Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-05-10
PAVING MATERIAL.
Complete Report of the Aldermanic
Committee.
Something that Every Tax Payer
should Read and Digest---Results
or Practical Investigation.

To the Hone rsble Mayor and City Council of the
City OF Rock Island:
The undersigned committee appointed
by you to investigate the subject of street
paving would report as follows:
Your committee visited the cities Of
Peoria, Bloomington, Chicago, Kansas
City, Omaha, Council Bluffs and Des
Moines; in all of which cities we exam.
ined pavements of various kinds and
dates of construction, from which we
select and describe below enough to give
your honorable body fair specimen of
the different kinds and ages in each of
the above cities.
Jefferson street, paved with white
cedar blocks. plank foundation. layed in
1898, condition fair, slight depressons
attributable mostly to settling of founds-
ton at points where planks Joined; with
the repairs that will not cost to exceed
90 cents per yard, will last not less than
six years longer. making the life of this
pavement twelve years. A large traffic
on this street. Hamilton street, south of
Jefferson, paved with 2x4xS brick on
sand foundation three inches, three
blocks, same specifications AS Blooming
ton paved with the above; west side of
street car tracks Ottawa brick; east side
of street Galesburg brick; laid in 1884
and 1885; cost $1.S5 per yard; condition
fair. but edge of brick show wear. Ham
ilton. north of Jefferson. been down six
years; is several kinds of brick: Bardoff,
Galesburg and Ottawa; corners worn
somewhat and showing decided effect of
wear by water in the cutters, which are
Gslesburg brick, and wear at points
where horses stood. The Bardoff look
1skey and not good, the Ottawa looking
the best. Franklin street. 4x5x12. Otta>
wa brick, layed In 1887; gravel founda>
ton. one course set on edge in sand %
inches. There is considerable traffic on
this street. Some express themselves as
well pleased, but considered all streets
paved with brick as experiment. Number
OF blocks laid seven; cost 81 80 per yard
Again others consider brick the best and
cheapest. Contract let for four miles of
brick this season. Capt. Hall, owner of
street Car line, has no faith in brick
laid in Peoria. except the Ottawa brick
on Franklin street.
BLOOMINGTON.
Found one block of brick west side oil
court house that was laid in 1875, Bloom
ington brick. About 800 in all has
been spent for repairs. Foundation
three and a half inches; cinders well
rolled; one and a half inches of sand
lower course laid fiat, upper laid on edge
Condition fair; will probably soon have
to be relaid; brick 2x4xS inches. Have
laid in all three and a half miles. and will
lay three miles this season. Have paved
one street each year for the past eigh,
years. Use Bloomington brick altogether
have four brick factories of vitrified
brick. The intersection of East and
Grove street was layed in 1886, by cutting
down the mscadam and surfacing with
sand, then one course of brick on edge
which seems to stand as well as any we
saw.
CHICAGO.
Calumet avenue and Twenty>second
street. paved with cedar blocks, plank
foundation, in 1880, interstices well
tsmped with coarse gravel; from two to
two and half gallons of tar used to each
square yard. Found this section in good
condition, with no repairs; will last two
years In its present state. Calumet ave.
nue.. from Twenty ninth to Thirty-firs,
street. paved in 1858 with cedar blocks,
plank foundation. Condition very good
blocks In good order; some defects where
the foundation bad settled. Light traffic,
but lots of it. Twentieth sixth street, cedar
blocks, plank foundation; laid in 1888;
condition very good; will need no repairs
fer two or three years; crevices between
the blocks filed with coarse gravel well
tamped; two and half gallons of tar to
each square yard. Twenty>second street,
from LaSalle to Wentworth; fresh filled
before being paved; cedar blocks on plank
foundation, laid In 1879. Is not in very
good condition, while the blocks are rea-
sonably good, considering ten years SER
vice with very heavy traffic; shows that
the principal fault for its present condi-
ton lies in the foundation settling
Eighteenth street, between Wabash and
Indiana avenues. paved in 1873, cedar
blocks on plank foundation; condition
quite badly worn; needs repairs; can be
repsved at a cost not to exceed 81. 10 pei
yard; heavy traffic. HOyne avenue, from
Harrison to Congress street; paved in
1879. cedar blocks on plank foundation;
needs some repairs, otherwise condition
not good; depressions mostly in the cedar
blocks, which were probably defective
when put In. Hoyne avenue, from
Congress to Madison streets, paved in
1878; cedar blocks on plank foundation;
has been repaired in several large patches;
needs further repair in center of street.
Will last few years; traffic light.
KANSAS CITY.
Grand avenue paved from Independ-
ence street to Ninth street with cypress
blocks, concrete foundation, layed in
1887, slightly uneven owing to careless
ness in laying blocks, heavy traffic; 332
miles cedar pavement layed in the past
eight years, Fifth street from Broadway
to Grand avenue, cedar blocks, concrete
foundation, paved in 1882, no repairs
since 1t was put down, good for three
years without repairs. Third street from
Grand avenue to WyandOtte, paved with
cedar blocks in 1883. plank foundation,
condition very good, traffic very heavy
Main street from Second to Thirteenth
street, paved with cedar blocks in 1884
on concrete foundation, very heavy
traffic, condition very good. Delaware
from Second to Ninth, cedar blocks on
concrete, down six years, no repairs. con-
dition good. traffic very heavy; Delaware,
1888, cedar on six inches of macadam, in
good repair. two tampings Of coarse gravel,
then tar two gallons, then sand on top.
We have sample from one of the cedar
blocks. Mr.. n. 8. Turstin, assistant
superintendent of streets, thinks they will
get cedar on concrete this year for 81. so
per yard. =
OMAHA.
In Omaha the specifications of all wood
psvements call for six inches of concrete,
one inch of sand and six inch blocks
joints well tamped twice with coarse
gravel. then one and One-half to two GAL