The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-05-11
WHAT YITRIFIED BLOCKS ARE,
A Correspondent Replies to Parts of tho b.
r, W, IntOTVieW,

n Correspondent opAAup ~ AeAt" - - "
r, W, IntOFVieW,
10 The EiiiorfQlths hteiligeHe1,
sIR:-'Tt specifics vltri6ed blocks in
certain cases, putting US at the mercy Of
the Baird. Campbsll'John Porter monop'
DIV. To tell the truth, we think that the
committee's ordinance is drawn in the in
terest Of that concern" so says a member
OF the b. P. W in a carefully planned in
teryiew with an lNTRLLIGENcRR reporter.
This statement was made by him, with
a full knowledge on his part that Baird
and Campbell would not be benefited
one penny, il the city should buy millions
of blocks from John Porter, at the price
his Board contracted for them four or i've
weeks ago. He know all royalty was
waived and the city was 10 have the Tree
uss OF the patent on the block yet weeks
after this understanding was made bind
inv between Porter and the Board he drags
Baird and Campbell before the public, rs
the designers OF an ordinance they knew
nothing Of. There has been so much said
about that block, that 1t might be we'll to
give the public some information in regard
to it, 80 that its merits, ii it has any,
may be known.
The frat brick street pavement was laid
on Chapliue street, between Twentieth
and Twenty.iourth streets. This was OF
hard burned fire bricks laid on tOunuR-
ton Of inch pine boards, soaked inpltCh,
The board foundation was to prevent the
bricks being pressed down into the gFound
bv loads passing over them. OhaTleBton'
". Va, had laid brick street pavements,
with and without board foundations, and
pronounced those without boards g failure.
Shortly after the laying OF the OhapIlnE!e
street pavement, the Board OF Public
Works was notified by the owners OF o
patent for thRtskyle otstrGet pavement and
that Tor any more paving Of that kind on
our streets, royalty OF ten cents per
square ward would be demanded from this
city, Stimulated by this and also satisfied
that better material for street paving
than ordinary fire brick and cheaper
way OF laying 1t could be devised, the
above gentlemen perfected and patented
the vitriled block and the plan Of laying
Il, without aboard foundation. Thaiathe
block OF which so much has been said by
our papers and our people Tor nearly three
years, and Of which the city has had the
use for that time free Of royalty,
This block Is q compound oil hTe clay,
iron ore and sand. 1t is 20 inches long, Al
inches wide, with thickness on one edge
Of I'LL inches and 1915 inches on the
other, thus having the shape Of an OblOng
truncated wedge. Laid In courses in
sand, on properly prepared bed, with the
broad edge up In every other course, the
whole pavement Is bound more firmly to-
gether and resists with greater effect loads
passing over 1t, than by any possibility
could q pavement composed oil bricks with
perfectly straight sides.
Compared with the fire clay brick 1t
has 20 percent greater depth, 20 percent
greater bearing surface and makes q road
covering so percent superior in Its power
OF resistance. BY a test made at the Key
stone Bridge COmpany's Works these
blocks have crushing resistance Of over
G0,0O0 pounds TO the square inch, which
Is superior to the average OF sand or cob
blestones, and even to that Of granite.
This Is the material furnished by the Is.
@. & p. monopoly to this city, free Of any
royalty. 1t has been proven by actual
use on our streets, superior to fire brick
with or without board foundation.
With a knowledge OF all the above facts
in bis possession, this member Of the
Board Of Public Works could have had
but one object in his mind, and that was
10 work on the enmity OF our citizens, who
in times past, had felt aggrieved at the acts
OF tho former Board. He was evidently
under strong excitement when he made
tho statement lie did TO the reporter, but
his rage at the Finance Committee should
not have prevented his being, at least, fair
to his predecessors in office. N.