178 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



pared from petroleum oil, which contains practically no sulphur 

 derivatives. 



In proximate composition Bermudez is very similar, as far as the 

 bitumen is concerned, to that of the Trinidad material. The propor- 

 tion of malthenes is slightly larger, and the asphalt in consequence 

 somewhat softer, but in general, it is of a very similar character. 



Shipping the Asphalt 

 As will be seen in the accompanying illustrations, the crude asphalt 

 is won from the surface of the pitch lake by laborers with picks, in the 

 form of flakes which have been mentioned. Those are thrown into 



Photo, W. H. Rau, Philadelphia. 

 Guanaco River, Venezuela. 



skips carried on small platform cars, which are run over the surface of 

 the lake in a loop by cable, the rails being supported by palm-tree ties, 

 which must be realigned almost daily, owing to the movement of the 

 surface of the pitch. The loaded skips are brought to the terminal sta- 

 tion at the shore of the lake, where they are hoisted and clumped into 

 other skips, which are carried on a cable-way down the surface of the 

 country between the lake and the shore, and out into the ocean on a 

 pier some thousand feet in length, where they are emptied into chutes 

 and dumped into the hold of the vessel awaiting a cargo. A thousand 

 tons or more can be put on board a large steamer in this way in a day. 

 During a large part of the year, three to nine vessels a day are lying off 

 of or alongside the pier, waiting to be loaded. 



