,the ,wonderland of ,trinidad ,illustration3 7uncaptioned7 ,,issued ,,by ,,the ,,barber ,,asphalt ,,company ,,philadelphia1 ,,pa4 ,,chicago ,,pittsburgh ,,san ,,francisco ,,new ,,york ,,kansas ,,city ,,st4 ,,louis ,illustration3 ,trinidad ,asphalt ,lake1 showing the loop of the narrow gauge railroad ,illustration3 7,illustrated capital7 ,in the name 8,trinidad0 is embodied all the romance and beauty and wonder of a tropical island4 ,in the native language it is called ,iere1 8the land of the humming bird40 ,quite in accordance with the luxurious abundance of life and color is the asphalt lake1 the marvel of centuries4 ,its causation astonishing1 its features gigantic1 it lies in the heart of a romantic land--a subject of speculation among scientists1 but a tropical enchantment to those of more fanciful mind4 ,the ,island of ,trinidad lies about #gjj miles north of the ,equator and #bjjj miles from ,new ,york4 ,its area of #agee square miles is less than that of the ,state of ,delaware4 ,it belongs to ,great ,britain and is separated from its nearest neighbor1 ,venezuela1 by the wonderful ,gulf of ,paria and its narrow straits or bocas which connect the gulf with the ocean4 ,illustration3 ,a private mansion1 ,port of ,spain1 ,b4 ,w4 ,i4 ,this majestic gateway has seen the coming and going of many famous mariners4 ,through it ,columbus sailed north on his third voyage in midsummer of the year #adih4 ,sir ,walter ,raleigh and many buccaneers swept through the bocas in the days when ,english seamen performed deeds of valor against the ,spaniards1 and any galleon was their lawful prey4 ,here1 too1 cruised ,nelson with his great ,english fleet1 hunting for the ,french warships on that half world chase that ended at ,trafalgar4 ,to-day important trade centers in ,trinidad1 and the harbor of ,port of ,spain1 the only city of size1 is busy with the arrival and departure of steamships bearing to ,europe and ,america the tropical riches of the ,island4 ,illustration3 ,a country road just outside ,port of ,spain ,in ,trinidad the thermometer records #he degrees almost every day and never changes more than twenty degrees4 ,the only difference between one season of the year and another1 is that for a few months it rains4 ,even in the rainy season1 however1 and nearly every day1 there is an abundance of bright sunshine4 ,there are fine shops1 large warehouses filled with chocolate beans1 sugar and other tropical products2 and one can ride on trolley cars made in ,philadelphia4 ,the most popular hotel faces the great ,savannah1 a wide stretch of lawn bordered by trees4 ,there are beautiful drives to the ,reservoir2 up the mountains to ,maracas ,waterfall with vista of the ,caribbean a thousand feet below2 through avenues of giant bamboos arching over the roadway1 and through miles of plantations of cacao4 ,illustration3 ,queen's ,park ,hotel1 the most popular in ,port of ,spain1 facing the great ,savannah ,illustration3 ,a street in ,port of ,spain1 where one can ride up town on a trolley car built in ,philadelphia ,railway lines run east from ,port of ,spain1 and south for thirty-five miles1 down the coast of the ,gulf of ,paria1 to ,prince's ,town and ,san ,fernando1 through sections crowded with ,east ,indian coolies4 ,from ,san ,fernando1 a little steamer leaves daily for trips along the coast4 ,the land-locked waters of the ,gulf are usually calm and the mountains of ,venezuela are seen miles away in an exquisite blue haze4 ,the steamer skirts along a shore bordered by mangrove swamps1 to ,brighton1 and there it stops at the long pier of ,the ,trinidad ,lake ,asphalt ,operating ,company1 ,ltd4 ,brighton is an active little industrial community1 close upon the lake1 and the traveler finds himself in the midst of the asphalt industry4 ,overhead the cable is singing away as it carries along the myriad of great buckets filled with asphalt4 ,dozens of pretty buildings are the homes of the ,company's employees4 ,white paint and screens and cleanliness are everywhere4 ,the asphalt refinery is at the hilltop1 on the border of the lake1 which has been described by some as an inferno1 a place of heat and vapors4 ,in reality it is a great level area of about #ajj acres1 with a surface of a dull blue-gray color1 with here and there stray pools of water from the showers4 ,illustration3 ,the great ,savannah1 with its wide1 tree-bordered lawn1 rich in tropical beauty ,illustration3 ,model of ,trinidad ,asphalt ,lake1 ,brighton1 ,trinidad1 ,british ,west ,indies ,at the lower right-hand corner of the photograph of the model will be found the village of ,la ,brea1 while just above at the edge of the lake is the village of 8,new ,jersey10 where the laborers and their families live4 ,the asphalt refinery and barreling plant are to the left of the village4 ,the office1 bungalows of the employees1 hotel and clubhouse are located between the refinery and the loading pier4 ,at the extreme left-hand corner of the photograph is the jetty and end of aerial tramway1 where vessels dock to be loaded with asphalt4 ,illustration3 ,part of the ,company's 8,quarters0 for employees at ,trinidad ,asphalt ,lake ,you may walk where you please on the asphalt4 ,it is solid enough to bear your weight4 ,but if you stand in one place you will slowly sink in4 ,the surface bears some resemblance to an asphalt street on a very hot day1 though much of the time a fresh breeze blows4 ,illustration3 ,a gang of workmen on the lake1 digging and loading asphalt4 ,observe the method of carrying to cars ,illustration3 ,another view of the asphalt lake showing workmen at rest during lunch period ,a narrow gauge railroad runs from the refinery out upon and halfway across the lake4 ,then it swings back in a great loop to the shore4 ,little cars run on the tracks drawn by a wire cable guided by rollers between the rails4 ,here and there1 near the line1 you may see workmen digging asphalt and loading trains of cars4 ,when these are filled they are drawn around the loop to the refinery2 or to the pier where asphalt in its crude form is shipped to the ,united ,states and to nearly every other civilized country in the world4 ,the loaded cars are halted under a conveyor cable4 ,very rapidly the hooks which swing from the cable are thrown into place1 and the big bucket is lifted from the truck and goes off down the hill4 ,the carriers are clamped to the moving cable1 all the buckets moving along at the same rate of speed4 ,the weight of those going down helps to pull the empties back again1 so that not very much power is needed to keep the cable moving4 ,most of the cars1 however1 are stopped at the refinery1 which is at the edge of the lake1 close to the power house and the shops4 ,refining ,trinidad asphalt consists mainly of driving off twenty-nine per cent4 of contained water4 ,the crude asphalt is dumped into large tanks heated by coils of steam pipes4 ,the asphalt softens and boils1 evaporating the water completely4 ,the melted asphalt is drawn into barrels1 in which it is shipped away4 ,this refined ,trinidad ,lake ,asphalt contains all of the constituents of the crude asphalt that are valuable from the chemical or commercial viewpoint4 ,illustration3 ,panoramic view of ,trinidad ,asphalt ,lake4 ,the lake occupies a bowl-like depression1 in area about #aad acres4 ,it is bordered by low hills4 ,the surface is dotted with clumps of trees and bushes1 and broken by irregular pools of surface water4 ,in the background to the left is part of the asphalt refinery1 which extends from the hilltop to the edge of the lake ,digging the asphalt is a simple operation4 ,a mattock is the only tool required1 and under its blows the asphalt breaks readily4 ,the negroes employed in digging are skilled in the work1 and break out lumps that would be far too heavy for an untrained laborer to carry4 ,an astonishingly small amount of the material is broken into pieces4 ,a laborer simply lifts one or two lumps1 raises them up on his head1 walks a few yards1 and drops them in the car4 ,the crude asphalt as broken out is brownish1 usually quite wet with surface water1 and filled with cavities made by gas up to an inch or more in diameter4 ,the gangs of barefooted workmen in a place number thirty1 of whom half a dozen do the digging on a space perhaps sixty feet long and forty wide1 and in the course of a day dig to a depth of about three feet4 ,that same spot the next morning may look a little rough but will be approximately level with the level of the lake4 ,the hole fills up1 and in the course of a week all traces of the digging are obliterated1 which does not mean necessarily that fresh asphalt has come into the lake from below4 ,on the contrary1 the excavations are filled by a slow settling or leveling of the surface asphalt4 ,near the middle of the area the material is softer1 and in a few places it may be seen in small irregular patches oozing up from below1 and of the consistency of putty4 ,the ,lake is solid asphalt1 perhaps two hundred feet deep at its lowest point4 ,borings show that in consistency the asphalt is practically the same throughout4 ,there is evidence that the mass contained in the lake is in constant but very slow motion4 ,the surface is a series of folds1 between which rain water gathers in the creases4 ,sir ,frederick ,treves compared the surface of the asphalt to the skin of a huge elephant1 and the irregular creases to the folds in his hide4 ,along the edges of the pools of water1 grass and bushes find a footing1 forming green islands of no great area4 ,the railroad which carries the asphalt to the refinery is necessarily a light affair1 for the reason that it is frequently moved from place to place1 as mining work is shifted4 ,it is remarkable1 however1 how the asphalt supports the ties and rails1 especially when it is remembered that the loaded cars often passing in a continuous line over the rails1 must weigh no less than #ajjj pounds each4 ,a solid lake may seem a misnomer1 but no other phrase better describes the ,trinidad deposit or the somewhat similar but much larger ,bermudez asphalt lake in ,venezuela4 ,illustration3 ,surface of the lake1 a series of great folds1 where rain water gathers in the creases ,close to the ,lake's edge the asphalt is drier1 and along the shore of the lake here and there are 8pitch cones10 like miniature volcanoes1 and composed of asphalt that does not flow1 but which was evidently once semi-liquid4 ,similar 8pitch cones0 are to be found here and there about the neighborhood1 and are in places along the edge of the ,gulf of ,paria4 ,a quarter of a mile from shore a steamship lies at the end of the pier1 loading crude asphalt4 ,go out on the narrow boardwalk1 climb up the winding stairway1 and you come on a platform forty feet above the water4 ,the conveyor cable is guided by pulleys around the end of the pier4 ,as each bucket comes along a clutch is thrown off1 the bucket is tipped and the asphalt falls down a chute into the hold of the ship4 ,illustration3 ,breaking the asphalt with a mattock4 ,the porous condition of the lumps can be seen ,illustration3 8,pitch cones0 of hard asphalt at the edge of the lake ,illustration3 ,a near view of the surface of the lake4 ,gas emerging through surface water1 as shown by ripples and bubbles ,illustration3 ,uncovering land asphalt4 ,the difference between lake and land asphalts can be seen readily ,illustration3 ,the narrow boardwalk1 forty feet above the water1 and the conveyor cable with loaded buckets of asphalt4 ,men throwing off the clutch4 ,illustration3 ,the next step--,men releasing the pawl preparatory to emptying the large bucket4 ,illustration3 ,the bucket is tipped up and the asphalt goes tumbling through a hole in the platform1 down a chute into the hold of the ship4 ,the origin of asphalt has been a subject of much discussion in the past1 and recent developments in the region of the lake enable one at last to make a definite statement on the subject4 ,strata of clays and shales that extend from east to west in southern ,trinidad1 carry asphaltic oil in liquid form4 ,many wells have been drilled in recent years and quantities of this maltha won4 ,the asphalt lake fills a natural depression into which asphaltic petroleum from one of these strata found its way ages ago4 ,a geologist might say that the origin of the deposit of asphalt is recent1 but in saying that he might mean that not more than a few thousand years had gone since its occurrence4 ,the asphaltic petroleum came from the depths1 after which such parts of the substance as were light and gaseous volatilized1 the heavy base remaining4 ,for practical purposes the asphalt is a perfect commodity for the uses to which it is applied4 ,the amount in the lake has not been calculated with any certainty1 but there is unquestionably enough to supply the needs of the whole world for a very long time4 ,the first modern ,trinidad ,lake asphalt pavement was laid in the ,united ,states4 ,since then it has been used on show streets of the world1 including ,fifth ,avenue1 ,new ,york2 ,pennsylvania ,avenue1 ,washington1 ,d4 ,c42 ,michigan ,avenue ,boulevard1 ,chicago2 ,broad ,street1 ,philadelphia2 ,victoria-,thames ,embankment1 ,london1 ,england1 and countless other streets in the ,united ,states1 ,south ,america1 ,australia1 ,egypt1 ,india and ,japan4 ,one very frequently now sees motor trucks hauling mixtures of this black material4 ,almost everybody has seen it dumped smoking hot on the street1 paused to watch the men raking it out carefully and the rollers compressing it into a smooth pavement4 ,as laid it contains #aj of asphalt and the rest is sand and stone-dust4 ,illustration3 ,upper ,illustration--,wells1 derricks1 and partial view of ,oil ,refinery ,lower ,illustration--,a well in operation1 with oil running into 8sump0 shown in foreground ,nevertheless1 the asphalt has such cementitious qualities that it solidifies the materials into a sheet as hard as rock4 ,after asphalt was first used for street paving1 other uses were discovered for it4 ,for example1 it is now used in the manufacture of asphalt shingles and roll roofings4 ,asphalt is waterproof and at the same time so tough and durable that it is peculiarly suited for that purpose4 ,these qualities combined with its low price have no doubt been mainly responsible for its phenomenal success and popularity among builders and home owners4 ,the earlier forms of roll roofing were supplemented very soon by more elaborate styles coated with granulated slate in different colors and cut into shingles in a wide variety of sizes and patterns4 ,hundreds of tons of native lake asphalt are used annually in the construction of built-up roofs and asphalt mastic floors for large office buildings and industrial plants4 ,a large amount of asphalt is also used in the waterproofing of large engineering projects1 such as tunnels1 bridge structures1 dams and reservoirs4 ,illustration3 ,a grove of cocoanut trees and tropical undergrowth at edge of ,trinidad ,asphalt ,lake ,duplicate copies of this ,booklet may be obtained free of charge from ,the ,barber ,asphalt ,company1 ,philadelphia1 ,pa4 ,cable ,address-- ,baspaco1 ,philadelphia ,,eleventh ,,edition #c-bg #ej,m #c-bg ,lasher ,printing ,company ,philadelphia1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a4 ,illustration3 ,back cover ,transcriber's ,notes --,silently corrected a few typos4 --,retained publication information from the printed edition3 this e,book is public-domain in the country of publication4 --,in the text versions only1 text in italics is delimited by underscores4