Asphalt for a damp-proof course may be prepared by boiling, for a few minutes only, coal-tar (about 21 gal.) and pitch (1 cwt.) in an iron boiler, thinning with 2 gal. of creosote oil. Brush the footings clean, sprinkle a little sand on, and with a trowel make a little ridge of mortar along each edge of the brickwork to prevent the melted tar and pitch running off. Then pour on wdiile hot from a ladle or a bucket.