Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-03-20
DIR srREErs-How PAVED.

Upon survey Vi .ne "no'S
of controversy, we believe the Adoption
of the Nicholson" plan for paving Il
the best thing Memphis can do now
and perhaps for all time hereafter. Prop
erly constructed, and properly looked
after and taken care of we believe 1t can
be made a very superior pavement
appeal
We agree with our neighbor on this sub
iect. The condition of our streets, when
they take the form of mud or dust-and
they always take one or the other-is
neither a standing nor shifting COM
pliment to the administrators OF our CITY
affairs. This is not all. The form oil
,bam-we mean the face-has the APP
pearance of having been arranged by a
volcanic eruption, in which indignant
natnre meant TO illustrate to the sense OF
beauty. the extremist aspects which ugii'
ness and deformity can take. The PED
bles scattered upon them Mt an ex-
peuse. from first to last, of more than a
million dollars, have gone down, each one
in its own way, and on its "own hook,
and left the surface to be covered with
anything that may happen to fall down
leaf or dead mule The whole thing
is a failure, and we dc not see how any
cery sensible man can desire to have a
repetition of it.
Tonight, we are informed, the Board
of Aldermen will settle the matter deb
nitely. Meanwhile, we desire to direct
the attention of the public to few facts
Memphis cannot disregard the accumu-
lated wisdom and experience Of other
cities. All theory goes down before
practical tests; and the boulders have
been tested, and found inefficient ST.
Louis, built upon limestone rock, has
tried stone for seven years, and IS now
discarding it, and laying down eighteen
streets, on the " Nicholson plan. Chi
cago is laying the Nicholson pavement
Cincinnati and Detroit are doing the
same. Toledo tried the boulder for six
years. and is now laying down FIVE miles
of the Nicholson pavement Milwaukee
and Nashville are adopting the same
system. About some of these cities ma
terial for stone pavement is convenient
and inexhaustible and still they are
taking it from their streets, and putting
wood in its place If that is the result |
of actual test, what impression ought it
to produce on Memphis, where stone is
not to be had, and wood abounds in the
greatest abundance We do trust our
Board will weigh these facts, and make |
from them the only legitimate deduc-
ton OF which they are susceptible
that the Nicholson pavement is the
cheapest and the best Properly laid
down, it will last fifteen years. We
learn that parties are ready to take a
contract to furnish cedar for blocks, on
remarkably cheap terms. White pine is
durable, and so is cypress, but cedar
would probably be best. A street-Main
street-paved with cedar, would present
an even, firm, compact surface from end
to end. There would be no depression,
for the street would be as one solid block
The following is the approved plan of
laying down the Nicholson pavement:
An excavation of thirteen inches is FIRST
made. Then a depth of five inches of
sand is laid smoothly and eompactly.
Upon this is placed flooring of plank
one inch and a quarter in thickness.
This forms the foundation. Hot pitch is
poured thoroughly over it, until the
planking is rendered impervious to water.
The wooden blocks, very much in the
shape of bricks, are placed on their ends
in the hot pitch, in lines extending across
the street. Between the lines or rows
thus formed, stones are crushed down,
after which boiling pitch is poured upon
them. The whole is then waterproof
Who would not like TO see the city COW
cred with such work? Let the Board
do themselves credit, and the city great
good, by adopting the " Nicholson at
once