Evening journal., 1920-06-23
SPEEDY sussex
HIGHWAY WORK
Elder and Company Have
Immense Road Plant in
Operation There
CAN LAY MILE OF
CONCRETE WEEKLY
specIaI % The Eeenlng journal.


GEORGETOWN. Del. June 23.-
Probably one Of the greatest plants
for the construction OF concrete high
ways IN the entire country is now lo-
Gated near Georgetown. and is oper-
ated by Elder q Company, Of VIII
mington. This plant Is so designed
as to overcome shortage of materials
TO the extent That large reserve stock
piles may be acquired while the CON
tractor IS grading the road, so that
when The plant Is ready TO lay con-
crete there Is an abundance Of mate
rial on hand and no delays are occa-
stoned through the lack 81 material.
With the addition Of the stock pile on
hand, the daily shipments OF mate
rial are sufficient to keep the plant
In constant operation and large daily
progress can be made.
BY the use Of this exceptional high
way plant the labor situation has
been overcome to a great extent The
plant includes one Of the largest con-
crete mixers made, a loading crane,
industrial track, dlnky engine, nat
cars, steam derricks, material bins
and other minor equipment. The size
and design of the plant allows a mini
mum Of labor 10 be used Ia complet
ing the concrete roadway
There were several details in the
older method Of road construction
which demanded the necessity of a
larger number OF laborers, but with
the progress in perfecting road equip
ment many methods have been
brought about that have dispensed
with 3 large number OF these workers.
One Of the most successfully tried
methods is now being used by Mr.
I Hldap Al tip1n sNhpn lQhnF
plentiful It was customary for a con-
1 tractor to haul the materials that
were used in the concrete TO tire
\ road by means OF wagons or trucks
THESE materials were stored on the
subgrade or adjacent 10 the road and
4 when It was desired to turn them into
concrete roadway they were conveyed
| into the mixer by means OF wheel
barrows manned by several laborers.
With the Elder plant this operation
is not necessary and the labor Is not
needed.
The operation followed by Elder &
1 Company for making this concrete
road is To load the ingredients, which
4 consist Of stone. sand and cement,
linto proper size boxes which are
placed on small cars, and by the use
4 Of the dinky engine, are hauled from
/ The loading plant, which is located
/ near the freight station, TO the high
way thai is being constructed At this
point a portable crane lifts the boxes
I from the cars and empties them into
The concrete mixer. After a thorough
miNing, the concrete is deposited on
the sub grade and properly shaped by
the use Of templets and forms. By
| this method Of construction it will
be seen that the ingredients entering
! into the road construction are han
ldled only by machinery and after once
being started from the source, are moi
held W until they are incorporated
into the concrete pavemet.
After the concrete is hardened Il
Is cured by being covered with two
Finches of earth and kept thoroughly
wet for a period OF fourteen days
After this, IL Is allowed 10 thorOuch1y
dry two additional weeks, and 1t Is
then thrown open 10 the public.
Many plants Of this nature are now
in use. but the majority OF them are
OF a size that turn out one-half cubic
wards OF concrete at each operation
/ The particular plant Of Elder & Com
pany Is of such a size that one and
! one-lhird cubic yards Of concrete Is
4 turned out at each operation
While shipments OF materials, due
TO the extreme cement situation have
linterfered with the progress OF ths
work, and while the weather in the
early spring was not conducive Ia
good progress. this contractor will
BY July 4 finish over four miles OF
I concrete highway. This establishes
a record for fast progress in lineal
completion OF concrete highways In
Delaware Under normal conditions