Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1901 — Discovered by Accident. [ARTICLE]

Discovered by Accident.

All forms of bituminous pavements, whether manufactured from natural or artificial asphalt, are in fact artificial stone pavements. The industry started with the use of the natural rock asphalt from the mines in the Val de Travers, Canton Neufchntel, Switzerland. The mines were diseovered in 1721, but it was 1849 that its utility as a road covering Avas first noticed. The rock Avas then being mined for the purpose of extracting the bitumen contained in it for the use in medicine and arts. It Is a limestone found impregnated with bitumen, of which it yields on analysis from 8 to 14 per cent. It was observed that pieces of rock which fell from the wagon were crushed by the weight of Avheels, and under the combined influence of the traffic and heat of the sun a good road surface was produced. A macadam road of asphalt rock was then made, which gave very good results, and finally, in 1854, a portion of the Rue Bergere avos laid In Paris of compressed asphalt on a concrete foundation. In 1858 a still larger sample was laid, and from that time it has been laid year by year in Paris. From Parisj it extended to London, being laid on Threadneedle street In 1869, and Cheapside in 1870, and in successive years on other streets.—Municipal Journal and Engineer.