The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-03-05
TONS OF CLOTHES,
WORN and USELESS,
MAKE GOOD ROOFS
Fathers Shirts and Moth.
er's Discarded Dresses
Turned Into Shingles.
COVER MANY HOMES
Manufacture of. Product Was
haugurated Here Only a
Few Years Ago.

"hen mother. with characteristic
impatience at housekeeping time,
arags form from the clothes closet
fathers long disused or. perhaps,
recently discarded fishing tcgs, or
| gives the contents of the garnet to
the ragman. she little realizes, per-
maps, how much she is contribut-
ing in the effort to overcome the
\ housing shortage. Old rags may
be a poor shelter for the human
body but American ingenuity has
made of them an exceedingly ar
shelter for the human habitation.
From rags to roof is far cry. But
nevertheless old rags are NOW COW
\ ering more American houses in tile
form of roll roofngs and prepared
shingles than all other types of
rofnE combined. Twc-thirds of all
| roofing requirements in the United
States are now supplied from
asphalt materials known as pre-
pared roofing" the product of a
novel and typically American in
dustry that has been developed
within the past few years.
Any Rags Today.
The thousands of tons OF rags
kconsumed daily by this industry are
obtained through dealers in all
parts of the country and. upon
/ their arrival at the factory are
sorted and reduced to a pulp, SINH
Plar to that used in the manufac-
ture of paper. This pulp is then
transformed into a fabric or felt
OF long fibre and great durability.
Hot asphalt is forced through every
pore and hbre of the fabric and
h the combination is then coated
above ami below with asphalt so as
to make IL proof against decay and
leakage. Because asphalt is a sub
I stance that deos not dry out, the
roll; rofings or the shingles which
are cut from this fabric do not
crack or split. They are resilient
and pliable and do not break from
their mornings. As they contain
no materials that freeze or rust
they are also proof against frost.
The roll roofngs or shingles are
covered with a crushed slate or
! rock surface in attractive colors
which shields them from wear and
further preserves the fabric against
the ravages OF the weather. Dur
ing manufacture the crushed slate
OF rock surface - imbedded in the
asphalt as firmly as pieces OF mar
BILE are imbedded in a mosaic floor.
The shingles are made in different
sizes and in three colors-red, green
and blue-black. By using appro-
pirate colors or different combina-
lions OF colors il is possible for the
home builder to get not only a fire.
safe and a serviceable roof but one
that can be made very artistic and
that will blend nicely with the sur
rounding landscape.
While asphalt may be new as a
roof covering it is known to have
been used for many centuries as a
building material, preservative
against decay and water-proofing
substance. In fact II Is the oldest
waterproof adhesive known to man.
When the children Of Israel were
suffering under the bondage Of Egypt
4 about 1900 B. C.. Fharaoh's daughter
Il found the infant Moses concealed
among the bulrushes In a basket
made OF papyrus grass and daubed
with asphalt. Noah's Ark. a boat
that vas 500 feet long and that was
made of gopher wood. was calked
with asphalt before Noah filled it
! with his animals and rode out the
mod. The ancient E typtians num-
mified their dead by wrapping the
bodies In cloth and then coating the
rloth with ssphaltic pitch. The
Sacred chambers. or tombs, Of the
A dead Egyptian kings, as well as all
the crevices in the pyramids were
h sealed against the centuries by
means of asphalt. The bones Of
y nastodon. sabre-tooth tiger and other
n prehistoric mammals recently have
been found perfectly preserved in the
asphalt beds Of southern California.
When the prehistoric hunter mad.
= tent of goat-skins. sewed with
thongs. or built a goat-skin boat. he
waterproofed the seams by coating
4 them with asphaltic 'bitumen. His
|. Tory recalls hat the Babylonians
| crossed the EuphTates River on RATS
made of inflated goat-skius, water
PROCEED with bitumen just as the
| Kurds are doing today. The ancient
Sumarisns. who inhabited the Eu-
! pirates valley about 1000 r. c..
i used asphalt as a cement or binder
for attaching small ornaments to
! sculptures. carvings or pottery. As
a mortar for brick, asphalt was used
in the construction of the tower Of
Babel. 1t was Nabopolassar. King Of
Babylon. who first used asphalt as
a mortar or filler in the construction
| of paved streets His son. Nebu-
chadnezzer continued the practice
and caused to be inscribed in the
pavement the words Traverse
These Streets With JOY" Asphaltic
materials were used in the con-
bstruction of the walls and founda-
lions for the ancient city of Media
Thus. 1t can readily be seen that
the use OF asphalt in the manufac-
| ture OF roofing. in bodybuilding and
in paving has been handed down to
American industry by the ancients
This most modern application of
| q IN