July 1, 1919] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



549 



40 cents down to 23. Manio^bas from 48 to i2 cents, standard 

 reclaims from 40 cents down to 12, and rubber production 

 considerably in advance of consumption, the early use of rubber 

 pavements on a large scale appears to be in sight, for economy 

 as well as efficiency and durability have become talking points 

 that can be proved. The practicability of general rubber paving 

 being once acknowledged, there is no limit to the amount of 

 rubber that could be usefully employed. 



AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. 

 It is to England that America must look for detailed informa- 

 tion regarding rubber pavements, as it is there chiefly that they 

 have been manufactured and used. America is almost entirely 

 without practical experience in the matter. 



In 1912, looking ahead to the time when low-priced rubber 

 might make the article economically available for street pave- 

 ment, the Standard Asphalt & Rubber Co., of Chicago, Illinois, 

 now the Standard Emarex Co., manufactured and exhibited rub- 

 ber paving bricks 8 by 4 by 2^ inches, having horizontal grooves 

 along their sides. The wearing surface on top contained 25 

 per cent of rubber and SO per cent of "M. R. X.," a mineral 

 rubber, the mixture having sufficient tenacity to resist the wear 

 and tear of street travel and to remain unafifected by weather 

 changes. The base or underpart of these bricks was of "Sarco," 

 a compounding ingredient of an asphaltic nature. The 

 bricks were intended to be laid an inch apart, the spaces all 

 around being filled with melted "Sarco." This, flowing into 

 the horizontal grooves, formed when cooled, a dovetailed anchor- 

 age which not only held the bricks securely in place, but pre- 

 vented the slipping of horses and the skidding of automobiles. 

 A practical demonstration of the wearing quality of these bricks 

 was given by means of an old-fashioned tread-mill in which a 

 relay of horses, sharp-shod with heel and toe calks, walked 

 continuously on treads of the rubber brick composit-on without 

 in the least cutting or bruising them. 



The cost and inconvenience of the necessary frequent replac- 

 ing of planks in the boardwalk at Atlantic City led, in 1913, to 

 a decision to cover certain sections of the walk with a prepara- 

 tion of rubber, and. this experiment showing satisfactory results, 

 to extend its use over the entire length of the promenade. But 

 this project was in the line of rubber flooring rather than of 

 paving. 



Even in France little attention has been given to rubber pave- 

 ments, although in 1917 Ch. de Chaudenberg took out a patent 

 on a composition of rubber, asphalt or bitumen for use as a 

 road surface. 



PIONEER WORK IN ENGLAND. 

 Rubber pavement is by no means new in London, however. 

 When the St. Pancras Hotel was built in 1876, it was neces- 

 sary to provide a roadway under it leading to the busy St. 

 Pancras railway station. To prevent annoyance to hotel guests 

 that might be caused by traffic noises, this roadway was paved 

 with rubber, and it lasted for thirty years before any renewal 

 was necessary. 



Perhaps the first use of rubber for sidewalks was in Edinburgh, 

 Scotland. In 1879 the North British Rubber Co. paved the 

 whole sidewalk in front of its warehouses on Princes street, a 

 very busy thoroughfare, with rubber. The walk was 12 feet 

 wide and 50 feet long. Thirty years later, in 1909, to carry out 

 an agreement with the city, as the firm was vacating the prem- 

 ises, the rubber pavement was removed. Careful examination 

 of the rubber failed to detect the slightest sign of wear. The 

 surface was nowhere oxidized and it seemed to be absolutely 

 unaffected by the elements or by the millions of persons who 

 had passed over it. 



In 1881 the roadway under the Euston Hotel to the Euston 

 station in London was paved with rubber. The material was 

 supplied by Charles Macintosh & Co., Limited, and the total 

 approximate cost per square yard was $32.70, of which $5.60 per 

 square yard was for concrete foundation work. 



When the rubber was laid down it was two inches in thick- 

 ness. In 1902, after 21 years of service, the portion on the in- 

 com'ng road into the station was taken up and carefully exam- 

 ined when it was found to have worn down to about 5^-inch in 

 the thinnest place, namely, at the incoming end, where horses 

 first stepped on to it from the macadamized road. Other parts 

 of the rubber were worn down to 1 inch and 1^ inches, these 

 places in each case being near the center of the roadway. New 

 mat. rial for renewal was furnished by the India Rubber, Gutta- 

 percha and Telegraph Works Co., Limited, at $27.09 i er square 

 yard, the total cost of renewal, including laying, was $28.75 per 

 square yard after credit had been given for the old rubber taken 

 up. The average yearly cost of examination and maintenance of 

 the original pavement had been slightly under 6^-2 cents per 

 square yard. 



At this time the paving of the outgoing road from the station 

 was lYz inches thick, and later, in 1913, after 32 years' service, 

 was still in use, although its early renewal was anticipated. This 

 unequal wear was attributed to the grit brought from outside 

 by incoming vehicles, from which outgoing ones are relatively 

 free. 



The courtyard of Claridge's Hotel, the resort of crowned 

 heads and aristocratic travelers, was paved with rubber in 1900, 

 and thirteen years later was found to be about one inch thick. 

 In no case had it been necessary to replace the paving, but the 

 old slabs were relaid. as they were working out of position, 

 caused by their not having been securely fastened down in the 

 first instance. 



In 1904 the courtyard of the Savoy Hotel in London was paved 

 with rubber at a total cost of $9,733. The area of the court- 

 yard is 3,750 square feet, of which 2,195 were covered with rubber. 

 The rubber used was two inches thick, weighing \S% pounds 

 per square foot, and it was laid on a smooth concrete foundation. 

 Rubber having advanced materially in price, the cost of the 

 pavement laid, not including the foundation, was $40.78 per 

 square yard. 



The traffic at the Savoy is more exacting than at Claridge's, 

 yet after ten years' service this pavement was reported as being 

 in very fair condition, although the slabs did not in all cases 

 fit very closely. Certain portions had been subjected to special 

 wear, owing to the stopping and restarting of vehicles, par- 

 ticularly where studded tires were used. Oil dropping from 

 motor cars had likewise aflfected the surface of the rubber pav- 

 ing, and it had been found necessary to relay some of the slabs, 

 possibly owing to their not fitting well. 



While the conditions under which the above-mentioned pave- 

 ments are used do not quite compare with those of ordinary 

 streets, because all are under a roof and are open only to 

 passenger vehicles mostly rubber-tired, they are in constant 

 use and the traffic, especially at Euston station, is very heavy. 

 That they have given satisfactory service, however, for periods 

 of ten to more than thirty-two years demonstrates convincingly 

 their efficiency and durability. 



THE DESSAU RUBBER PAVEMENT. 

 An interesting experiment was made in 1913 at the junction 

 of the New and Old Kent Roads, one of London's most crowded 

 corners, with the rubber-capped wood blocks patented by M. M. 

 Dessau and for which a gold medal was awarded to the in- 

 ventor by the Rubber Growers' Association. As compared with 

 the ordinary concrete foundation of wood pavement, the new 

 method is claimed to be an improvement, as the wood blocks 

 are imbedded in an ordinary asphalt grouting, while the rubber 

 caps prevent the penetration of moisture into the wood. 



In Mr. Dessau's system jarrah wood blocks are used with a 

 surface cushion of rubber, held rightly in position by dovetail- 

 ing. The blocks are readily movable, an advantage in these 

 days of frequent excavations for electricity, gas, water, tele- 

 phone and telegraph conduits. They interlock perfectly and 

 give absolutely watertight joints. 



