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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 1905)
r r, POR THE ROUND TRIP. Tickets on pale August 30 to Sept 4, inclusive. FACTORS IN ASPHALT PAYING Construction, Coit and Maintenance City Eoadwaja, of SOME LESSONS TAUGHT BY EXPERIENCE Brat Form of Composition with Pro portion of Ingredients nnd How th Jfeoe.sary Quantity Has Bern Ilrtrrntlned. At th convention of the American League of Municipalities held at Toledo, 'J., lust week. City Engineer Roscwatcr of Omaha read a paper on "Asphalt rav ing," In which he said: The first asphalt pavement In the world was laid In the city of Parla about fifty-one (ears ago. About 6,000,000 snuare yards, or ibout 300 mile of European streets, are now paved with that material. Twenty-live yean ago about twelve miles, or less than one-fifth of 1 per cent, of the paved streets of the cltlea of the United Btatea were paved with asphalt. Today about 2.500 mllea of atreeta In the United Suite, embracing an area approximating 14.000,000 aiuare yards, are paved with as phalt. This represents In drat cost an In vestment of I100.0ltf.0u0, and Including the cost of repairs and resurfacing, a total out lay of not less than $lV,0oO,tM. Independent of the materials used for re surfacing ami maintenance, the materials comprising the asphalt pavements of the cities of the United Btatea would fill over l.OuO.ow) ears, enough to make a train 6.0C0 miles long, extending from New York to Ban Francisco and back, aggrenaftng 22.0U), 000 tons, divided about aa. follows: Tons. "tone U.2"" hand 7..0"0 Cement I.!.'.') ptone dust TL'ii.iOi Asphalt 7X" (.ill i 132.000 Composition of the Pavement. Classifying by percentages, the materials anmprislng an asphalt pavement of six-Inch concrete base, one ami one half -Inch binder and two Inches of asphalt topping, as usually laid, will run, approximately, as follows: Stone. 52.1 per cent: sand, St 4 per cent; cement, 6.S per cent; stone dust, St per cent; asphalt, 31 per cent, ami oil, 0.6 per cent. Thus It will be wen that asphalt covers not to exceed 3 S per cent of the ma terials of an American asphalt pavement and ranges as low as 1.8 per cent, when as phalts rich In bitumen are used. Fully 80 per cent of the American asphalt pave ments may be termed ah artificial bitumi nous sandstone, the wearing surface being to per cent sand and 10 per rent bituminous mastic. The European asphalts, until within a few years, were all made from the crushed powder of a natural limestone, of which 90 per cent Is very finely ground limestone and 10 per cent Is bltuirnnou mastic. These asphalts were compact, but very slippery, the Ingredients upon which they can be used bing limited in consequence. This, in the early literature upon asphalt pavements gave rise to the statement that they could not be used upon greater than 1 per cent grades. Experience has demonstrated that the American asphalt pavements are prac tical for any traffic upon grades up to S per cent, and with short sections at Inter vals upon grade very much steeper. In fact.-as steep as 1! per cent. Until within a few years the wearing capacity of an asphalt pavement was con sidered so limited as to confine Its use upon parks and light tramo streets. Pave ments laid In European cities, notably In Paris, by an American company In 18.v. Wxi UiML lb saud bituminous cojupoall failed completely to meet the dense trafflo encountered and within six months after being laid, the remnants were ordered removed. Within the past ten years successful asphalt pavements have been laid by the same American company In London, Glas gow and Paris, and the granite pavement of several New York City streets have been successfully and satisfactorily dis placed with American asphalt pavements. Monopoly Broken I'p. Up to 1893, asphalt paving specifications within the cities 6f the United States were practically closed to the use of all asphalts but one, that coming from one portion of Trinidad Island on the South American coast. From 18S1 to IK) 3 the price of asphalt pavements, with six-inch base and two and one-half Inch topping, notwithstanding ma terial reductions In cost of materials and labor remained constant at about $3.00 per square yard, with a five-years' guarantee. The quality of pavements was not uniform, the same contractor very often laid a good pavement on one street and a very poor one on an adjoining street, under the same specifications. Much mystification was In dulged In and only the trade was accredited with possession of the secrets of a good asphalt pavement. The engineers of our cities, In view of the limited knowledge of the subject. In preparing specifications placed depedence mainly upon the guaran teed period of maintenance, allowing each bidder to prepare his own formula for proportioning and preparing mixture. In spection, to a great extent, on the asphalt portion of the pavement was a farce, few cities maintained a laboratory and where laboratories were maintained, the requisites of aJ successful pavement were unknown or misunderstood. Omaha the Pioneer. The questtop as to the Influence of the sub-base, the construction of the concrete. the nature of the sand, extent of filler In the sand voids, the amount and nature of bitumen, kind of oil for fluxing, were all partly understood, and seldom were re sults similarly obtainable, except by mere accident of chance. Ilellevlng that better progress could be made and lower prices obtained by opening the specifications for asphalt pavements to competition, tha au thor of this article. In 1S3, prepared speci fications fur the city of Omaha, admitting all asphalts under the usual bond and guarantee provisions. To succeed In such an effort It became necessary to Indue Washington. Chicago. New York. Denver and other cities to co-operate. This was done and proved successful. All sorts of litigation followed. Each attempt of those early In the held was met with coatly and stuhborn resistance, but the opposition to open specifications proved futile and untl mately developed a field for asphalts from the mines of California, Utah, Kentucky. Venexuela and other localities. In addi tion to those of Trinidad. The prices, as a result of bitter competition for a time, be came ruinous to all concerned. The cost of paving dropped. In 1S96 and 1897, In many localities fully 60 per cent. The scarcity of expert knowledge brought with this com petition some very poor aa well aa very good pavementa. Rut the public was the ulttmate winner, from the mure general knowledge gained and the more thorough Investigation on the part of all In their endeavor to develop a pavement that would excel others In qualtty and dura bility. The outcome is not only better pavements from th Trinidad product, as shown by th success In th congested tramo streets of New York, Paris, Lon don and other cities, but also a keener knowlege of the whole Subject, and good pavements are now made from artificial asphalts produced from residuum of th California oils snd also from asphalts from Venesuela, Cuba and numerous other sources. Tt aojclaetrlnc prcfesylon it in, Qi THE OMAHA1 NATIONAL ENCAMPMENT GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC o) ON SEPTEMBER 2d AND 4th Special Trains Leave Omaha 11.80 P. M. EVERY DAY, AUG. 30th TO SEPT. 4th Trains Leave Omaha 7.45 A. M, Trains Leave Omaha 4.10 P. M. Trains Leave Omaha 4.20 P. M. Provided with extra chair cars, tourist cars and sleepers, etc. Gtop-overs allowed on all through IFflTO j IAS last decade also been admitted Into tha se cret sanctuaries of the laboratories and has discovered that, aside from the shape of the streets and the asphalt used, the sandv which constitutes 90 per cent of the surface covering, exerts very much Influ ence upon the result. Numerous analysis of poor pavements have shown that it was not always wise to let the bidders make specifications and that many important requisites should be provided for In the specifications. In place of 6 and 7 per cent of bitumen In the asphalt mixtures frequently found in poor pavements of our cities, It has been demonstrated that good pavements should have at lejist 10 per cent of bitumen. This applies equally to bituminous limestone pavements as to bi tuminous sandstone pavements. Careful study of the requisites further shows that the more compact any pave ment Is the better Its wearing qualities, so It Is found essential that to secure the minimum of voids In the sand the grains should be so graded as to admit of pack ing, and finally, after this, tha further addition of fine powdered filler will make the mass still more compact. Btone dust has been and Is largely used for this purpose, but In larger quantities than In years past, and as an Improvement finely ground Portland cement Is being substi tuted In place of th stona dust. This has been used, with evidently very ex cellent results, on th Fifth avenu pave ments In New York and those of London, and th same filler was used In Sixteenth street. the leading thoroughfare of Omaha, and Is required In all pavements now laid In this city, to an extent of not less than 6 r cent, and II per cent will probably be required In the specifications hereafter. The difference In cost of a few cents per yard will not Justify its exclu sion on economical grounds. To Make Good Road. With theae facta bearing on th his tory of Its development and relative to the materials needed In asphalt pavements In view, the factors which enter Into the construction of an asphalt pavement. Its maintenance and cost, can mor readily be comprehended. In this class, as In all pavements, the first essential to good, durable construction Is a proper base. A good earth road requires, first of all, proper drainage, both for surface and sub surface. The solution of this feature is a simple engineering proposition. Tha next essential Is consolidation the more com pact, the less will the surface yield to vehicle trafflo and the greater Its dura bility. The faot that earth yields readily to the softening and dissolving Influence of water, demands a very high crown upon an earth road that It may shed water as fast as possible to escape Us softelng agency. The fact that It partly dissolve when wet makes a soil yield more readily when porous, because these voids will quickly absorb or All with the dissolving agent, hence the more compacted and less porous the less It will b exposed to moistening Influence. Again, If the earth roadbed la subjected to water from beneath the surface, It will not only be undergoing constant change In th summer period, but when winter comes th water, when freezing, will expand and heave up the surface. With these funda mental principle outlined, w next come to the pavement proper. Experiments la Paving. Divested of all verbiage, a pavement is a veneering, or wearing road surface. It Is placed ther to protect th baa and give It durability. Th early attempt at pavement were of th old Roman road order, consisting of layers of large blocks of stone In mortar, which distributed the load over a much wider area than that directly exposed to the tires of tha wheels. Tbs roads, with numerous variations, such as slabs of granite, laid in parallel i row fur tfea, ! to run on, Um rail bmLY DAILY BEE: SUNDAY, 'AUOTST 27, 1903. SEPT. 4-7, 1905. VIA tickets to attend celebration or CHEYENNE, WYOMING Sept. 2, 4 and 5, 1905. LONE T ED VIA CHEYENNE. INQUIRE AT CITY TICKET OFFICE, 1324 FARNAM ST. 'PHONE 316. ways, with iron or steel surfaces, dis tributing their loads through the medium of ties or planks, to the earth surface, the macadam roads developed about 100 years ago, with depths of broken Htone. varying with the traffic, and depending for their efficiency upon compacting the aggregates: first, on the traffic which took years, and later, upon great road rolling machinery, which crushed and forced the various ag gregates to a wedged and compuct moss, developing a smooth surface. It was contended even by railway build ers, that roadbeds should have a certain elasticity to be practical. It Is now clearly demonstrated that the firmer and more un yielding the foundation, the more durable It will be. The toughest steel bent back and forth by continuous vibrations, will break. Rock foundations yielding to com pression Impacts will ultimately crush the particles, and the greater and more numer ous the voids, the quicker the change of shape and final destruction. The theory of the need of elastic foundations Is erron eous, the elastic requisites should be In the spring of the carriages and rolling stock, and not the roadbed. The con struction of the so-called bltullthlc pave ment, which Is really a macadam with a bituminous binder, recognizes the need of reducing voids by grading the aggregates so as to reduce the voids from 40 to below 20 par cent, and finally fill this 30 per cent with tar or other bituminous binder. Faults of Macadam. In the construction of macadam pave ments It Is conceded that next to the earth road the need of a large crown Is Impera tive. Why? For the same reason as In the case of an earth road, to shed water so as to minimize Its destructive effect. Experi ence has demonstrated that, all things con sidered, the most economic covering for road.' purposes upon soil capable of Imme diate consolidation Into monolith form Is a concrete of sand, cement and stone. l"n Uke the old Roman road, this can be mado more uniform with less material and skilled labor by the use of small, broken stone, which, with various grades of sizes and the mortar of sand and cement, produces a compact and uniform mass. The more ready action of the elements upon what is known as natural cement makes the so-called Portland cement pre ferable for exposed concrete work, Its great cost, until within the last few years, has barred Its use largely In our paving works. Since, however. Its cost has been largely reduced by the Increase of Its man ufacture in this country, its advantages for paving are recognized and Its use Is becoming more gtneral. Concrete as outlined could be made for country roads and pavements were It not that tha broken limestone soon wears smooth and, like the European asphalts, becomes too' slippery. For this reason. thus far, It Is uaed as an Intermediate layer to distribute the wheel load to the earth. Whenever the upper three or four Inches can be economically made Into a composite of cement and sand, with pro visions to resist the forces of expansion and contraction, we will have a sandstone monolith pavement capable to continuously resist the action nf water, and yet furnish a footing which never can ecome slippery. Until then a composite covering of snnd with bituminous cementing material known a "asphalt" will be used. Qaalltle. of Asphalt. Experience has shown that asphalt from Trinidad. Venesuela, California, and numerous other sections of the country, (0 per cent of whose bitumens an soluble In boiling naptha. possess sufficient adhesive cementing qualities to make a proper pav ing cement. Experience has further de veloped that the actual and necessary quantity of bitumen thus soluble to mak a proper paving mixture, shall range be tween th extremes of 10 and 13 per cent, by .weight. Tha exact jropoiUoa will LsLri u u vary between these figures, dependent upon the nature of the sand grains and voids in the sand. The specifications should,, to Insure good results, provide that not less than 10 per cent of bitumen shall be re quired In the mixture. This does not mean 10 per cent of asphalt, for what Is known as refined asphalt varies in the de gree of refinement. Bermudea, Venezuela, or California asphalts are, when refined or manufactured, free from sand or other mineral mixtures, and, therefore, contain from 96 to 99 per cent pure bitumen. The Trinidad asphalt, as refined, contains fine, impalpable mineral powder to the extent of 36 per cent. In the latter case, it requires more asphalt to produce the 10 per cent of bitumen, but on the other hand, the1 amount of filler of stone dust or Portland cement required with this asphalt. Is pro portionally loss than with the others. Method of Test WronsT. The common method of comparing as phalts, according to their alleged purity based upon the bitumen they contain, Is both erroneous and calculated to deceive. It Is attempted by so-called anti-trust con tractors versus the so-called trust con tractors. Aa a matter of fact, the quantity of bitumen In the commercial asphalt pro duct la sltnply a commercial question which is governed by freight and other factors. Pavement mixtures, whether laid with an asphalt containing 90 per cent bitumen In Its commercial form, are no better nor worse than mixtures from an asphalt con taining 6 per cent, as In each case 10 per cent of extracted bitumen of a specified quality Is required and used In the mix ture. In the Manhattan borough of New York, and a few other cities of the coun try, the specifications for asphalt pave ments exclude asphalt which, In Its com mercial form contains less than 90 per cent bitumen, Bucli specifications do not pro tect the public against poor pavements, but Increase Its cost by excluding competi tion. As an Illustration I need but to cite a case recently In the court at Lincoln, Neb., where, to exclude the use of Trinidad as phalt In the Interest of a certain competitor of the company handling that material, the specifications were so drawn as to pro hibit the use of any asphalt in th proposed lavement which In It commercial form had less than SO per cent bitumen. The testimony of Chief Inspector Dow of Wash ington in this case was. that this clause did not Insure good asphalt, for Its pro visions would exclude Cuban asphalt which produced among the best. If not the very beat, asphalt pavements laid In Washing ton. Hla testimony showed that Cuban asphalt contained only 70 per cent bitumen in Its commercial form. While It Is well for cities to guard against trusts or any form of combinations, the fact Is that as phalt has been and could readily be bought In the open market from numerous sources for several years past, disposes of the trust question and the anti-trust cry so vehem ently indulged In by some In relation to asphalt, like the cry of "wolf," should be cautiously listened to by municipal author ities. F.jperienee of Omaha. , In evidence of the delusive representa tions as to asphalt trusts, the author nf this article had occasion during the year 1904 to visit the cities of Winnipeg. Mani toba and Detroit, Mich., two cltlre which own their own plants and found that as phalts of every brand were 'obtainable. The city of Omaha, which is now operating Its own repair plant, advertised for blda last spring and received proposals from California, Bermudas and Trinidad Pitch Luke asphalt dealers at prices ranging from 119 to 3-3 per ton. In view of these facta. It la clear that municipal Interests are best subserved by providing specifications calling for open competition as to asphalts and asphalts of requisite quality can. htt b obtained POT POR THE ROUND TRIP. Tickets on pale (via. Cheyenne) Aug, 30 to Sept. 4, inclusive. by providing for the minimum of bitumen In tha mixtures subject to the boiling naptha test, which determines the multhene or pertolene components which constitute the cementing quality of asphaltlc bitumen. Effect of Water on Asphalt. Another feature of considerable comment upon which opinions are as varied aa there are Interests Is the claim of susceptibility of certain asphalts to the effects of moist ure, and which, for that apparent reason, are used as a basis to exclude such as phalts and thereby favor certain con tractors and punish others. From practical contact with the varied features of this question I am led to regard specifications provisions placing power In boards or offi cers of boards to discriminate on grounds of the above nature as far more dangerous to the honest public service than any pos sible shortcoming affecting longevity of pavements from such alleged defects. The asphalt pavement does not exist which can withstand continued exposure under watfr without deterioration. Asphalt ' pavements when under water a length of time be come soft, and the great deterioration re sulting from water upon asphalt pave ments Is the action' of wheels and horses hoofs upon the softened surface. Band stones, when wetted and exposed to abra sive foroS, act like grindstones, wearing away rapidly as the grinding goes on whilst being subjected to moisture. This Is equally the case with the bituminous ssndstone. Chief Inspector Dow of Wash ington, who Is, perhaps, the ablect ex ponent and originator of the provision to the dangerous clause giving preference to asphalts not readily affected by water. In formed the author of this article last sum mer, when extending him many courtesies on an inspection tour of Washington pave ments, that for the last seven years all gutters on asphalt paved streets In the Capital city had been paved with vitrified brick. Mr. Dow must have concluded that all asphalts deteriorated more rapidly when subjected to water Influences and had little faith in the theory that cer tain asphalts were not readily affected by water, or he would not have urged the exclusion from use of asphalts alleged to be affected and thea studiously avoided using those of preferred merit from gut ters, where they would be exposed to moisture Influence. Quality of "and. Having disposed of the asphaltlc fea tures of the mixture, the equally snd pos sibly more Important mixture factor Is th and, which comprise, approximately, 90 per cent of the asphalt covering. To bring forcibly to mind the sand factor I need but cite you to a discussion at the recent International Congress of Engi neers of the relative value of stones for macadam. One of the speakers, referring to sand stones, said that It should nt be forgotten that there are extreme differ ences In th quality of sand stones. No one who haa observed sand stones from vaiioue quarries and localities can fall to be Impressed with the truth of this statement. Yet few stop to think that sand stones are components of grains of various grades of sands. That being the case. Is It not evident that an asphalt paved surface, an artificial sand stone monolith covering. Is as apt to vary In Its qualities, owing to different grading of aand, aa the natural sand stone Itself? Extended obaervatlona on thla aubject have clearly shown that to produce the best wearing mlxturea sand of certain varloua graded gralna gives better results than other aand a. The problem of how to determine and aecure the sand that will grade rst. nnd at th same time prove the toughest and most adaptable to resist wear like the natural aand aton of the best quality, is still only partially solved. Independent of th sand and asphalt, I have already out Uct4 ttit pe4 c a gambit (Usr, M, in "Tj ' formation as to the use of Portland ce-' ment for this purpose in place of the nat ural dust of carlKnate of lime was ob tained from an Interview with Mr. Clifford Richardson, who Is doubtless the gre" est living expert on asphalt pavement, taken in their entirety. Hla work en titled, "The Modern Asphalt Pavement," which has since appeared, refers to tha good results of a Portland cement filler, but disclaims an understanding of the rea son why. PRIEST IS HELD FOR RANSOM Two Men and a Woman Under Ar rest at Cleveland: for Extortion. CLEVELAND, Aug. 26. Upon the state ment made to the police by Rev. Benedict Roslnski, a Catholic priest of St. Stanis laus church, that he had been held prisoner for twenty-four hours, without food, and forced to sign two notes for 3500 each, and two checks for. like amounts, which had been since cashed, besides being robbed of 330 and some Jewelry, two men and a woman were arrested today. Tha woman Is said to have lured the priest to her room In Cedur avenue, by pretending 'to be HI and In need of spiritual consolation, and tho men are snld to have rushed In upon them and held Rev. Roslnski prisoner until he had satisfied their demands. Rev Roslnski says that he received two telephone messages Thursday, urging him to call upon Jennie Olenski, at 3XS Cedar avenue. He had been there but a few mo ments when Julian Tutt) nski rushed In, and declaring himself to be the woman'! fiance, demanded that th priest give up 14.000 for alienating her affections. With Tuszynskl was Leo Csechowskl, both of whom, according to Father Roslnski, started at once to beat him and tear hla clothes from his back when he refused to give them any money. His Jewelry was taken from him, as well as 330, and h was held as a prisoner for twenty-four hours without food or drink until he con sented to sign the checks and notes. These checks, It Is said, were cashed by Tuzsynskl and the woman. Upon return to the room with the money, the priest says he was re leased Father Roslnski notified th pollca and the trio were arrested. The two note and 119 were found under a carpet In tha woman'a room. They are charged with robbery and were bound over the grand jury. FEVER MAY VISIT 'FRISCO Completion of Panama Canal Mar antlne Provision. SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. .-Slr Patrick Manson, medical advlaer to the British, Colonial office arid recognized authority on tropical diseases, In a speech befor tha board of directors of the Merchants' asso ciation of this cHty, outlined his theory that yellow fever may yet become a source of worrlment here in th ohanged trade conditions which will follow th com pletion of the Panama canal, urging th futility of what now passes as quarantine, either In yellow fever or the bubonic plague. Owing to the advantages that Ban Fran cisco possesses over Loudon for the study of tropical diseases, an advantage due to the fact that it ha a colony of 10,000 Chi nese as wi ll as many Japanese, Filipino and Hawalluns, he suggested that a school be established her for the study of trop ical medicine. ladlanapoll llemorrat nominate, INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.. Aug. ts. Indian apolis democrats In conven'lon today nom inated John Hultseinan fur may or and William M. Fogartv for city claik, Bota oOlua "4