thi
way drive is made that is equal Il
some of the best asphalt streets in tn,
/ city.
| He SAYS that stripping does littl,
good unless IL is made wide enough
and put down thick. If the strip /!
not wide enough vehicles pass over tn,
2 same spot continuously and soon wea
1t out. If 1t is wider the path OF tn,
wheels is varied. They do not Away
pass over the same point and the stril
. lasts much longer. The asphalt SHOULD
be put down as thick as one and one
half or two inches if it is to do mucl
good and stay in place very lone
I some OF the stripping in Topeka tina
has been In only for a short time /
: wearing out already. East Sixth street
North Kansas avenue and Eight
street stripping is already showing tn
effect of heavy travel
Hancock expects to be able to repai,
these streets this summer. He ais
hopes to be able to put stripping dow
on West Tenth street, which has be
come very rough and badly In need o
Z repair.
Stripping work will begin in abou
two weeks. perhaps sooner, the com
Z missioner says. The general PAWN
! work will begin in about one week
4 Hancock will get as much of the strip
3 ping work done this summer as is pos
sible under his available funds Mex
year he hopes to have an increase
Z budget that will permit more extensiv,
I improvements.