Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-12-10

There is now a desire to see Brady
street paved with brick from Front to the
park. That is, quite a good mar peo.
Pile who live along that street say thew
would Ike to see it done. A majority of
the property owners might not be- found
10 concur In that idea now. though prob
ably the work will be done before long
The Galesburg brick that has been laid in
MOCK Island is said to be showing evil
uence OF wear much more plainly than
the bardolph brick, similar IN our own,
with which Supt. Schnitger pave his
street car lines. Men who have in spected
them both say that the pavement hat has
been laid here beats anything OF he sort
In the west. 1t ought to. The 81 ecifica-
lions contain all the good ideas Of those
adopted in a dozen cities for the LAYING
OF brick pavement. and they have been
most scrupulously adhered to.--Demo>
crdt- Gazette.
The above is quite refreshing and the
criticisms on the Rock Island pavement
are heartily appreciated to be sure; es.
pecially as they are prompted by the keen
envy that is felt in the Iowa town toward
Rock Island, which has thus fla led it
head and shoulders in street improve
ment enterprises. The Rock Islsr d pave
ment shows the effect of usage. no one
will deny that, and for this reason the
little patch that Davenport has put down
may always look little smoother on the
top. But the pavement in this city
was put down for practical use and
not for ornament. nor with the one aim
OF keeping abreast with a rival city. The
two blocks and half that Davenport is
just completing have not been tested at
all yet. Notwithstanding that thirteen
weeks have already been consumed Oh
the work. and all of that time streets have
been blocksded for several ocks on
each side. street cars stopped and traffic
generally impeded. and oh. my most
terrible ado made about the little un>
dertaking. Mark the contrast in Rock
lslsndl where the people have been en-
Joying the advantages of six blocks of
paved street for two months, and saying
nothing particular about it, but quietly
ordering more, having plsunei already
for twenty-five blocks for next season.
1t is worth the while to inspect aud
compare the job completed ia Rock Is.
land and the one Davenport H. sill des-
persiely struggling with. Here there Is
uniformity everywhere throughout the
paved district. not only in tie regular
ity and eveness of the surface, but in
the curbing. Not so in Davenport.
where one street intersection is up on
stills, while the next is likely to be down
in the hollow Ike Chinese opium den
And the curbingl There is no more
style or system to it than there
Is to crazy quilt. In one book there
is no difference whatever between the
grade of the street and the sidewalk,
while in the next you have got TO 90
down a flight of stairs to descend from
the curb to the street. Hacks drive up to
the walk and YOU can reach the driver 5
perch with scarcely any exertion. We
do admire the practice ado 1ted by the
Davenport papers of making the most of
their job of pavement. but W. do not feel
tattered by any comparisons that can be
made with the Rock Island pavement.
But Davenport should keep 4 stiff upper
lip. 1t is only a matter of time when
everything is accomplished. Time it
takes, and "time will tell" Rome was not
built in a day. aud we csndidly think that
with favorable weather and ty religiously
preserving what has been already done
that ten years from now vii see at leas,
one more block completed in Davenport
In the meantime Rock Islard will most
likely have worn out its present pave
ment and Davenport can have the felicity
of competing with Rock Islands next
Second avenue paving enterprise.