Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-10-02

| DOLLARS ARE SAVED TO THE DIsTRICr-REsUR-
FACING THE AvENUE-THE PROPOSED GRAND
| MEMORIAL BRIDGE TO ARLINGTON.
The transfer of Capt Thos ". Symons from
the position of assistant to the Engineer Com
missioner of the District of Columbia brings
to mind several of the important works with
which he has been recently identified in Wash
ington. During the past year he has made
! three very important changes in the method Of
conducting street improvements which must
result in an ultimate saving to the District of
hundreds of thousands of dollars. The first
improvement consists in the retention of exist
ing cobble and rubble stone pavements as the
base where an asphalt pavement is to be sub
stituted. This saves about IS cents per square
yard and as there are nearly half million
square yards of this pavement in the city the
saving from this Improvement alone will be
very great. The first case i'll which this was
done was on E street northwest between 1917
and 18th streets.
Another improvement was in the substitu-
ton of macadam for gravel in streets to be par
TALLY improved. This macadam is laid at such
an elevation and with such cross section that
when tine street comes to be paved with asphalt
it can be retained as the base for the pavement,
thus saving the cost of the excavation for q new
base and its putting In place. This will save
probably so cents per square yard, and it is al
of asphalt will be laid ON this base within the
next ten years, and three or four times as much
during the succeeding ten years. Capt Symons
believes that if this method of conducting
street improvements in the city is systematic
ally carried out. people will have better road
ways than ever before in the immediate future
and that the saving to the District over the old
methods will amount to enormous sums.
He has also given the subject of improving
the sidewalks of the city great consideration
nd has do twn 10 IN Oh
old bricks. The first is a sidewalk of artificial
stone blocks. quite a quantity of which has re-
Gently been laid on 9th street northwest. The
second was devised to utilize the old material
removed in resurfacing Pennsylvania avenue
and is an asphalt sidewalk ON bituminous
base, the wearing surface consisting Of the old
material from the avenue with a mixture Of q
small amount of new asphalt and q quantity Of
fnely-broken white limestone to enliven the
appearance of the walk. A contract has been
entered into to utilize this device at 81 per
square yard, and work will be commenced at
an early day in laying it on some Of the streets
of the city. By utilizing this old material the
city, it Is claimed, will be supplied with side
walks OF a high degree of excellence at low
cost. There is a large amount of this old ma
terial removed from the streets every year
which has hitherto been wasted, but which now
will be made to subserve a useful purpose. In
his annual report he recommended an appro-
priation for resurfacing Pennsylvania avenue
gress, and it was largely due to his representa-
tons that the appropriation for it was made
This work will be completed before he goes
and it is understood that he feels very glad to
leave this as his GROWING piece of work in the
city.
Besides his ordinary routine work he has
been an energetic mover in various other en-
terprises, having the good of the city in view
1t will be remembered that he made designs
for and strenuous efforts to secure the con-
n m nj briH ua IN Ali
ton. The design of this bridge received uni
versal commentator and was published in
nearly every paper in the country. He was
also an active mover in the effort made last
winter to secure grand national park in the
valley of Rock creek and his interest in this
movement has never tagged.
One Of the most important things in con-
nection with the administration of the district
government is the extension of the city into
the suburbs, and this has been in his charge
and he has rendered most efficient service in
requiring all subdivisions to be made in con-
tormity with the plan of the city.