The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-08-15

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utmost the constructive capacity In engineering OF
so inexpensive material as that developed by the
TEN 1t 4 rapidly supersediug everything else. In it
doubt is at the end be sought the solution OF
the sewerage problem IN this city, II the adu4nstra
| ton thereof ever falls. with the neeued powers Of
| discretion into the hands OF a competent board OF
Soaness to break loose rom WORKOUT ideas and
apply the best invention OF the age to the develop
| ment of better and more adequate system-a quail
| Ity which has been startlingly exhibited. with
equally startling and successful results In the adj
mInistraton OF the departments OF the Seine aud In
| the construction OF pubic works III Paris for the
| past ten years.
Most foreigners travelling in France remark the
excellence OF the macadamlzed roads and not
| frequently suppose that there must be something
peculiarly favorable In the nature OF the soil or
something unique IN the method OF construction.
quality OF the roads in France being attributable 10
good engineering ana care and exactness in all the
| processes or construction and preservation. In
| tact, IN the system OF Tresaquet and Sumption the
system introduced into England by Macadam in 1915
had been anticipated more than half century
Macadam copied Simplon In his roadbed, while
Telford did nothing more than return TO the sys,,
S roads Fnce
are simply Illustrations OF what may be done by
good construction rather than OF any superiority OF
facilitIeS those OF the city or New York are to
great extent examples OF the result OF sIovenly con-
structlOn with sufficient facilities for the best Of
work; and this leads TO the general principle, that
OF the several pavements IN use any one Is practi
cay good enough Tor all purposes when well con.
structed. The derect Is not In the theory OF the
pavement itself, but IN the detective and sl0venly
application of 1t under the contract system.
As IN railroad building, with the result
OF innunerable accidents so In street paving
contractor and. as in railroad building. the
United states cannot be compared with France or
England for thoroughness and attention to the de.
tails which result III perfection, In the matter Of
pavement and the laying OF It, American contractors
On the average are sOvenly and inefficient Con-
tracts for street paving are annually awarded IN this
S 10 s %s4 a. nnSsr
tendent and thus, through ignorance in many cases,
through greed In many cases, through both together
existing In many cases. It Is seldom that New YORK
can boast Of section Of pavement properly put down
with due attention to all details. What 10
THE COMING PAVEMENT,
or which, or the several kinds now bidding for
popular favor. Is a question not easily answered.
AS rule, competent engineers express doubts to
OF all patterns. In the Nlcoson structure the road.
bed Is Of sharp, clean sand, OF the proper thickness
basis Is then made by laying common boards,
dipped In hot coal tar, lengtnwise on strngers or
like material laid from curb to curb. The clocks
forming the superstructure OF Southern hard
crosswise OF the street.-The blocks before
setting 9ppsa c to aar sT Length s
rows Of blocks intervene plcSets Of thin boards act
on edge and leaving an opening between the OF
blocks OF foot or nearly IN depth This opening Is
With pavior's rammer and an iron blade made for
the purpose, and the surface is covered with hot
coal tar. The gutter exhibits LIS lowest point half
foot fromthe curb The whole surface Is covered
with coal tar sufficiently boiled to be tough and
hbrous, but not brittle upon which is sprinkied q
layer or fine gravel and common sand. The Stafford
pavement differs from the NicolsOn In the laying OF
large blocks prepared after the Seey patent,
resting upon stringers, which in their turn may
be supported by any specified roadbed. Provided
the roadbed Is sufficiently secure, say of strong
complete the Stafford pavement cannot but com.
pare favorably with other wooden pavements, and,
Tor simplicity, is quite superior to the Nicolson.
Both ODvate certain objections In surface way.
which pertain to the Belgian, in the and tear
OF vehicles and horses and the noise reverbera
aspnaltc road in these respects. while the asphatic
has one great superiority valuable as preventive
Of accident to wit the beating OF the RSof Of the
above all other sounds-so as to be
measurable BY the ear in the matter OF DIS
BY persons VINO have taken occasion to note
the extent to which one falls into the habit OF meas
urlng the distance Of vehicle from any given cross
ing by the ear; and one OF the main liabilities &C.
cidens occurring from wooden payements is the
In this Respect, IN fact any form Of concrete pave
ment possesses material advantages over either the
stone block which sxaggerates the rumble Of wheels
ment which reduces both In about equal proportions.
In word, grave objection to the Nicolson pave
ment Is the fact that In Just respect Is tribe
nOiseess for the safety OF pedestrians in crossing espe
cay In these when every driver seems to pos
In case OF extensive connagraton In any part the
city, the wooden pavement might prove dangerous
occurred in PSiadephia Neither Of the wooden
pavements above named command the unqualified
admiration OF practical n engineers as yet though
| ters and neither has been In use here sufficiently
long to warrant the expression Of an opinion. In
ease OF repair the stafford seems TO possess advan.
.sges over It's elder 49,, ~ the ns!d; but
sede the stone-DiocK to any great extent.
The coming pavement, In fact, from all indications
included In the survey OF the subject is not to be
found in any use OF wooden blocks In any form or
under any conditions: II the Belgian (stone
block is ever superseded-and 1t viii be within the
brought about by invention In the way OF practicable
cOncretes The asphaitic road In Paris has given an
not stop until some practicable substitute Tor the
stone block tBelgian) has been developed. The age
OF block stone pavement is In Its last quarter-to
borrow metaphor from the moon. The movement
In favor OF wooden structures Is merely speculative
| and adventurous, and must of necessity prove
| meteoric In its triumph over the fixed principles Of
| practical engineering. Bubbles always burst, and
need not, as rule be pricked by way Of facilitating
| that operations; and that the mama for wooden
pavements is merely speculative practical engi.
neer can doubt The wooden pavement question
mas, In TACT been exhaustivey settled the mega
tive by English experiments during the past twenty
years Its merits are its noiseessness It's reduction
and OF vehicles and Its efecting utilization of
the utmost percentage OF draught force, and
these are al merits to an equal degree
| OF the asphaltc roadway be made merits
| OF any concrete whatsoever. The increased
mortality In horses occasioned by the Russ and
Belgian and other stone pavements IN this city 10
estimated at $500 annuaiiy-an item OF considerable
| Importance IN the discrimination between pave.
ments for thoroughfares. As between the two typi-
car structures, the Belgian and tue Nicoson, from
| data already supplied. 1t may be estimated that
| with the attrition Of Broadway, the former would
last fifteen years against last OF half that period In
the case OF the latter IT, indeed the NcOsOn can be
regarded az equal to the necessities OF Broadway at
ALL 1t seen, there FORE that while the stone block
belgian RUSS open to grave objections on the
one hand, the wooden pavements (Nicolson and STAT
ford) are open to equally serious objections the
other hand on the OF es5ened durability. The
concrete pavement-tne value or which has Oeen
happily settled In Paris-eifects union OF the better
qualities OF both without the objections appertalning
10 either, and, as the minds OF engineers and nven
tors are already beginning TO turn in this direction,
nothlngis hazarded IN predicting that the ideal
| coming pavement will be developed from the present
| crude concretes. The asphalt road one triumph OF
| concretlon the beton Cotgnet another triumph In
olrecNon Oi equa practical Importance the attempts
| at concrete from inexpensive material In this
COUNTY, az point 10 the hYpOtlesla solution