The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-12-31

NJ,
Bile 70 wear 30 smootl = to endsngsr shs safety 0
horses f
This ebjsctien hss been entirely avoided b.
growing the stones A large portion Of ths pave
nent on Broadway hsT acoor aisgly been laid wist
| grooved blocks, and thsy have been found TO fur
mspt 9
II fyour committee felt st hbaty to occupy the
time and attention Of the besrd that sxtsns shsy
could chow Aoet clearly, ~ q stskement Of fHCts
and figures, that the Russ pavement in Broadway d
far more economical than the ordinary pavement
But these fscts are 10 generally understood and ad
miu,ed that ID is unnecessary to dwelf upon th,m
Your committee satisfied TO the durability of
| the work; the pavement between lseade and Chaa-
bers sreeta portion Of Broad way much travelled
any other portion of the street, having been laid
for no many years, and exhibiting now no evidence
of becoming worn. and to all appearance likely to
last for long series of years without tho necessity
| Of any expenditure for repairs,
| IL is well known that the application of block
pavement is confined to New York. but that IL has
oeep generally used in tho principal cities of Europe
and in several of the cities Of our own country but
| not with equa success % in our own city Your
cou Dittee, in this connection, would state that
tksy consider the Of bed Of concrete IN laid
| by N ssrs Russ 4 Reed, to be one Of the most
valuable features Of this pavement and TO this il
DO mainly attributed the durability Of the work and
its freedom from liability to constant repairs.
Block pavements have been used in Boston,. Phi
ladelphis, and other cities, and in our own city,
without the foundation Of concrete, and have been
through gress th0roughares. In view of these facts,
your committee have concluded, in common with
MI who have reflected upon the subject, with the
aid Impractical experience, that the block pavement
upon concrete foundation, % laid by Messrs Russ
h Reid, is, in peint of economy and convenience,
superior to any other In use, and unlikely to be
superseded by any other plan employing the mate
risle used in paving streets
The next question which presented itself to the
considers alton Of the committee, whether Messrs
Russ Reid pavement was required In the streets
existed any immediate necessity of commencing
the laying down of tho work, or whether II might
with iafety and economy be deferred to future
time.
On the one hand was to be considered the expesse.
necessarily large to be incurred in the enterprise,
and the otnsr hand the ultimate saving, from the
incr ased economy and convenience.
Your committee have weighed these considers.
tons carefully. and while they have been unwilling
TO aid in involving the oity In any wise or pen
diture Of the public moneys, they have been unable
10 contovert the facs to which Of the
past clearly points, and which establish the economy
ofths pavement for all great travelled thoroughfarss
The street embraced in the resolution forms Ons of
the greatest arteries Of the city. second in impor
taDce to no other. Chatham street is narrow and
th, ough which almost the entire travel Of the SEQ
tion Of the ciy lying to the east Of Broadway,
to the centres Of business. The Interruptions that
have for several years past been occasoned to this
immense travel from the distractions oocssioned by
the condition Of the pavement In this street, have
been matter of unusual complaint, and seriously
affect the value Of property in tho eastslly part Of
the city
Your committee are satisfied that the condition Of
this street, and the interests that are connected
With is. imperativsly demand that IL should, with
out celay, be put In proper condition for the 40
would he IN actual injustice to the inhabitants Of
the eastery section Of the oity, who necessarily suf
fer tho Inconvenience Of = marrow and crowded
tboroughfare. and who should not be compelled to
honx dsoo.s Af tn..
worst paved of any thoroughfare in this city.
With regard to tie Bowery variety Of consider
atiops have been presented to the minds of your
committee This is the most important business
street above the Park; both its local business AID
th ough travel very great, in addition to which
1t 10 occupied by railroad throughout the greater
portion of its leng b.. which is used by two com-
panies, doing immense business In the traBspor-
satop OF passengers and freight, and occupying the
street by an almost uninterrupted succession Of
psssing in the one the other direction. The
most serious objection 70 the use Of rails In the
public streets results from their combination with
cobble sone pavement 1t is necessary, in order to
turn of the water from the surfaces of cobble stone
pavement 10 prevent it's working into and dos
troyng the bed upon which sbe surface OF the street
rests, to give the surface Of the street steep pitch
towa de the sidewalks 40 the rails necessarily
laid in the centre OF the street, and level, the
pavement pitches very rapidly from the outside
rail to the gutter vehicles driven along outside the
rails are thus running constantly upon inclined
plane, which, where they are heavily loaded, is :
serious annoyance, Al tends greatly to injure not
only the vehicles, aud to increase their draught,
br to destroy the roadway itself Again, cobble-
stone pavement should form unbroken arch ex-
tending frcm sidewalk to sidewalk, TO distri
butte the pressure uniformly throughout the whole
.arfsce and to give uniform vibration to every
par of the surface This is impossible in the
Bowcry, or in any other street in which rails are
laid
One advantage Of Russ & Reid's pavement, In
combination with rails consists in the fact that the
whole su,face OF the street. may be made constant
and level or nearly so, so that every part may be
conveniently used by vehicles Of the greatest
burden.
Another convenience is that it does not. like the
cobble stone pavement, form holes along che lines
where upites with the rails but retains constant
and even surface
From causes above mentioned, paving the Bowery
has been source Of constant sxper 10 the city,
and unless some improved metaod Is employed, bids
fair 10 be an increased source Of expense In the
future.
In view Of the foregoing considerations, your
committee have unanimously come to the conclusion
that the pavement Of the streets In question with
Mcesrs Russ Reid pave ment is matter Of gre at
and in mediate public necessity, and that to pest
p ne the commencement Of the work, or to delay
its completion would be found in the end the poor
est economy
That TIE work should be commenced with all con-
vsDiept despatch, sDd prosecuted rs RAPIDLY as its
nature viii admi. Of Although considerable
period of time will necessarily be consumed in tho
con pletion of the work, ye, due regard TO scono-
my, and tho copvsrience Of tho public, in the
opinion Of our committee, requires that immediate
arrangements should be made for commencing the
wbols work, and urging it's completion rs early as
prscticsble
Your committee therefore, recommend the adop-
tion Of the following reso ution,-
Resolved, That the Commissioner Of Repairs and
SuHbnss be, and ne is hereby. an horized TO snter
into contract with Russ and Reid for the con-
struc,ion Of the = Russ pavement through Park
row, Chatham street, the Bowery, and the Fourth
avenue around Union squsre, 20 unite With tho tor
mirstioD Of the Broadway oontract, one entire
width Of the carrisgeway, from curb TO curb--the
~ork uncer said contract 10 be commenced Mt
Broadway and Park row. Che suporsrucsure OF
said work 10 be composed Of sienite, or trap rock,
from Eve to twelve ~ ches vide and from nine to
eirh cen inches long OF q spiiorm depth of eight
pches, and lcus 80 that there shall not be q
variation Of more than inch on any side
or suIface Of each block from the square when
applied The supcrstruotrre 10 be laid with
Il 4 l. L ak q