New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-03-17
PAVEMENTS.
A CHAPTER OF swINDLEs.


SINGLE YEAR. !,
The question of pavement5 mas Decohe VI
such Importance engage large share OF pupo ~.
tenon Many protest against the introduction OF po"
pavements yet fairminded person VIII oehJ 'n"s ~
modern payements much superior 10 those Vi 'no
last decade The wooden paveInens are not ohy pee'
than those Of cobblc stone, but the Belgian 20
now laid down are far better than ever before Notwlt
standing this however, there Is every reason why .e
citizens should protest against the recent Jops ""'o
they have been obliged to pay for IL MISTAKE say
tina, they are opposed having their streets gsdea anu
pavod with the best material what they DO complain vi
IA paying for work done under the SUPERVISION VI Po
clans and I" Ring contractors
or all the "swindles" which have been forced on tho
people OF NewYork the laying OF the FISK concrete vi
Ffthave is the most notable instance. usuay' tnosc
living on the to be paved are assessed
for the amount required In this case the expenses OF
paving Ffth-ave. were included In special clause OF
the Appropria,on bill in the TaxLevy. The swindle
was effected in this way. certain sum was appropri'
ated for repairing the Streets and was under TINS head
that the "ob" contracted for 10 Is asserted by
hose protesting to be acquainted with the matter that
the price given for putting down the concrete plaster
was SO per square yard and 81 per square yard for
scrapng It up and carting away after had proved an
uto failure. In other words the city was taxed $40
ward for having one OF its finest avenues sneared with
tar and gravel for few months Now 1t Is claimed by
those who have had much TO do with laying pavemens
In this city, that the actual cost OF laying the concrete Is
81 cents per yard From this it would seem that the
Ring" cleared 50 10 every square yard OF the pave
ment which has dsgaced our avenue for the past sx
months. ,,,.., 49,.
of s. 80 n yard. so Of the commissioners
Others declare that the cost $40 yard The pave
gives good satisfaction and the prospects are that
it Will last several years.
Much has been said about wooden blocks. and there
seems TO be a wide difference OF opinion regarding the
merits of the various payements. Mayor haH, III u
recent communication to the Board OF Aldermen to9ch,
ing the Fisk concrete Fiftl-ave. said plat ne had
" been Informed by foreign engineer acquainted with
Continental pavements that had,the best asphalt pave
smooth lgramte bed like the Belgian pavement, and
subjected TO the immense travel OF the fthve' xe
that must have been speedily ground 10 pieces. inns
is not true OF the Paris payements. In Parls GOOD
stone foundation put down on concrete h h
asphalt used on the Continent Is different SUBSTANCE
from the artificial asphaltnn known III ',o @
Judea and in certain lakes on the west lhda Islahd
expense and in most they laid foundations
two or three feet in thickness when completed
they are constantly watched and repaired gentlemen
who 10 Paris purpose To examine the streets
says that there is not single street III tat ely SUBJECT
the amount of travel which IL daily seen on BroadWay
Ar OF the heavier vehicles have broad tires ana ID no
instance they allowed to be driven at RAPID rate.
pavements So long system OF giving jobs to con
tractors with worthless specifications continues may
expect have corrupt rings ana poor paNements -,
The principal payements row before .ne P not
Concrete. Fisk Concrete. Niools9r. Stafford. ho9.
bins, McGonegal. STOW f9gndatl3l' Brown WI, q
& Robbins. OF the stone payements there are Tuur
kinds, viz the common cobblos tone, the Russ, mo
Russ which was formerly laid portions Of Broadway
composed OF large granite blocks nearly foot square,
which afford scarcely any foothod for the horses Humid
reds of horses have become disabled by falling this
pavement that their owners have been obliged to shoot
said The Belgian blocks nearly square but or such
size that little difficulty Is experienced IN drawing
liked by the public. the CITY Hall rings improve every
occasion to encourage the Belgian "swlndles" The
IA
years aud several engineers have pronounced them SUI
p.Ior 10 any of the others The Ncolson first LAID
down IN Boston about the year 1872 but owing to some
difficulty which the patcntee. Samuel NcOsOn had with
the contractors and city authorities further tests
not made IL was patented. and afterward introduced
into the cities of san Francisco. Milwaukee, and Chicago
When properly constructed it has generally given salts
faction in the west The present owners declare
they have not earned per cent on their capital during
the past years though it is claimed that large sums
have been realized BY them the Nicolson Pavement
introduced into this city. Several other similar
kinds have been patented and brought before the Com
The stafford Pavement resembles the Ncolson In ap;
IL Is composed OF small wooden blocks framed
into squares 2x3 feet These larger blocks boiled
and carbolc acid, which said to render them i'm
peryous to moisture Each block is also SAID 10 contain
six gallons OF these personalities. The pavement Ia
with the Nicolson and it claimed that this Of
no little Importance. The McGonegal pavement has
been put down In Lexingtonave. The blocks are lad
together and bored out 80 ~ to afford foOhOd Tor
the The general of the surface Is not
Foundation Pavement is constructed Of wooden blocks,
ana wedges which are driven between them INTO the
that the compressed sand Affords q better foundation
than any other substance lar ana gravel are useu 10
They be taken mp without much trouble THIS is ono
Of the advantages claimed over tho Ncoon and similar
The recent action OF the Common Council regarding
this pavement has created considerable excitement
among the tax payers who have assessed They
totally opposed to having 1t laid down at their expense
The MAYOR resolution passed by the Board ~
Aldermen authorizing the stow Company to pave certain
streets. The patentecs OF all these pavements affirm
OF the public. Theirs laid in Boston and san Fran
several years ago IL Is impossible to euloeize the
Stow without offending the proprie tors OF the Sicolson
inuring the Stafford Company. so the best way OF
learning the peculiar merits OF each pavement To hear
the testimony Of the several advocates.
Advocate No. Amy person who knows about pave
ments will tell you that blocks laid on wooden floor
cannot stand and the idea OF putting them on sand
foundation simply ridiculous. Go down TO Maidenane
and what miserable failure the Stow Foundation
Pavement Is. We have had enough OF the corduroy
swlndes.
mendations from prominent men II their Invention Ia
Answer-Have you not learned that money will do
anythingi few shares OF stock and roll Of green
backs Will buy the best signatures IN the city.
Reporter-How do know but that yours are OF the
Answer-why, bless your SOUL what does the public
say % What do the taxpayers say! Are they not Pc
titioning for pavement Look at this roll OF Names
Bostcn Chicago RS Milwaukee and ask the
gDeers and taxpayers Of those cities what they think o
pave Broad there would be of the noise and
mud which you and hear there to-day And the pave
Advocate No. q Tie Ncoson folks have u good
pavement far as goes. but the work done Nassau
st. shows plainly that for constant wear, the ad-
vantages claimed by them cannot be sustained The
citizens Of Boston decided years ago that 1t was
failure. Already II Ia being taken up IN some
| OF tho Western cities. and ours substituted. We
have letters from chemists, street contractors.
engineers Of various parts OF tho country, certifying
that our pavement II the only one that Will stand tho
test Of time Wooden payements are bound 10 super
sede all others Look at these figures; on granite
| pavement "a horse can draw % cwt; a macadamzed
road horse will draw "a 81 cwt while on wood pave
| ment horse can draw 80 ewt Engineer Fisher has
shown that the general adoption Of permanent wood
pavement would involve vast saving In hOrse-shoes
ana tires, and also in the labor Of cleaning tao
II h.ra md