The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-02-10
STREET PAVING.
Comparative Merits Of Stone, wood
and Asphalt.

Aprop0S Of the question now before
the people, The HERALD is pleased t
lay before our authorities the views o
. distinguished civil engineer upon
the subject, General Q. A. Gilmore. In
recent article published in the New
York Tribune, the merits Of different
kinds of street pavements are discussed
in an exhaustless manner. Among
the requisites of good street pave
ment General Gilmore enumerat ties
that ii should be smooth and hard In
order to promote easy draught; that
IL should be secure foothold for ami
mails, and not be come polished and
slippery from wear; that 1t should he a;
free from dust and mud as possible;
that it should be capable ofprompt and
thorough cleansing; that it be of dura-
bic material, and of such construction
that il can be taken up in places and
quickly relaid, in order to give access
TO gas and water pipes; and that it
should be susceptible Of repairs at all
seasons of the year. and at moderate
cost
Among the suitable foundations for
pavement, provided the thickness be
be adapted to the character of the sub
soil and the nature of the traffic, he
has the following to say:
~ Hydraulic concrete six to eight
inches in thickness; (2) rubble stones
set on edge, but not in contact, with
the nterstices filled in with concrete;
g. rubble stones set in contact on
edge like the sub-pavement of Tel
ford road; az cobble stones firmly set
in form of sand or gravel; (5) small
rubbe stones of random sizes, in u
well compacted layer; or (6l u layer of
broken stones laid in the manner of a
macadamized road. OF these the first,
second aud third are by far the best,
and they are named in the order of
their merit. The three pavements
which have been most actively COM
peting for public favor within the last
ten years are those of stone blocks,
wood blocks and asphalt.
Taking, for just comparison, the best
of each kind, he concludes that the
aspl alt pavement is far preferable to
the lthers, its advantages being that it
produces no dust and therefore no
mad; it is comparatively noiseless; it
does not absorb and retain noXious liz
uids, but facilitates their prompt dis
charge into the side cutters aud catch
basins; il is impermeable to moisture
and neither emits nor allows the ennis
Sion from the subsoil of unwholes0me
and poisonous vapors; it reduces the
force of traction, and consequently the
wear apd tear upon animals and vehi-
ces tu 3 minimum; and although it
does not furnish as secure a foothold
for animals as blocks of stone or wood,
it does not become polished or slippery
from continued wear.
In regard to durability, he places
stone pavement first, asphalt second
VERY near to sUone), and wood last. AS
to svst cost, wood stands first, asphalt
second, stone third. Cost of mainten-
ance and repair. Stone first, asphalt
second mot far removed from stone),
wood third. Facility for cleansing
Asphalt first, stone second, wood
third. Convenience Asphalt first,
wood second, and stone third. for all
streets except those that are habitu-
ally crowded with heavy traffic, in
which cs.se stone would rise to the
first place, and asphalt drop to the
third. Upon this point Mr.. William
Haywood, Civil Engineer of London,
in reporting upon the relative advan-
tages of wood and asphalt for paving
purposes, says that "asphalt is the
K sm0othest, driest, cleanest most pleas
Ing to the eye, and most agreeable for
general purposes, but wood is the most
quiet"
Finally as to hygienic considerations,
he asserts that asphalt conspicuously
stands first, stone second, and wood
n Third in order of merit. The hygienic
n objections to granite are, first, its con-
slant noise and din, and second, its
n open joints. Which collect and retain
the surface liquids and throw off nox-
ions vapors and filthy dust. Objections
10 wood may be taken upon the same
ana even upon stronger grounds, for
The material itself undergoes inevitable
and generally even early and rapid de-
cay, in the progress of which
'he poisonous gases resulting
rom vegetable decomposition are
Thrown off The joints of block pave
|Hmeht, whether of wood or stone con-
ltute, after enlargement by wear, full
y one.third of its entire area; and, I'M
''er the average care, the surface of filth
|IeAposed to evaporation covers three
'ourths of the whole street. This foul
e 'ganic matter, composed largely OF
A ne urine and excrement OF different
Auimals is held in the joints, ruts and
cutters, where ii undergoes putrefac-
I'VE fermentation i'm warm, damp
eather,. and becomes the fruitful
oa .n OF noxious effluvium, or it floats