The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-03
TELFORD PAVEMENT.

To tie EditoT Of The Evening Telegraph
It is the general desire of our citizens that
Broad street should have an improved pave
ment, the material of which must be durable,
presenting smooth, agreeable surface for
driving over, and sufficient hardness to stand
the wear aud tear of travel. The following
plan is suggested believing it possesses
merit beyond all others: Broad street from
curb to curb, say, is about eighty feet in
width. On each side, twenty-five feet out
from the curb, lay frst-cass, solid Belgian
block pavement for the business traffic, and
to protect the entrance to sewers, cutters,
etc. In the centre, thirty feet in width, lay
what is known as the "Telford," substan-
tial, smooth roadway, clean and noiseless,
delightful to drive upon, and not in the
least damaging to horses and carriages.
The Telford plan is not like the McAdam
process such as is made on country roads
where dirt and stone are used, but not sufi-
cient to be called a pavement. The Tel
ford form of pavement is now the first in
public favor in England, where the expert
ence of the best engineering skill strongly
endorses it's merits. In Regent street, Lon
don and other avenues more travelled than
even Broadway, N. Y, is, it has proved great
success. IL mas also IeCSlNSQ Tue euQOrs9-
ment of eminent engineers in this country,
and is now being laid on the new. avenues
called the Boulevards in New York. The
pavement is all made of pure stone, hard trap
rock or the best broken granite. It should
be at least sixteen inches in the strata, the
foundation to be of pieces about eight
inches in diameter, the larger sides
down, carefully laid by hand and
separately rammed home, so as to form a sub
- H.
another layer of six inches of smaller stone,
rolled down to four inches; third layer of
still smaller stones surmouuts the whole, and
this is again settled to four inches by power
full steam roller, weighing about eighteen
tons, which completely compscts the mass to-
gether, leaving perfectly smooth surface of
mosaic work 80 dense and ha rd that it may
be swept as clean as floor. No sand or
gravel is used, as it is found that they, being
naturally softer than the hard stone, are apt
to form dust and mud, besides weakening
the texture and uniform density of the
road. Tha cost of this pavement need
not exceed three ($3) dollars per square
yard, and can be guaranteed for three years
to be in as good, if not better, condition than
when it is first laid. After that it can be kept
in as good order for about one cent per
square yard per annum for an indefinite
period publishing, it is believed, the lifetime
OF tne youngest Ol the rlblnR R0n6raClOn.
This is one dollar less cost per square yard
than the cheapest wood pavement, to say
nothing of the subsequent expense for re-
newals and repairs which the destructible
nature of wood will require. Allowing the
difference in first cost between this pavement
and wood to be but one dollar per square
yard, it is evident that the interest of this
difference will more than keep the stone
pavement in order perpetually. This style of
pavement is considered to have more positive
advantages and less defects than anv of the
patented pavements that have been tested,
and the cost is less combining all the requi
site conditions for covering the principal
avenue of our city-luxury of driving, eco
nony of construction, saving of horses and
carriages, noiselessness, cleanliness In all
weathers, or facility of reaching sewers, water
or gas pipes. There is no patent to cucumber
the construction on either the Telford style
or the Belgian block pavement. 1t would be
open to fair competition from responsible
parties that the work should be done care
fully, in the most thorough manner, avoiding
all rings or jobs in the improvement of the
street. A complete constructed Telford drtce,
thirty feet in width, on Broad street, the
whole length from League Island to the
Park, and even northward to the Delaware,
fanked on each side within the business
limits of the city with solid Belgian pave
ment twenty-five feet out from the curb,
would enable Philadelphia to present mag
nifcent, clean, durable paved avenue une-
qualled in any other city in the world.
l.. p. AsHMEAD.