The Wolf Point herald., 1922-06-29
CANADIAN TAR SANDS DEPOSIT
MAY AID GOOD ROADS

after the spring thaw. The scientist
blame a mineral in the clay, whicl
they call bentonite. When dry, i
packs into a hard, chalky substance
but has the unpleasant property O
taking twelve times it's own weigh
of water when wet. Hence the baC
state of the roads following rain.
BentOnite Refuses Water
The scientists have found that {
clay-bentonite road, when impreg
mated with bitumen or bitumen sand
cannot take up water, and remains
practically unaltered under varying
road conditions, except that the pure
| bitumen softens and melts under in
tense heat. Today, it is said to be
just matter of laboratory expert
ment until the proper application OF
the bitumen or bitumen sand to the
clay-bentonite roads will solve the
traffic problem, not only of Alberta.
but of all the prairie provinces in
addition.
But it is Of "Bitumen Bill'' himself
rather than of his discovery that this
article treats, for his has been one
of those adventurous pioneer lives
that reads like fiction rather than
cold fact.
The Klondyke gold rush was at its
height when Bill, reading in a New
York paper that one could journey
from Edmonton to the Klondyke by
the overland route for about 5000.
promptly set out for the land of for
tune. Somewhere north of Edmon-
ton, after crossing the Athabasca
river, Bill decided that the New York
newspaper did not tell the truth.
With wardrobe consisting of an old
blanket, one pair of pants, one shirt,
and two moccasins without any feet
to speak of, the wanderer returned
to Athabasca landing, a boat landing
on the river of that name.
He sold his tattared blanket for
a tumbledown cabin, ten pounds of
flour and frying pan minus han
die, stuck up a sign, HKlondyke |
Hotel" and sold flapjacks to passing |
Then the Klondyke |
rush ended, and the restaurant busi-
ness waned. Bill promptly sold it
to half-breed for a pony and $5
in cash. The pony ran away two
days later, and the $5 is yet to BE-
collected, but Bill was a person of
resource. A homesteader, cursing
his luck and bad Judgment in having
settled down on land in such God
forsaken place, met Bill and Bill
bought the farm. This was not
cash transaction-he traded an old
watch for the farm, contriving by
lint of artful shakings behind his
pack to keep the old ticker" run
ling until the new owner disappear
ID down the trail. Probably both
elt equally Satisfied with the deal
More Barter |
Here Bill commenced growing |
packing his spuds on foot
O Athabasca landing, where he got [
fair price for them. A passing {
reighter offered the resourceful Bill s
wo heads of cabbage for So, the |
business was again open {
d, cabbage soup figuring daily on I
he menu. This again was not cash
eal the cabbage being exchanged r
or one worn suit of underwear. Two 6
ays later Bill sold the farm and the
udding restaurant business for two
ows and entered the ranching bust t
ess on large scale. a
The cows we're a failure, however, a
D Bill traded them for bale of furs \
nd set out on the long trail to Ed
lonton, where he hoped to realize
eavily on his deal While he was
n the way down the Boer war COM e
fenced, the price of furs went down "
ith loud bang, and Bill threw his t.
ale of furs into the Saskatchewan o
yer as he entered the city-broke, r;
ut still resourceful. il
The Canadian Pacific Railway D
at this time wished some el
formation of the mineral resources n
the Athabasca country and this et
ave Bill his opportunity. When he W
.turned he carried with him, in ad- IL
tion to his other reports, the news 81
the immense tar sand beds at Nc
urray. The company cared little til
r the news, but Bill thought it was ,e
e most important find of the trip M
he tar sands have been known as Lis
r back as 1898, when Sir Alexan- by
n Mackenzie made his famous voy- pr
,e of exploration through the coun- pc
Y, and the old Hudson's Bay traders bi
lew of their existence, too, but Al
ought very little of them as a COM en-
ercial product. is
Knowing nothing of tar sands. but M
nsing the immense value of the in
tumen, and the wider possibilities tn
oil, Bill at once set out for Min pr
sofa, where he joined an oil well m;
illing gang, and worked from ar
acksmith through easy stages as Ne