The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-04-27
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WOODEN PAVEMENTS.

An Earnest Protest from our Leading
Citizcns-select Council PctitiOned to
Prevent the Contamination of n Job.
This afternoon the ordinance which recently
passed Common Council creating loan Tor
$500 900 for laying an improved pavement on
Broad street will come up In Select Council
pursuant to order. An effort will be made to
secure the adoption of such an amendment as
will prevent the expenditure of any portion of
the money realized from this loan for wooden
pavements, and the following petition, signed
by about one thousand of the most prominent
and substantial citizens of Philadelphia, Will be
presented to Select Council:-
TO the Honorable Select and Common Councils OF
the City Of Philadelphia
Your petitiouers taxpayers and citizens OF Phila-
deiphia are Informed that the ordinance recently
passed through branch Of the Councils creating
thtrtY-year loan for hall million dollars, Is IN
tended for wooden street-paving respectfully de-
sire to protest against said ordinance becoming
rs it wise or right to create a loan inncting upon
the taxpayers the payment Of 600 per annum,
or 100000 interest alone for thirty years. which,
four hundred thousand dollars to be expended for
few squares OF wooden street pavement, which
perience has aoundantY shown will rot and become
a sCkening nuisance in our streets before one-thrd
OF the time has expired for the loan to mature?
Such legislation s extremely dangerous, and will
inevitably lead 10 bankruptcy or something worse.
Wood, being vegetable substance, is entirely unit
for permanent sire et-pGViDg,
In European cities it has been fally tried and
tested with all the various shapes and appliances,
resulting in complete failures the authorities pro-
Blbiting the further use OF wood for the purpose
Several OF our Western cities mot having hard
stone suitable for paving have been induced to
expeud large sums on wooden pavement. These
in many places have worn out and decayed,
greatly increasing the public Indebtedness for
repairs alone.
In New York the Mayor of the city has Officially,
earnestly protested against the laying of wooden
pavements, denounciug it 9s an outrage upon the
taxpayers and citizens generally.
In Boston similar action has been taken by the
authorities.
In our own city, on North Broad street. the costly
experiment Of wooden pavement has been demon
stTated. Already the repairs needed require large
sum to be expended, and the expense continues
and increases as the wood becomes more and more
defective from natural decay. Improved stone paw
ing lasting half century or more can always be
relatd at slight expense while wood is worthless
when taken up, and must be renewed with fresh
material at al expense equallng the FIRST cost.
1t would be well for the credit OF Philadelphia
chosen for the Centennial exhibition, that the peO-
pie OF the United States and from abroad visiting the
city should be received on solid foundation, and
not be allowed to see the folly Of adopting rotten
wooden pavements on Broad street or any other
street in the city,
Your petitioners fully sensible of the shocking
condition OF our cObbe-stOne Streets and admit the
necessity for improved durable pavements. In view
OF the very large city Indebtedness they believe and
trust your honorable bodies will not further burden
the taxpayers by creating loans or expenditures on
perishable wooden pavemeAts of any kind.