(oNiy 



tempered to meet the peculiar requirements of special uses; an asphaltum 

 wNch might be obtained of uniform quality, grade and reliability. An 

 attempt was made to obtain such a material by refining the asphaltum 

 produced by Nature, but the process proved to be so costly that commer- 

 cially considered it was impracticable. 



When the vast oil fields of California were discovered, analysis of 

 the crude oil obtained showed that its base was of a purely asphaJtic char- 

 acter. The oils of Pennsylvania and Ohio have a paraffine base, those of 

 Texas both paraffine and asphaltum — in California alone has a pure 

 asphaltic Maltha been taken from the ground. When it had been thor- 

 oughly proven that the asphaltic base of the California crude was practi- 

 cally a pure bitumen, carrying no foreign or organic matter, refiners con- 

 ceived the possibility of recovering by process of distillation the asphaltum 

 in its pure state, and refineries were erected for the purpose in different 

 portions of California. The result was a success hardly contemplated by 

 the pioneers of the industry. The asphaltum obtained by distillation 

 proved to be so far superior to that mined from the earth, that the output 

 has grown to immense proportions in the short period of five years, and is 

 rapidly becoming one of its leading industries. It has, therefore, been 

 proven that Man, by intelligent manipulation, can produce an asphaltum 

 of uniform quality, of any temper desired, of practical purity, of unlimited 

 supply. So far, only the crude oils of California yield this ideal material. 



The asphaltum is used for many purposes. Utilized for street paving, 

 it produces practically the ideal street covering — dustless, noiseless, resi- 

 lient, durable and ornamental. For roofing, it insures absolute impervious- 

 ness to water, will withstand weathering, lowers insurance rates, admits of 

 quick economical repair. As a lining for reservoirs, it provides absolute 

 water-tight walls, offers no surface for fungus growth, does not contamin- 

 ate the water. As a protection for underground pipe it has been found 

 of superior merit. Wooden piles coated with it resist the ravages of the 

 teredo and last many years under the most trying circumstances where 

 their life otherwise would be brief. As a damp course it is possible to obtain 

 a dry cellar in any country, at any season, under an circumstances. It is 

 also used as a base for paints and varnishes, for insulating, for making 

 briquettes, for coating structural steel, for the manufacture of building 

 paper, and a host of other and increasing purposes where practically pure 

 bitumen is required. 



The introduction of the pure California asphaltum in the Eastern 

 market and its instant and tremendous success as a paving material, 

 caused consternation in the ranks of the promoters of the so-called 

 "natural" asphaltums. They recognized immediately that if the Califor- 

 nia product was permitted to compete along legitimate lines and given a 

 fair field, Trinidad asphalt and other impure foreign asphalts would quickly 

 be driven from the market. The result of their efforts for self-preservation 

 was, first, the establishment of high freight rates; second, the subsidizing 

 of high chemical authorities and other experts, who issued pamphlets and 

 literature, setting forth that the new material was not the equal of the so- 

 called **natural" products, was deficient in the qualities necessary to 

 create lasting pavements, finally coining the phrase "residual pitch" as a 

 contemptuous description of California asphaltum. A systematic cam- 

 paign was later inaugurated in most of the large cities to have it barred 

 from the specifications covering street paving requirements for asphaltic 

 cement, arguments being advanced that the material was too quickly 

 manufactured, that it had no lasting qualities, that it was not possible to 

 produce it of uniform consistency, and finally, that there was no assurance 

 of supply. 



However, in spite of vicious misrepresentation, in spite of discriminat- 

 ing freight rates, in spite of distance from the large markets, in spite of 

 unfavorable specification legislation, California asphaltum steadily gained 

 in favor, steadily replaced the impure foreign asphalts, and steadily proved 

 its worth as a paving material wherever tried. As an instance of the won- 

 derful growth of the output, in 1902 the entire production of the State 



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