New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-02-09
THE FIFTH-AVE. PAVEMENT.
OPPOSITION TO THE GRAHAMrTE PATENT.

OPPOSITION TO THE GRAHAMTTE PATENT
CRITICISMS on THE SAMPLE AT THE WORTH hoNo-
MENT-How 1T HAS BEEN LAID AND NURsED-
AN APPEAL FOR A GOOD STONE PAVEMENT
TO the Edftor Of The Tribune ~
SIR: My attention has been called to pe''ion
for the requirement. Of Fifth-ave from Washington
SQUARE to Nucteth-st, at the expense OF the city,
which netition has bcen signed principally by own
ers of property on that avenue. aud has been pre-
sented TO the Legislature at Albany The petition
asks for authority TO lay pavement similar TO the
small picce laid in front Of the Worth Monument,
and also for the annual payment OF percentage on
the cost Of the pavement to meet the expense OF
keeping it clean and in repair. 1t Is generally IN
derstood that the officers Of the company which laid
this sample piece Of pavement are those who OBJ
tanned signatures to the petition, and who are urging
the Legislature to enact law to carry out the
views of The petitioners. The names signed to the
petition, far know, none Of them those OF
PEOPLE residing or owning property in the rnmedi-
ate vicinity Of the Worth Monument II seems to
me that tic names signed to the petition have been
20 appended without proper knowledge OF the pave
ment called "Grahamite" or Nursery -" era
hamitc from the patcntec or owner of the material
Of which it is claimed the pavement is constructed
and "Nursory" from the constant care ana wa'ch-
tulneSs exercised over it and in its behalf from the
lay it was first laid until to-day.
IL has been necessary for me to pass By this patch
Of pavement daily and several times day from tDe
time Of the laying Of the pavement until now, ana us
Gtake quite warm interest in all city improvements
have carefully watched, not only the laying OF the
pavement, bu; also the effect OF the wear OF We
hiclcs upon it.
First. Is to the laying Of the foundation OF this
pavement; tie owncI5 of this Grahamte selected
for their experiment block in Fifth-ave. where
Z lnNFI YnTn nj q
sewer or fr the making Of gas, water, or sewer con-
ucctions for houecs-a block where the foundation
was secure Having secured such q block. where
where the ground was solid, and had never been
disturbed except 10 a slight depth in tho laying OF
,-.s MAINS tncT took square selected blocks Of Bel
sian pavement and Iammed them down hard on
bed Of sand, thus making as a foundation pave
mcut so SOLID aud durable that without ANYTHING
further being done this block would be as well
paved as any part of any street in the city. On top
of this foundation prepared atopdrcsSing OF what
Is called asphalt concrete or "GTahAnlte concrete
has been laid.
Secondly, as to tho nursing of this pavement
Since the laying Of this pavement it has been care
fully watched by is sponsors both night and day.
Sometimes one man and sometimes two men have
been in attendance, this watching and care being
kept up constantly except in very cold weather.
What the duty Of these attendants las been do
not know. At times they seem to be busy sweeping
water out Of Indications in the pavement when
it has settled there; at other times sweeping dHt
from il surface; at other times slIiEhLng sand or
some composition on the surface OF tho pavement;
in warm weather keeping the horses and cabs fiom
standing on the yielding surface of the composition
ULc Summer san renders it soft and plastic; IN
Winter weather spInklng sand on the surface. AT
times when the OLer part of the avenue is spTnked
with water this patch Of pavement is not sprinkcd,
aud AT other time, this patch is spTinlod and the
rest Of the avenue is dry. This may also be the
duty of the attendant A nurse for this pavement
has truly TO be . man of resource. At times when
tie surface Of this pavement is specially slippery,
and sand seems not TO have been spriRkled on it,
ave seen the drivers OF the Eith-aye. line Of STAGES
90 to Broadway az Twenty fonrth and lwenty-hfth-
ets. to avoid driving over this Giahdmite." The
sponsors of this pavement are said to account for
the unovenness in its surface by stating that the
foundation Las scttlel; but, as ! have already
shown tbs is inn os,!5le
This "GIaLamitc" is not a new thing. 1t has
been laid in eey, places in this city and Is little
superior 10 the old plaster or poulticc illumination
which was laid IN the Ffth-aye. and aftcrwart re-
moved hy order of Tie Board Of Health, and ltile
better than The more recent plaster laid on Wash
il4,toa.souare and at City Hall PaI If we desire to
see samples of this vile compound called Graham
,te," they can be found a small piece on the Bat
terry near the landing for the bargc-oi.ce; on the
walks ana part of the sidewalk at Rcservmr-SqnaIe;
some laid u Ceural Park and the sidewalk in front
If No. % Wa-uinotou-squaIe north, the residence
" TIE Godfather o. the pavement
&c rci think the siCners Of the petition could
have cy1mincd these sampled before aGiXing their
names to this petition, ard do not think they would
willingly allow their names to be used in such a
petition after they had seen these samples Of
"Grahami,o not even to have the assessment for
repayup their avenue put upon the city at large.
WHY rot give us a good stone pavement or Teliord
AiacAdam roadi OF the vile dust arising from the
"GIahamite" pavement when it has not been
properly sgiukiod and swept, will not now speak.
This time speak only of the cost of maintenance,
not the cost Of construction and also of the slippery
surface o: the pavement The surface is so smooth
and hard in cold weather that il would be almost an
ilnpos> iblliy Tor pair Of horses to draw loaded
wagon up tIe Hill ut Thirty -tourth-et and Thirty
eixth-st OBSERVER"
Aelo- York; Tob. 6, 90.