The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-09

so apt 10 be wrongly interpreted that / am
warrant me in saying that Of ali The
pavements heretofore laid in this city the Graham
TwenIy'nita and Twenty.sIxta streets. comes
nearest TO combination or the qualifications
structed Macadam roadway. Though not SO elastic
as an asphalt pavement, would also he Infinitely
class OF travel which passes through Flth avenue.
The so.caed concrete pavement wnlch was laid
IN this city previous to my administration Is not
In several Instances, as in Eghteenti street, be-
tween Fourth avenue and Irving place; and "a
avenues, they have been satisfactorily repaved oy
resuraclng them with genuine asphalt pave
ment (the Crahamlte asphait) but the annual mp.
preparations are inadequate TO cover rne expenses
OF applying this method to any great extent. AL
CoBBLEsroNE PAVEMENT
/ does not present all the disadvantages and de-
lects Of the wooden and concrete plvements, IN
somuch that 1t Is MOI composed Of perishable ma
terals. No one will dispute the TACT that II 10 alb.
soutey unnt lor streets where traffic Is heavy
and frequent. Owing 10 the irregularity in The
size ana shape or the stones 1t soon becomes ul
OF holes and ruis which are dangerous to vehicles
and norses and enectually prevents surace dram.
age and proper street cleaning. In some OF the
commercial tnoroughtares IN the lower part OF the
city IT would be utterly Impossible to keep the
coDbestOne pavement III as good condition as an
ordinary stone block pavement even though 1t
was entlrely relaid annually, which would entail
an expenditure lar beyond the usual appropria.
tons ior repairs. The streets paved with coDble-
lew cases, wnere an Improvement is most desIr.
able VI the i0rty-nlne miles OF streets south OF
Canal street. all oil which are needed for the accom-
modatlon OF the great commerce which occupies
that whole section. twenty-five miles are paved
with coDDlestone. including sucn commercial high
ways Us West 81 oadway, College place, Washington,
Centre streets. Great stress has already been
avenues with good pavements, yet we find the
primitive coobe stone pavement on First avenue
avenue IRON Nineteenth to Forty second street,
ana on the entire length OF Tenth and Eleventh
ton OF any OF the streets aud avenues named will
BRING conviction or The utter lmpossbillty OF keep
ing them In proper condition 30 long as they are
PROLIFIC SOURCE OF COMPLAINT
and annoyance with regard to pavement repairs nns
companies in Keeping the pavements between
their tracks in proper repair. Only those OF the
companies which obtained taer FRANCHISE from
| the Common Council are required by the terms OF
such franchise to keep the pavement between and
adjoining the tracks In repair. The companies
which ooJaned charters from the Legislature are
not so bound by express provisions OF law, though
1t would seem but just ana equitable that they
should make this small return Tor the valuable
privileges they enjoy. Streets with railroads re.
aure more frequent repairs than Others not only
b.tween but outside the tracks because the Gravel
Is not 50 well distributed over the waOle surface
As in other streets, out moves principally In par.
tlcular grooves, which make frequent repairs nee
essary.
| Is the nef1lcient manner in which the pavements
are replaced py gas companies, plumbers, builders
and others over openings made 1or laying pipes or
sewers. The frequency OF these openings Of
streets may be inferred from the TACT that we have
In this city over $40 miles OF gas mains. $40 miles OF
| Croton pipes and $40 miles oil sewers, ana more
than $4,000 buildings which are each connected
WIN 0rSsoh ana =, gas lpss s snese
vision over ali the cases OF opening Of
pavemenis. and the defects in repairing often
develop themselves only alter some length OF time.
| An efficient remedy Could be provided by
provision oilaw compelling parties to pay certain
sum per square yard Of pavement removed, to be
applied to the expense OF replacing 1t by
skilled workmen IN the employ OF this de-
partment. The evil enects OF Dad pavements on
the pubic health have been 80 often discussed
ana are 40 generally recognized by the Board OF
lie ct large that need not further press their I'M
p0rtanCe. Bad pavements are equally oblec-
tlonabe and injurious IN another RESPECT Wnlcn Is
| In the influence on commerce ana traffic. For
some years past there have been serious lore
GREAT Loss TO OUR COMMERCE
by Its diversion to other ports owing 70 the great
stoned Dy the want OF proper facilities. An i'm.
portant part OF THIS expense Is Tor the transporta
vessels, railroad depots and store houses. What.
| ever improvements may be made ON the water
'front.' to facilitate the transfer OF Ireisht' large
through the streets OF the city. due regard Tor
the commercial interests OF the CITY, TO which It
owes Its very existence, demand that local trans
| pOrtatlOn should be made as easy and cheap as
possible and this can only be done by the mantle
nance Of good pavements. 10 withhold any rex-
| sOnabe expenditure necessary TO attain this OBJ
| jecr would seem to be the ve:y reverse Of sound
| Experience having demonstrated the fact that
1t Is physically impossible TO MAINTAIN the wooden,
condition, there remains but one remedy1to re.
| place them with such al are better suited TO our
local srafic and the conditions OF our climate:
| commercial thoroughfares over all others which
have undergone any considerable tests Is unques-
tlOnable. Our truckmen and cartmen VIII go long
distances out OF tner way to avoid c0bble, wooden
or concrete pavements, and II they cannot avoid
| them they must tighten their loads. am aware
that the stone block pavement also has It's obJec-
tionabe features, insomucn as 1t 10 noisy and liable
to become too smooth to Offer sure foOthOld iOr
horses; but its advantages lar outweigh It's
deIeCIs For uptown streets, away from commerce,
Wnere mere Is ay meavy 1iac snoroIgG con-
such as the Grahamlte asphalt Tor several years
! IN use on Fifth avenue, between Twenty-dtth aud
| Twenty sixth streets; on Eighteenth street, be.
tween Fourth avenue ana Irving place, and on
| Tnirty-eIghth street, between Fifth ana Madison
avenues may be pre- eraDe on account OF cieanll-
mes and nOlselessness, out they have never been
tried on aly VI the down town streets which are
continually thronged with heavily laden trucks
and carts. nor such steep grades as frequently
occur IN the lower part OF the CITY. Whether an
pavement ior these streets IS ma ter to be decided
| by future experiments, Whine the Improvement OF
those paved with coboiestone WOOD or concrete rs
an immediate and commanding necessity. Tneir
presence Is standing reproacn to great and
progressive community IKE New York.
THE QUESTION OF EXPENSE.
The question yet to be decided is how to provide
the means to pay The expense OF requirement..
Local improvements CONFER corresponding local
benefits, while they also Denedt 10 q greater or
less extent the community at large. Under
laws all local improvements nave hitherto been
pald by local assessments upon property deemed
10 be benefited. Untl the pa sage OF the present
city cnarter April 80, 1873 the power OF tue COM
mon Counci to order the paving or repaving OF
streets vas I'm cOntested, and the cost OF repave-
ment was assessed upon adjoining property. The
sad experience with the wooden and concrete
pavements winch were laid during the years 1867
to 1871, ana iOr which heavy assessments were
laid on property which had already been assessed
ter Of a sweeping clause (secticn 1l5 prohibiting
the requirement. oil any street except upon petltlon
OF a majority OF property owners, representing O
majority OF the property to be assessed lor the
improvement. This mas proved to be "A complete
barrier 10 the Improvement OF any street, how.
ever worthless tue present pavement, only one in
stance having occurred THAT OF Broadway, rom
Thirty second TO Fftynintn street,) where sufli
Tor "A requirement. The opinion is general among
proper ty owners that the city al large Is bound
forever To MAINTAIN q pavement once laid and
paid for by asaeosmenL: hence their reluciauce 10