Wichita eagle., 1889-06-18
MARKET STREET AND ASPHALT.


with the property owners of each street or
majority interest, to say what shall be
the material used in paving. The EAGLE
has no interest on Market street repre-
sented by dollars, but it has an interest in
every street greater than any interest OF
mere dollars. con our return home we
learn that the matter of paving, as set out
in our editorial ton days ago, had been
taken hold of in an earnest way and that
portion of Market and block of First
street will be paved right away. We have
given this pavement question much
thought, study and observation during the
past ten years, for the reason that we knew
it was question which would have to be
met and intelligently discussed by the
EAGLE at some time. We cannot take up the
question in this article, but desire to sug-
gest and only suggest to property holders on
Market street that they are liable to have
the prettiest and most attractive business
street in the city; that the street is narrow,
has the government building, the front of
the county building, the board of trade
building, and several of the most imposing
edifices in the city. Its street railway line
being electric, there will be no necessity Of
filling in between the rails with granite
or cobble, therefore the face OF street can
be made uniform from curb to curb. Now
whatever the balance of the city may do
we suggest to Market street the asphalt.
1t is the smoothest, the most easily swept
and the cleanest of all kinds of streets. Go
to any city, where all the different kinds
of pavements are used and the wooden
pavement alone holds any show, with
those who drive, alongside of asphalt, and
the wooden pavement must be new, in good
shape and smooth to catch an
equal number Of vehicles. The
granite block and the vitrlfied
brick, etc, ETC., all have their advantages
with reference to certain locations and
specified traffic, but for Market street, as it
is located with reference to the buildings
ETC., mentioned, and with reference to its
present and future included, and the
asphalt would never be regretted by the
property owners of that street.
Just as we had concluded the above a
business man of experience and observa-
ton, whose life has been spent in a paved
city, who happened around was asked for
his views. He replied substantially as fol-
lows:
All good pavements must have their
foundations equally good. This means
that in so far as the foundations go the ex-
pense should be substantially the same.
After the foundation comes the wearing
surface. When we consider this we must
not neglect the objects in view, the most
important of which is:
1st. Sanitary considerations-There can
be no doubt whatever that the Asphalt
wearing surface, rs it does not absorb
deleterious matter nor permit such matter
to enter interstices, practically not having
any such spaces, meets the sanitary re-
ouirement much better than granite, vitri
fed brick, blocks Of any kind of wood or
macadam.
End. Typographical considerations
Under this head comes the subject of sur
face drainage, and our city mainly being
an inclined plane with light grade, the
smoothness of the surface will alone allow
a requisite drainage. This smoothness of
surface can only be obtained in the Asp
halt surface A minor consideration is
noise and that is probably an important
factor where retail stores and offices are
located. The Asphalt surface meets that
requirement also.
3rd. Durability or economy. This item
requires that in any given time the wear
ing surface should cost the least, it is
barely possible that granite will meet the
requirement, and if it should prove so,
then the streets with heavy traffic might
be so paved, but it must be at the expense
of sanitation and surface drainage, and
noisy.
Another consideration important to an
ambitious growing city is the estimation
the outside world will hold US IN.
There can be TO two opinions as to the
superior merit of asphalt in that particu
lar. nor as to the satisfaction of our citi-
zens when driving oyer it.