New-York tribune., 1873-02-01
ANOTHER GREAT FRAUD.
SEVERAL. MILLIONS sQUANDERED FOR
WORTHLESS PAyEbiENTs

SEVERAL. MILLIONS sQUANDERED FOX
WORTHLESS PAyEMENTs.
THE WOODEN, CONCRETE. AND ASPHALT FAVE
MENTS or THIS CITY UTTERLY WORTHLESS
REPAIRS COSTING MORE THAN TO RELAf
WITH BELGIAN BLOCKS - CONCRETE AND
ASPHALT PATENTS WORSE THAN WOODEN
PAvRMRNTs-FACTS AND FIGURES FOR PRor-
ERTY-HOLDERs AND LEGISLAT0RS.
A bill was introduced in the Assembly Mt
Albany Monday last, TO regulate street openings,
and later another which, according 10 It's to
affects the character Of the to be laid In new
and old streets. submitted In the Senate inc pu
poses Of the bills not yet known here but IL u
understood that lobby OF more or less wealth ana nh
enoe is at work TO legislation which IA designed 10
inHiot upon this city pavements OF as douDtfui
value as those now possessed For the Information OF
the Legislators who TO consider those bills TBE TkB
caused inquiry be made relative TO the cohu
ton OF the patent pavements now laid In this CITY nap
p,y the Commissioner OF Public WORKS, George NJ Van
Mort Just concluded careful survey OF the whoe'
field subject and the conclusions reached and mere
with presented have an official weight and Importance.
This thorough Investigation into the subject OF street
pavemens has been made by experts under tho COM
mssioners orders They have examined into the dura
bity OF stone. wooc. and asphalt pavements ascor-
tanned the coat OF each aud their adaptabity TO the
traffic OF the city
GREAT Cosr OF WOODEN PAvEMEsTs.
the Others 1t also vastly cheaper and that the cost of
paving streets in tho oity gwith other patent pave
lnents amounts to several million dollars which have
been virtually squandered. The Commissioner claims
that is vastly cheaper to repaye streets that now nave
wooden or asphalt pavements in worn ana diiapdateu
condition with Belgian granite block pavements tnan
to repair them with the wooden or asphalt material
The only way they be repaired Ia to put down new
material This will cost - 90 TO " so per square
md aho IN
ments: while tho cost OF Belgian trap block un-
der tho present administration Ia only 81 10
Gt was g. 80 under Tweedl, and OF granite
block only " 70 per square yard Beside TINS actus
saving cost It has been determined that the stone
will last four times the duration OF wooden and three
times the duration OF asphalt payements The total cost
of paving keeping in partial repair Sl miles OF
streets since been s2.25i7s 81. The average
time the pavement has been laid is about three years
and its condition about onehalf rottod aud worn out
During the year 1872. $4,000 was expended for re-
pairs on i25O yards repaired or relaid. This Is
81 per cent Of the whole, 80 that the aver
age duration of tho payements, taking into
consideration their heavy use In streets and light
uso in Others Is only 10 years If all the streets of the
city we're paved with wooden pavemcnts 1t would cost
tho city for tho $40 miles Of streets $20609 65 every IS
wears 10 repaye the and keep them In proper con-
dition for travel sOoOO every year IL VIII bo
readily understood how traffic would be impcdod with
120 miles street IN
year. and how great would the loss of trade to
sons doing business where ropairngs were
being carried on.
WORTHLESS CONCRETE PAyEMBSr3.
The concrete pavemens laid on the streets OF the city
since 1868 have cost s2 S. and the parks 27 Sc
more or SCOT O5 12 altogether The principal and essen
tial ingredients which made OF in the compost
ton of buminous pavements broken stonc gravel
sand Tor ashes. cnders Stag, vtrined clay and glass
refuse intended partially replace hese with bitumen
OF asphat or coal tar as the concreting substance
Nearly 100 patents have been issued by the Patent once
for these Inventions and in report lately made on the
subject by several of the foremost engineers In the
country consisting of NJ A. Kellogg OF the Department
of Parks John J. Culyer of the Brooklyn Park Comms
sion Jas. d. Estabrool, Engineer Of Paramount Park,
Philadelphia: A. b. Bullet Engineer OF Board OF Public
Works WashingO and o. e. Babcock, Engineer U. 8.
A. Public Buildings and Grounds at Washington. 1t is
stated that
For the purpose OF fulfilling the requirements OF the
law the patentees have been permitted to include
their under the pretehzc them
desirable ngrcdents) suCh rubbish a. saWdust shaw
ings charcoal dust, peat go. 1t may be reasonably
questioned how far the operation OF this branch Of our
Government serves encourage and foster honest
talent and industry, and especially the development on
useful and substantial improvement III ucslidpo
payement compositions. Less than hteeh OF
these patented compositions present to-day any
claims to The attention OF practical men, anu
perhaps not One-half or these nave moio
Than partially yucceeded and have totally failed
for want of correct knowledge and experience n com
bining and manipulating matorall ON thc part OF lne
uafentee pavement composed OF broken stone'
gravel sand their equivalents II they can De iouhu,
4 coNpIIT1TIoS FROM AssRssMEST LIsTs AND SURVEYOR