THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



Photo, C. R. Toothaker, Phila. Commercial Museum. 

 Transportation of Pitch by Aerial Cable from Refinery to Pier. 



The average composition of samples taken on circles 200, 400, 600, 

 800, 1,000 and 1,100 feet from the center of the deposits, and for the 

 average material from the entire depth of the boring, as determined by 

 routine methods, was found, after drying the material to free it from 

 the water which is present, to be as follows : 



Average Composition of Trinidad Lake Pitch in Circles 



Circle 2, 200 ft. from center 



Circle 4, 400 ft. from center 



Circle 6, 600 ft. from center 



Circle 8, 800 ft. from center 



Circle 10, 1,000 ft. from center, 

 Circle 12, 1,100 ft. from center- 

 General average 



Circle 14, 14,000 ft. from center. 



Total Bitu- 

 men thus 

 Soluble, 

 Per Cent. 



57.85 



57.55 

 58.26 

 57.97 

 57.64 

 57.51 

 57.79 

 56.66 



The great uniformity of the deposit is revealed by these figures. 



The water is probably of thermal origin, as it contains borates and 

 iodides. Chlorides and sulphates of sodium are the predominating salts, 

 sulphate of ammonia in marked amount, while chloride of potassium, 

 lime and magnesium and ferrous iron are present. It is impossible to 

 separate the water from the bitumen without change, but in the old 

 methods of refining pools of it would collect on the surface of the 

 asphalt, and this water, although somewhat concentrated and oxidized, 

 had the following composition : 



