Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-11-27
OUR BRICK PAVEMENT
THE PHILADBLPHIANS DETAIL THEIR
WHEELING EXPERIENCES
To he Reporters Of the Quaker City Papers-Chair-
nan Olarks Endorsement Of the
New Material.
Mavor Gubb Yesterday received a per-

sonal letter from DIR. j. A. Paxson,
through whose influence the special Com
mittee of the Philadelphia City Council
was brought to this city, in which the
Doctor announced his safe arrival home,
and rendered his thanks for the reception
accorded the Committee in Wheeling. The
Committee arrived in Philadelphia at D
o'clock Thursday morning, well tired out
from their long journey. The North Amer
lean of yesterday morning, said:
Chairman Clark was seen ut his resi-
dence 1928 north Eighteenth street, last
evening He was suffering very much
from a severe cold contracted on the trip,
but expressed his willingness to talk
about the committees journey.
The first place we visited" said he,
twas Steubenville, Ohio, but it rained so
hard while we were there that We could
not see the pavement to good advantage.
There are a number of streets in that city
paved with the new friedrich, and tn
city officials are delighted with 1t. 1t
makes a perfectly smooth pavement, and
is apparently as durable as asphalt or
Belgian blocks and much cheaper. We
tramped about that town for two hours and
every man of us got wet up to the knees. ."
''How was your committee impressed
with the pavement
every fayorably. We were satisfied
form what we heard oft in Steubenville
that it was rs good as asphalt and superior
to macadamizing. But when we went
TO Wheeling we had better opportunity
of inspecting the pavement. There they
have thirty or forty squares paved with
these bricks, and the Councilman say that
they intend to pave all the streets IN the
city with it. The bricks have been used
in some streets for four years, and the
Movements were Just as good when we saw
them as the day they were laid. In all
that time not dollar has been spent on
repairs"
what sort OF brick is this patent fire,
brick?"
''In color it is a sort of reddish-brown.
1t is made from clay that has iron III 1t,
and when it is burned it becomes rs hard
as granite. 1t is impossible to break 1t.
The bricks are of two shapes. One IS sim
liar to the ordinary brick used in laying
sidewalks and in houses; the other Is Of
wedge-shape. They are laid on their
edges and covered with either cement Oh
gravel, after which the pavement is rolled
with an immense roller. The street Is
then ready for travel, and is rs smooth rs
Broad street is around the Public Build,
ings. Another thing l noticed was that al
the payements are slightly arched IN the
center, thus making pretty slope on eac1
side"
''Do YOU think the committee will
recommend its adoption in this city?"
~ certainly do. Every member who
was on the trip was delighted with it
Chief Mcdonald said he thought it was
the best thing he had seen for paving
streets that do not have heavy traffic"
Wouldn't it do for such streets a.
Chestnut, Market and Front Streets"
"Well, it is doubtful. In Wheeling
| they say five OF six tons have been carried
over the payements and it. doesn't show
any wear at all. We will recommend tina
Oxford street shall be paved first as an ex
pertinent. There is one square in thi:
street, between Broad and Fifteenth, tha
is constantly in need OF repair. week.
after it is repayed it is all cut up. lfthest
bricks hold there they will do for any
street in the city"
"Are they cheaper than Belgian bloch
and asphalt?"
''Oh, yes; although the price was RAISED
as soon as the company heard that Phila
delphia was after the brick. They were
selling Mt s. per 1000 and the price haE
been raised to $l2. Even at this prize
they are cheaper than either Belgian
blocks or asphalt. The price for laying
these bricks in Wheeling and Steubenyill'
has been $l.25 per square yard witt
cement, and So cents without. Now, l
we could get the bricks here so that they
could be laid for, say $l.6O per squar,
yard, it would be 4 great saving to tn
city. We are now paying something like
81 so per square yard for Belgian blOcl
and asphalt. 1t is also said that fros
does not effect the bricks in the least.
is my impression that this will be the pop
ular pavement for all streets that hav'
medium travel before many years pass.
when will your subcommittee max
it's report?"
Next Monday. We will get togethe
this week and prepare it and have it read.
for the meeting of the Highway COMMITTEE
on Monday. You can say that we viii
recommend the adoption Of this pavemen
for our streets. Another thing yOu nigh
add is that streets paved with these brick
are kept clean much easier than are tn
streets that are paved with cobble-stOnes
If it is adopted We can therefore lSok TO
cleaner streets in our city"