The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-11
KINDS OF STREET PAVING
THE GOVERNMENTS OPINION OF
WOOD PAVEMENTS.

What it Considers the Best Of Them
Friedrich the Pavement of the
Future-The Cost the Only Objection
to Asphalt-Some Gossip About the
Pavement Question.
The street paving question seems to be
of uppermost moment in Savannah at this
time. and anything that viii throw light
upon this subject viii no doubt be received
with interest by these having charge of
street improvements, as well as by the gen
eral public.
A MORNING News reporter was accorded
an interview yesterday with Lieut.. o. NJ.
Carter in charge of the United States En-
gineer's Office in this city, and be gave quite
an entertaining and instructive review oil the
street paving question, to which be has given
no little study.
Lieut. Carer says that the government
authorities unite in the opinion that of the
wooden blocks cedar blocks are considered
the most serviceable Wooden blocks for
street paving have been used in Washing
ton, Chicago, Kansas City. Springfield, H.,
Champaign, and many other Northwestern
cities and towns, The average life of the
cedar block pavement, where il is laid in
concrete, is about six years. In Spring
field, Lieut. Carter says. some of them have
been in use ten years with but little cost for
removal or repair.
Pavements of pine, elm, hemlock, maple,
gum, oak and cypress, he says have also
been used with less favorable results
NOT HEALTHFUL.
Lieut.. Carter says that the great objec-
ton raised against wooden pavementS is
that they need removal from two and
half to three years before they are worn out,
from sanitary considerations. The desire
TO get as much service as possible out of
them sometimes results in the propagation
and dissemination of disease germs.
The fermentation and decomposition of
the fibers Of the wooden blocks poison the
air, and scarlet fever, diptheria and kim
bred diseases are found to prevail in wood
paved cities and towns
The wood pavements, it has been found"
he said wear into holes and soon decay"
In Washington City, Berlin and in Paris
wooden paVemants are being rapidly dis
carded and replaced by asphalt and stone.
In this climate Lieut.. Carter thinks that
the sanitary objection would be sooner
raised. The droppings of animals would
fill the interstices of the wooden pavement
and hasten the disintegration of the wood
fbers, while the poison germs would be
taken up and disseminated to the detriment
of the health of the people,
IhE1 AXE ChOhl-LlNED.
The French engineers, he says, consider
the life of good wood pavements laid on a
concrete base to be from five to six wears
In Berlin wood, which was largely used, is
being taken up and that system of paving
has been pronounced failure.
Of asphalt, Lieut. Carter says that it is
clean, free from noise, costs little for re-
pair, but is generally regarded too expensive
for general use. Sheet asphalt costs from
70
hfteen years costs about 113c. per square
yard per annum for repair. To re-surface
1t costs about 81 % per yard.
ASPHALT NOT CONDEMNED
at is not truen said Lieut.. Carter, chat
the asphalt has been condemned at Wash
ington. The government allowed only 50
for asphalt pavement, and it could not be
properly laid for that. Consequently a
coal tar dishllate was used last year at 81 90
per yard, which brought 1t within the
estimate of the appropriation This coal
tar distillate well made and well laid with
5-inch concrete base, Pa inch binder and
2-inch surface, cost in Washington last year
81 80 per yard. 1t costs about Sc per yard
per annum for repairs when well laid.
The coal tar distillate system of street
paving, Lieut.. Carter says, is not objection
able from a sanitary point of view, and on
account of its comparative cheapness in
q
desirable pavement upon residence thor
oughfares
THE PAVEMENT OF THE FUTURE.
The pavement of the future, Lieut.. Car
ter says, is without doubt the fire brick
pavement. 1t is noiseless there is no decay
about it, it is free from dust, there can be
no sanitary objection to it, for it is health
full, does not wear. is not slippery like the
wooden block, and withstands great pres
sure. 1t does not require a plant to lay,
but city can, with level-headed super
lntendent, do its own street paving.
The Lieutenant added that fire brick pave
mentS have been used at Bloomington, ILL.,,
since 1876, and have proved very satisfac-
tory 1t costs, including stone curbing and
base from 81 40 to 81 per yard, and has
cost little or nothing for repair. in Wheel
ing, w. Va, the fire brick pavement COM
plete costs about 81 go per yard
The life of the fire brick pavement is
about twenty years when laid in brick
shape, but much longer where made in spe-
cial shapes.
Sample fire brick pavements, Lieut.. Car
ter thinks, will be laid in Washington city
ehis year
ITO give you an idea of their durability"
he added fire brick pavements in use for
ten years have worn less than one-fourth of
an inch"
Lieut.. Carter, in closing his interesting
talk on street paving, stated that the streets
OF Buda-P esth, the capital of Hungary, are
paved with ceramic, a special kind of fire
clay, which Is dustless and does not wear
perceptlby, costing nothing for repairs.
This pavement, however, costs from 81 25
TO 81 so per yard, and would be too expen-
sive to consider in this section.
SYMPATHY FOR THE EMPRESS.