Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-11-09

reporter OF the republican has interviewed
Mr.. Riker, President Of the Washington and
Georgetown railroad, and that Official declares
that the company do not intend to pave either
between the tracks or between the rails with
wood, but to relay all with cobblestones. They
argue that in contributing to pave two feet on
either side of the double track they bear a full
proportion Of the gener al expense without being
compelled to pave the sixteen feet occupied by
the railroad. To do 30 would cost them $50, Oop-
an amount which they deem disproportionately
large TO the benefits TO be derived from the
improvement. Mr.. Riker then goes on to main
tain that the cobblestone Is more enduring and
better adapted to their travel, especially In
winter, than wood, but rather illogically he
proceeds to say that
'Nine tenths of all the horses that come on
the avenue use our track. 1t will be great ad-
vantage and convenience to us when they cease
to make use of Ii, ashley will after the wooden
pavement Is completed.
Now we should be glad 10 know of Mr.. Riker,
if the cobblestone Is 30 much superior to wood,
as affordipg foot hold to horses, why it is that
all the travel that now seeks the car track will
abandon il 50 soon as the wood pavement Is laid?
Does il not look rather "a if the company wished
TO deter travel from their track by making it as
unpleasant as possible? But IL Mr.. Riker Is so
badly informed in regard to the best pavement
for use OF horses as to prefer the cobblestone,
he is not so we'll fitted for his position rs We be-
ieve him to be. No, he knows, and the direc.
tors know that the wood pavement is far better
for their horses, and would be cheaper In the
end, but they dare not incur the immediate ex-
pense Of laying the wood pavement, because
they could not for the time being answer the in
satiate demands for big dividends made by the
New York and Philadelphia stockholders, who
no. a t;~lA of tat raSt in ha
this city, and who would rather prefer to see
Pennsylvania avenue q mad slough from one
end to the other, to the end that customers NAV
be driven int their cars.
The experiments Of Macneil, Fisher, and other
distinguished engineers with various pavements
and roads, Macadam, granite, cobblestone and
wood, demonstrate the vast saving in horse
flesh, horse shoes and carriage tires by the use
of the wood pavement. In the stone pavement
the resistance which the animal meets Is com
municated through the whole body, reducing its
power Of action at the time, as well as the
duration OF its working life. But as wood pave
ment by its elasticity causes less percussion to
the hoof, the muscular energy OF the animal Is
in proportion saved, the abrasion of the pave
ment is reduced, and the wear and tear of carts
and vehicles Is diminished.
DIR. IRE, in the edition Of his mechanical,
life of horses used upon wood and stone to be i'm
favor OF wood in the proportion Of 5 to 2, as the
constant driving Of draft ANIMALS upon STONE
produces diseases and infrmities both in the
joints and hoofs Of horses which uses them I'D
very rapidly. The saving in the wear and set
ting OF shoes Is At least one-half; or, In other
words, il costs twice as much to keep horses
Shod on stone pavements as il does on wool
The further excuse put forth by the COMPANY.
that their horses could not obtain sufficient foot
hold upon wood pavement, We have already
exploded by pointing to the examples OF wood
paved tracks in every city in the country where
wood Psyements are used.
The plain fact IL, As We have already indi-
Gated the single motive influencing the mana
gers OF the road in essaying to evade executing
their share Of the Improvement, Is because il
would temporarily cut down the enormous diyi-
dends demanded by the Northern stockholders.
They know that their own tenure Of OH &c de-
Pends upon their ability to furnish quarterly or
semi-annually the blood-money demanded by
this Noioch, the Northern controlling influence
With these selnsh considerations this com
munity have neither interest nor sympathy, and
the commissioners can certainly have none
The plain duty OF the commissioners is pre-
scribed in the words OF the act OF Congress,
which requires them to have the Avenue paved
in the best manner from the Capitol gate to
18th street, and especially provides that the
railroad tracks shall be paved to their satisfac-
ton.
What cay you, Messrs. Commemorative
Rotary Delano, Mayor Emery and Gen. Mich
Ier-win you accept the cobblestone abomina.
tiOn as q s. satisfactory" pavement?