TRINIDAD AND BERMUDEZ ASPHALTS 



r 75 



Photo, W. H. Rau, Philadelphia. 

 Residence at Guanaco. 



emulsified water and mineral matter. It is a much purer bitumen, a 

 fact of no importance as far as its technical application in street paving 

 is concerned, since the fine mineral matter or filler must be added to any 

 asphalt cement in its use in such construction, but which is of advantage 

 where the material is to be used in the construction of bituminous 

 broken stone highways by the penetration process, owing to the greater 

 ease with which the purer and more liquid material will enter into the 

 voids of the broken stone. 



The ultimate composition of the pure bitumen of Bermudez asphalt 

 is much the same as that of the bitumen in Trinidad asphalt, as can be 

 seen from the following comparison : 



Bermudez Trinidad 



Pure Bitumen Pure Bitumen 



Per Cent. Per Cent. 



Carbon 82.88 82.33 



Hydrogen 10.79 10.69 



Sulphur 5.87 6.16 



Nitrogen 75 .81 



100.29 99.99 



Bermudez asphalt contains, like the Trinidad, a high percentage of 

 sulphur, varying, however, according to the degree to which the material 

 has become hardened at different points in the deposit. The softest 

 material contains the largest percentage. 



1 Soft material, maltha. 



