Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-03-29
OPPOSED TO BRICK.
Arguments Against the Utility OF
the Modern Material.
An Exhaustive ana Interesting Let
ter on the Project from Practical
Man-Expert Information.

s. A. d. Balcombe, chairman of the
board of public works at Omaha, has
written an exhaustive article to the
World of that city on the project of brick
paving, and the Burlington Hd~keye and
other leading papers, in cities contem.
plating paving. have given the article
publicity. In his communication Mr..
Balcombe says:
For few years past pas. few cities
OF the smallest class and two or three of
the larger have been experimenting with
brick pavemenis in this country. The
first on record, think, was Charleston.
W, Va. About fifteen years ago thirty
feet square was laid. and recently about
two miles have been placed.
The specifications were: Six inches of
sand, then one-inch oak plank dipped in
hot coal tar, then two inches of sand,
and finally Hale's patent dry dressed,
hard burned, ordinary sized brick,
placed on edge, laid herring bone"
style.
1t lie claimed that the clay out of which
these brick are made, is peculiar 10 this,
that all its ingredients are finely COM
minuted; its grains of silica, two-thirds
OF its mass, when separated, appear as a
fine, soft, white powder, and its compo-
sition is as follows: Silica, SO 80, iron
sesquode 19.53, lime 81, magnesis o. 42,
moisture 2 08. combined water 8. is. I'M
determined 0.57-total 100. A brick
$3.50 inches wide, 7 AZ inches long end
2.1S thick, stands a mechanical test of
III Q00 nnnnAa o;A AnrArd.
ing to the contractors table, showing the
quantity of materials for one mile of this
pavement 40 feet in width or 2S. 400
square yards. it takes /, 642 500 (sx4x23)
S,911, cubic yards of sand, 211,2OO
feet OF lumber and 355 barrels of
tar.
Also about fifteen years ago Blooming
ton, ILL.,, laid "a sample block and more
recently several miles. The specifica-
lions were: First, three inches Of sand,
then course Of ordinary sidewalk brick
upon their fiat surface, then one inch Of
sand, then a course of the best vitriHed
paving brick laid edgewse.
Wheeling, W. Va, has placed three or
four miles OF the New Cumberland vitri.
fed fne clay specifications:
First, eight inches of gravel, then brick
on edge. A few other of the small cities
have experimental witisthese pave ments
But it must be remembered that in all of
these small cities the traffic on them is
comparatively very small and light, the
tonnage they have borne very small, and
their streets have not been cleaned only
ENTHUSIASTICALLY by a street commits
sioner, and the dirt has protected the
brick from abrasion. An inch or two OF
dirt or mud on any pavement, except
wood or asphaltum. will lengthen il. life
very much, indeed.
Within two years past, two of our
largest cities have experimental with
brick, viz: Allegheny and Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Allegheny specifications,
first ten inches OF gravel, then fine clay
brick laid fiat, then one half OF an inch
of sand, then brick edgewise, then all
joints filed with a mixture of sand, coal
tar and asphaltum to secure q substantial
bond, then one-half an inch of sand on
the surface. r
In neither of these cities has the
material been in use long enough to give
II practical test, as ii has only been used
on unfrequented streets.
Last year E. Saxton. OF Kansas City,
advertised that he was prepared to pave
with one course of Gslesburg brick on q
foundation of six inches OF concrete, such
as we place under wood block, with
bond maintenance for FIVE years, price
not 10 exceed % - per square yard
III the brick experiment 10 to be tried in
this city the latter method is undoubtedly
the best OF all. Experienced engineers,
experts and authors in this and foreign
countries all agree that firm foundation
should be placed under all surface paving
material. A poor pavement on a good
foundation may be better than q good
pavement on poor foundation. Gen.
o. A. Gilmore, the highest authority on
this subject in this country, says, in his
work on roads, streets and pavements,
that firm and unyielding foundation Is
quite as necessary for the stability and
endurance Of a pavement, as for any
other structure. The best wearing sur
face ever devised, combining excellence
OF material and workmanship in me
highest degree would soon give way and
become worthless under the wear and
tear OF q very moderate traffic IL placed
upon 0 weak ard insufficient Pounds.
tion." His work was published In 1855.
and he also says that ''it is claimed that
bricks saturated with liquid hydro car
bon will sustain great weight without
crushing and will resist abrasion and
wear, when subjected to ordinary street
traffic; but no satisfactory evidence on
these points, based upon their practical
use, has been obtained. The durability
NJ this pavement has yet to be proved.
engineer, says IN his report to the COM
missioners OF the District OF Columbia
June 30, 1887: THE record of brick
pavements is an irregular one. In West
Virginia, in Stuebenvlle, Ohio. in
Bloomington and Jacksonville, Illinois.
in st. Louis and other places satisfactory
pavements have been made. In other
cities and on second trials failures have
resulted. II has been shown by actual
test that II is possible to make q durable
pavement Of fire brick 1t has also been
conclusively shown that it is a very diff
cult task to achieve and that great trouble
consists In the impracticability Of produ-
cling bricks of uniform quality. The great
success Of the first St. Louis test led to
careful investigation by a citizens COM
mittee. Bricks made Of the same clay as
before, burned in the same kiln, by the
same workmen, and apparently in the
same manner, were in effect worthless for
paving purposes. The committee re-
luctantly reported that the problem of q
cheap. durable and satisfactory pavement
had not yet been solved. A bid submit
ted in April last, for laying brick pave
ments at 81 81 per square yard--11 cents
per yard cheaper than the distillate-but
the saving Of II cents per yard was not
deemed sufficient inducement to war;
rant the contracting for such pavements,