Omaha daily bee., 1884-05-07
POINTS ON PAVING
Some Of The Citizens Claim The Work
is not Being Done Rightly,
The Contractors Seem Disposed to DC
the Square Thing.

done in accordance with the contract.
Among the signers are J. j. Brown, j.
T. Stuart, E. L. Shugart, John Beno and
Others. The complaint is to the effect
that some of the blocks are not of the
size called for by the contract and that
the limestone ballast has too much dust
and dirt, and is not the right kind of rock
anyway.
Mr.. Shugart was the only n Of the
signers who appeared before the council,
and his complaint was chiefly about the
size of the granite blocks, and their un.
even shape. He though about one.fftf
of the blocks on the ground were not il
accordance with contract, but said the
contractors willingly threw Objectionable
blocks out, claiming that they were de-
termined to do the square thing, and
make a good pavement, and that these
stone would be no losst to them. but would
be thrown back on the quarrymen. Con.
corning the broken stone ballast he was
no judge.
MIR. MUNSTER, who is chairman of the
paving committee makes about the same
sort of q statement.
The faulty blocks, being adjoined, to-
gether with the perfect corners, it is i'm
possible to prevent some of them being
shipped in by inadvertency at least. Mr..
Mitchell, the city's inspector, is on the
ground constantly, but is unable to watch
every block when 30 many men are at
work. To avoid any trouble with defec-
tive blocks, the city has decided to place
an Inspector at the cars, and throw out
side all rejected stone there, instead of
trying to sort them out on the grounds,
which will be more satisfactory.
As to the tallasting, all concede that
there is enough of it being put in, in fact
more than the contract calls for, but
there seems some difference of opinion as
to the quality, but none of those who
pars opinions pretend to be judges or
experts.
The contractors express willingness
and desire to make the paving all that is
required, and listen more patiently and
considerably to the objections and sug-
gestions than the most of city contractors.
They say they want to do the work 30
thoroughly that hereafter there may be
no occasion to kick.
The paving is a new thing for Council
Bluffs, and the citizens watch it's progress
very closely, and discuss every detail.
Few of chem know exactly how 1t should
be done, and many ofthemthink they do,
The contract provides the following
method of work:
The street is to be brought to a true
as per the plans and specifications
the city engineer. The ground, after
perfectly dressed to be tamped
with an 80-pound tamper or rolled with
a roller having not less than one and one
half tons weight to the foot, run as may
be directed by the engineer and commit
tee on paving and to their acceptance.
All spongy or soft material wherever
required shall be replaced with gravel or
broken stone without extra charge. No
grading shall be done with a pillow any
deeper than within four inches of the
bed for road ballast. Any earth taken
out below the ballast line may be requir.
ed to be replaced with sand or gravel
at the option of the engineer and CON-
mittee on paving without extra compensa-
ton.
The ballasting shall consist Of hard
ledge limestone broken to a size to pass
through a three inch ring, free from dirt.
the stone to have a uniform depth of six
inches after being thoroughly rolled in a
name satisfactory to the committee on
and the engineer. Said stone
shall then be covered with coarse, clean,
bank sand, free from loan or clay, to
the depth of two inches.
The blocks shall be granite, known as
the Sioux Falls granite. But they must
be of uniform texture and grain, without
stratihcation or l~amination, and free
from excess of mica or feldspar. The
blocks must be of the following dimen-
sions, viz: In length not more than
twelve inches nor less than eight inches;
in width not more than five inches nor
less than three and one-half inches; in
depth not less than six nor more than
eight inches.
They must be sufficiently dressed to
present rectangular faces, with straight
edges on top, bottom and sides, and all
blocks when faced vary more than half
an inch will be rejected. The sides and
Of tho blocks must be dressed so
that they will make close fitting joints,
and any block which has projections or
knobs larger than half an inch will be re-
4 All blocks
shall be laid in unbroken corners perpen-
to the surface and at right angles
to the line of pavement, to such q cross
section as the engineer may direct.
All courses to be lads 30 as to break joint
adjoining courses with q lap of not
less than two inches. When thus laid
the blocks shall be Immediately covered
with q course of clean sand and gravel,
and raked when dry until all the joints
become filed Herewith, and then the
blocks shall be carefully rammed with
hammers from seventy-five to eighty
in weight to q firm, unyielding
bed. with uniform surface, and with
proper grade and crown, the whole shall
then be covered with one inch of coarse
bank sand.
VIZ .x. L. - - --l 49,