New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-12-11
WOOD PAVENiENTS.

the CatdNhNItN uiNNi W t''"NFf
"a t,o dstrust with which novelties are regarded even
.stcr s,ccessiul experiments have demonstrate" lHo'
so,,cobpit, wood payements evidently gaining Ia
With tbe people; and much Interest is low excited
che hubble mind by the recent attempts to successfully
,ubstitute wooden blocks for tho coDhe stones .aV
,orpery made some OF principal thorouehateS' ike
gor,Iau hard road 20 travel" few years ago Inc
,aot was demonstrated that wooden pavement beside IT'S
many other advantages could he made as durable rs
tone or any other materials for the wear Of wood stand
R on the grain ia so slight TO bc almost mpcrccpupe
common butchers block Will Illustrate this i'c'' TOT 10
a almost impossible Co wear one on thcm quo
Enough hacked and scrapcd daily for years IL IS ON?
necessary therefore 90 place the wooden blocks " |
way as TO secure them permanently IN DESIRE" ,,,
,,on and render them impervOus water to make l"o
she most practical and durable Of oil P'Neh'''N' -
the frst application Of this idea. various
have been made tending toward greater S''''' ~ W.
struetjop moro perfect resistance Of moisture ''o P
yention Of decay, and Of displacement I'"" "a "
sontractiop Several ways have been tested % Europe
one OF which was the laying OF alternate nochs q. E"
aud stone in Paris. This proved ul,. @ IA, t m"
she fact that the stone wore away more l"t'll ' o
wood and left the. surface uh'N'I' wiz ,,',t Nc
effects OF heat cold and moisture, operating U9Gp'uy,
nTeVented a perfect uuiOu Of the blocks Wood has alS9
been lald in Lombard, Leadenlali ANA OlhtI St''S
IondOn but generally IN large blocks lnSccIcl "c"cu
In yielding sand. 10 has also been N,ri"u lcSC ~
other countries, with generally un>atlNl"c,1! lt,,
speak from personal observation. In many OF our NtS-
ern cities wooden pavements have been more l'lu,!
laid and the NicOlson patent mas gwen lr''"'' Eli
faction In most OF the places where 1t has nreh 'eL
This IN degree owing 10 It's merits nNi n.S 10
the favorable circumstances that ~ has h'It' "t ''H
without a competitor in the cities whri' u nus n,C.
largely adopted Since the NicolSon pavement was ut>t
found practicable in the West, number t inventive
genuses have endeayored to improve upon ITS many
good qualities and correct its manifest 3'ets 9JNTiT
seTved hv the NIcoon Pavement AIMING mny be
mentioned he Fayetc stafford and Waterbury pitcnts
oil OF which differ in their conSi lt "n !u'-l ,
form the NlCOlsOu. As III u iIl.'iil't''' o."
enre the best pavement for our strr~ Nhtn cnuNSiS
action Of the city authorities In allowing 'hc NV"'>o
Company contract for more space lam Ni' neg. i1
somewhat premature lit be found thd mono are DteI,
We shall advocate It's substtullo in an oar tt ~
horses and great Inconvenience I" those "h" are
compelled TO rattle over them IN earrings oI omi"iSes
1t is only proper 10 6lye luc % e. i f,,tv
relative and comparative merits, ana ds lhs ol t"9
will probably be offered them before long, hci dcScl
tion Of the principal American patents % e l''tSlhS
10 our city readers. The general TORI" anc CONSTRUCTION
and the manner i'm which the work OF layu-it is per
formed has been witnessed by large prororon 0 THOSE
ground is moved OF so "a a. give ihr necessary ichn'-
ton toward either curb, ana conNidtr'i.e tic ls 10
slowed on the attainment Oi Hco uniformity OF thV
Sjns oors niaced Side by Side lem ilws. or the street
coat Of asphatum and coal tar ssrnd over BOTH aides
SverV instance; been Ieft unprotccfrd The upper sr-
tum consists OF white yellow pine pawiriogdmic
blocks, eight inches long. six 60 ten ilcIto VINE, and
three Inches thick, with straight cd faces ana gh,
angles. Before being placed in position these blocks e
partially dipped IN asphaltGm aud Tar cement men Il
supposed to make them WaIer-iight ih'y arc ti' Scy
np intrOws running across the street separated 10y
threequarter inch latin These are an i Gown 10 'e
ubstructure I'm such way to make solid piece nom
end OF street 10 the other The utCSpces are Hrn
hlled with fine screened gravel, previously heated y
means OF pOiIaDic furnaces anu nc l", '>lIlis". ~
pSured into the seams aud pounded ~ y means o eui-
beinsnuments Another coating Of uNpEitum IS j4en
5rOOfnSd over the surface, aud % hHal dressing
5f cOnimDn brown sand sprmkicd on tie Whole.
The work n thel complete aud willie possessing man!
excellent qualities siigulary deficient n some OF INC
most Indispensable prerequisites az g""d pavement
and noted the manner which every thing SIi,ttue 10
everything else, IL is very evident that 81 "'uo h ln
possible tO take up portion VI the ud'cmcl. without
yIIos'sE ti % E IwoVej wiIfcu d.naguz lie
resi- but it is hardly necessary to d-orc 80 ohion,
alisstatement From the light and fragile m-de ol us
ubstructure 10 Is easy enough TO ipodta gwen liol
NJ blocks and cut away the thin piaukS GA which tey
rest but whom the necessity Tor euth ll"Nt"l' nae
ceased an attempt to mend it requires cert n amount
OF new material, and Is then only pntchy Jop ~ DIST
such an objection as TINS cannot oo '"siS ,
Water-ppes frequently burst III co' "r"'u'I. -
are often ObStructed from various causes ana hutn OF
tltse STd for considerable spncc. The
guency Of these occurrences rcuders II 81 paramount
portancc that We should have a itrg1n wa. id
sGuer uldSri ne23iiV ,ters ths requirement. We
$40 nd Good grounds Tor objection ia the fact that SO
sight PRECAUTIONS taken 10 secHr ta' M""u 'lv
asDhanm and tar is Insufficient 70 accomplish iis t'sei'
IN, result aud the carelessncss IN icdVS 'he cno, "
rrofecfsd Is no schtmatter when take into cOI>"rr-
sH"D The fact That moisture eau only tno0usly ptrme-
ate the wood by OF capillary attraction lAIuu-I
mo tubes that constitute the fiber AID grant Men Wen
informed on the qualities OF lumber haNt also lIohtd
0s that too little prccautOu has been ahcn pa the -trc
nOD OF wood for most OF the pdyenenln tih may i!','
been laid in NewYork. IN many instances oaly sea.
IOued pine has been used FOR tue SALES.--FUTURE, WicA "S
by no means calculated to Last long even WI, 'e - On
ing OF asphaltum; while between The blocks s o. sap
spruce have been that VIII decay M mali %rar
when confined in such way 20 To cAcI9t io .,I
however, has nothing TO DO VITA the uterus U ~.
~ no resano1sille for the fuldiment Of the contracts
shall see that suitable materials are used IN muir
The Waterbury patent more nearly resembles ti. Ntr
ton than any OF tile others, though Differing from 10 Ia
1any essential particulars. " H. composed oi ioch0
to ffoaf hay
aid Ike the Belgian pavement, on - u "t sHul. Ldch
= separate from the other; small clamps beng ustd
instead o. the NicOlson snip, tokecp t m apart lhtc
40 p.rk flooring underneath them are tlty stoaCtd
any way, except with the usual ccH"niiug WIN az
tope sets for fbc blocks would soon bee, me dis
placed present the uneven surface lat mas always
Vas dcod, n nm the waterbury patct was scarcely
tn Improvement the NicOsOu and that the uyc tor
gould claim specific advantages ON VIII 10 tomd ns
ilaim to the protection 9h3tdea I'm 10y nc P'ii,n,i
be, subsequent improvements have rit tbs clile anu
S ~ I' ~, l"t ,tt ,ybib i,s,s some cXel-
euccs not claimed for the OthCrS. lu general
'orm aud appearance this pavement resembles the
{ is I'm respect similar Tho blocks are
dyeted together sections OF three fcct by two and
shaf any other size that may be required These are
grOOged one side and tongucd The other 10 src
way 30 t into each other ana lock. WITH keybOck.
somewhat after the manner OF an lgcni0uay devised
puzzle Two iron rods, passing thfoup each section ana
fastening with nut secure he durability Of ~ squares,
and the usual coating Of asphaltm Win which 10 Is pro-
posed to treat 10 viii iii further secure their durability
u would be impossible To describe Inc many i"hS 81
sections necessary but general idea may DE gwen ~
them coming lIOm inc HttOiy cCmPti,, ea'h - num-
36Itu w suc WY ,n"t ~ tAII Noi NIL" van '''tt
she combinations without dilhcuy The nSi II ldld nj
,e curb perhaps, and the second fits against II I'm such
way as 10 leave space Tor the thrd, wich again pro
rides for the security OF tie fourth. n TINS way II viii
De put together until Only the space fOr he fua block
remains This section which aeis as tie hey stone 81 an
arch locks the whole hrny together Ia such way mat
sock removed and the puzzle undOrr m the same way
twasut together H. l. proposed tlat one OF th1 KEY"