New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-06-08
THE PROGRESS OF PERRINE.

Perrine still blockades Broadway, and,
more firmly imbedded in the density OF
municipal corruption than his OWE paving
in its cement, opposes an imperturbaole
defiance to the shocks of all his foes. The
journals, with perseverance worthy OF
nobler theme and better fate, denounce
him, his contract, his hackers and his works.
But he is not shaken from his purpose or
betrayed into untimely and unnecessary
excitement. Sturdily as nature he goes
about his business" without haste" II not
without rest" and with his contract IN
Que pocket and the opinion of the Corpora
ton Attorney in another, he bides his time
unmoved. What if the whole affair be
folly and a swindle in the view of suffer
ing payers! What if all sensible
people mock at the stupidity of his inven-
toni What if he be liable to pay some
thousands, in the shape of forfeit, for de-
lay in the completion of the work
What are all these to the satisfaction OF
humbugging the commercial metropolis OF
a continent, and forcing into submission
though reluctant and rebellious, its press,
its people, and best and biggest OF all, its
eyer-drained but ever-plethoric pocket!
Il is known that from the first we have
not discussed Perrine with that confident
and auto-didactic style of language used
by our contemporaries and fellow-sutierers.
We have felt degree of awe before his
gigantic impudence and his mythical per-
sonality. We had never seen him among
the two horses and carts, the half-dozen
droneiag dggers, and the lounglng super
intendents, that have been beheld about
his patch of beleaguered street, no by
passer has been able to say to US, "Ihls
is Perrine " Naturally the sense of mys-
tery and of awe had grown in this uncer-
tainty. We began to believe that he was
not an individual, but something quite out
of the common run of things, at least akin
to that which Carlyle designates as the
Unfathomable Somewhat; or that he was
like the elfish Old Man of the fable, and
had got the metropolis into worse Tx
than ever Sinbad the Sailor escaped from.
Still such surmises could not convert dis
trust into assurance or sast light upon
tenebrious anxiety, but the contrary.
But failing all other sources OF knowledge,
there was the pavement, or rather there 1t
was to be, dilatory but possibly sufii-
Gent means of removing every uncertainty
and indicating the truth touching Perrine.
Nothing remained, then, but to study the
pavement.
We are happy to say that the study has
been successful and that we regard the
problem as solved. That pavement richly
repays investigation. 1t leaves no doubt
as 70 the character of its inventor, and
had the Common Council, who contracted
for it to be put down, any character re-
naming, the pavement would leave as lit
tie doubt as to that.
The first step in the building OF this as
tonishing structure is to- dig down to
depth such as no mortal pavior ever before
conceived. At this profundity course
tagging stones is laid over the surface i'm
bedded in cement their joints are fastened
with finely broken stones laid in pitch, and
above the whole is spread layer Of broken
stones, of about the size used for the top
Of a Macadam road. This foundation be-
ing carefully completed, the next step Is to
cover it all up with earth to such depth
that the substructure can never serve any
human purpose whatever, except to bother
the brains of some excavating antiquary
Of future ages. Having thus rendered a
most expensive part of the work per-
fectly useless and restored to the street its
original covering of honest soil, the pave
ment itself is put down with infinite linger-
ing and operose delay. 1t is laid in alter
nate strips of square and cobble stones.
One by one with wonderful deliberation, the