Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-03-26
OUR STREET PAVING.
ofthe Council Regard
ing the Same Last Evening.


Alta called meeting Of the Board Of
Mayor and Aldermen, held yesterday,
the following resolution was adopted;
RESOLVED, That in consideration Of
paving upon other streets, by directions
Of the Paving Committee, the time for
completing Main street with Nicolson
pavement is extended to that stipulated
for Shelby and other streets, as per re.
quest Of contractors. And no other
causes shall operate as further suspen.
sion Of any Of the work under contract,
except those set up in the contracts with
Taylor, Mclean q Co., Of March Is,
1867, for Second and other streets
The following communication, also,
from the City Engineer, was read and
referred to the Paving Committee;
0yyicn Cry RsaIsRRR,
MKNrHIs. TENN. March q. 1851
Hon. K. MeDavltt. Acting Mayor:
respectfully call youiattention to the
defect which appears to exist ID the man
ner il which the Nicolson pavement is
laid in connection with the street rail-
way. The pavement between the rails
is observed to yield in many places, I'M
der the weight Of passing horse or We.
hicle, and when relieved to spring back
to its position. This, i suppose, is caused
BY the railroad ties, which constitute I'M
yielding supports for the plank, while the
intermediate space will necessarily settle
or yield more or less, thus leaving be-
tween these ties space under the planks,
and causing them to vibrate under pass
ing load, and in some instances to take
q permanent set, so that the ties could be
counted from the surface. The water
which finds its way down beside the
stringer Of the track gets into this space
between the ties. and, kept in motion by
the yielding of the, pavement above,
washes out the sand and causes settling
wherever the. foundation is not in the
condition Of puddled earth
To remedy this, | suggest that the
crossties be taken out entirely, and
plank, extending entirely across both
tracks, be substituted for them, thus
placing the railway and pavement on the
same foundation. This plan seems to
me to promise better than any other, aud
it has been tried and found to answer.
/ presume this will require new con-
tract between the city, the railway com
pauy and the contractors. a
Very respectfully,
]. II. HUMPHREYS,
City Engineer.
The Nicolson pavement on Second
street has been completed upsto Win
chester, and is still being pushed forward
with all possible speed. The extension
north of the pavement on Main is also
progressing as rapidly as circumstances
will admit. Shelby, Desoto, Beal and
Poplar streets are under contract, though
we regard their being paved at an early
day as very doubtful, unless we may ex-
cept the first named. With the compile
ton of Main and Second streets, there
fore, the paving may be regarded as
really at an end, for the present at least.
There has been laid since the inception
of the work four miles and fifth OF
mile of the wood paving upon the more
important streets Of the city, besides one
and q quarter mile of stone paving,
making in all about FIVE and a half miles.
The Nicolson pavement has up to the
present been laid as follows: On Main,
4435 lineal feet; Second, 50l6; Jeffer-
son, 1898; Old Madison, 900; Charles
ton avenue, l400J Adams, 40l2; Madi-
son, 800; Union, 24Ol; North Court,
32l; making an aggregate of four and
one-ffth lineal miles.
The stone paving has been laid as fol-
lows: On Front street, 1854 lineal feet;
on Center alley, 22l8 lineal feet; on
Second alley, ll62 lineal feet; and on
cross alleys, 1920 lineal feet-making a
total of 26-lOO lineal miles. Shelby
street will probably be paved; but leav'
ing that out of the question, and the
above is q full showing of the very i'm
portant improvement Of street paving
undertaken and carried successfully
through by the city during the past year.
The work has been done under several
distinct contracts, and has varied there
fore in price. The aggregate cost, up to
January LIST, had been to property
holders SOL, 72l, and to the city $3s, s8s.
The paving laid since has made but
slight addition to these figures.