The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-07
NEWELL 4'PRE-CAST'
 CONCRETE HIGHWAY SLABS LAST LONGER
sCured" Before Laid and Grooved to Let in Air and
 Insure Drainage
By RICHARD F. JOHNSTON

By RICHARD F.. JOHNSTON
 Out at Gate City, lying in stately rows and looking altogether as flat surfaced memorial stones placed over the graves of prehistoric men or giant stature, are "pre-cast concrete slabs for making. patented and manufactured by A. T. Newell, BIT mingham's veteran contractor of 2V years.
 They are the latest development in road construction, and will be test ed out at an early date on a stretch or highway in that vicinity under aus pices of the engineering forces Of city and county.
 The slabs are 10 feet long and b feet wide. One end of each slab IS neatly rounded off, feature that will save automobile tires and avoid the necessity of sguttering and curb ing. Each slab is 71a inches thick They are made of one part Portland cement two parts of sand and three parts stone, the standard mixture for durability.
 The slabs are provided with five longitudinal grooves on the under surface, which provide for drainage and air. When two slabs are joined together by steel riveting the grooves . of each fit into the other These lon- gitudinai grooves enter into a larger groove at the end of each slab, which catch the flow of the longitudinal grooves and carry it off. Dryness and air are absolutely insured.
 Weigh 5,6OO Pounds
 Each slab weighs $500 pounds. They are poured into a steel-bound frame, and when hard enough lifted on to platforms, where they go through SO-day process of curing Following that they are unbreakable. However, should an imperfect slab get into roadway, it may be lifted and another put in it's place, fitting the space to a nicety.
 The slabs are laid slantwise to the road The result of this is that no two wheels of the passing vehicle strike any slab at the same time. This avoids motion tending to loosen the slab connections. Each slab is reinforced with steel and the con nections bound with steel bolts, which forbid loss of alignment. The usual road foundation may be used. Life of 90 Years
 It is estimated that the life of these slabs will be at least 30 years. The durability is largely due to the cur- ing process. Each slab is cured be- fore it leaves the factory for the highway. When 1t Is laid on the highway the work of air. water and sun has been exhausted. The slabs have been "ripened" before they ara laid. The results are assured before they form the highway.
 Laying the slabs into a highway Is 8 simple process. A lotion crane will follow behind each brace of slabs and be used in laying the next two. Travel may ensue over the highway immediately after the slabs are placed and up to the point where 2 the work is being done.
 Mir Newell took models of his pat ent to the road department at Wash ington. Officials there became in- tensely interested and expressed the conviction that he had developed the most remarkable road building device that they had ever seen.
 Wants Royalty
 Mir Newell says he does not intend to charge the city or county a penny of royalty for use of these slabs. On the contfary he Is very anxious for the county to employ convicts in the manufactufe of the slabs. He says three camps of 50 conyicts each could be used to advantage under compe- tent supervision. and he believes that : the county would save many millions of dollars in very few years. sHe will take his chances on the prestige and demand for the product which she believes test is going to develop.
 Theoretically the Newell slab can not be attacked. Both experts and the initiated who see them at Gate City come away with a feeling that a : new era in road building is forecast ed by this invention.
 The cost is estimated at no more than the usual cost of concrete roads. * To all appearances durability and simplicity of repairs where repairs may be needed seem to be assured