Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-04-10
CONSIDERING THE PAVING
Yesterdays Meeting Of Property
Holders.

An Attempt to Have Brick SUBSTITUTE
ed for Cypress Blocks, Which, How.
ever. Rem aims the Popular Material
---What was Done.
The eting of property holders In the
Second averue paving district at the
rooms Of the Rock Island Citizens I'm
provement association at $50 yesterday
afternoon was fairy well attended. Mr..
Fred Hass called the meeting to order.
and upon his motion Mr.. B. D. Buford
was chosen chairman. Mr.. E. FL. Guyer
was made secretary upon Mr.. Phil
Mitchell's motion. The secretary read
tie ordinance adopted by the council FRI
day night relative to the paving Of Sec
ond avenue With No. cypress blocks.
the understanding at the outset being that
discussion of certain points might occur
as they suggested themselves during the
reading. MI. Phil Mitchell stated that
he had been Informed that yellow cypress
was the best and he asked if that mates
rial was implied by No /. Mayor
Blanding replied that yellow cypress and
No. l were the same. very gummy and
the best quality.
Discussions being in order, Mr.. Henry
Krell was the first to take up the issue
against the council. He appeared to be
in highly indignant frame with regard
to the aldermanic body, and asserted that
the paving improvement was going up
too far and down too far. He had prop.
erty above Nineteenth street. that he did
not think, from the revenue it brought,
would stand the cost of such improve
ment. He had been informed, too. that
the grade along Second avenue would
be raised fourteen to eighteen inches;
but being dispelled of that idea, with the
assurance Of Mayor Banding. that the
proposition was not to increase the
grade more than six inches, he felt easier,
though he thought there ought to be
further efforts to gain the impression of
property holders as to material
To this remark, Mr.. Crubaugh re-
marked: Then you won't get any ma
terial at ALL"
Mr.. Joseph Rosenfield thought the
property holders ought to employ an
engineer to conduct the paving opera.
tons and protect the property interests.
| MIR. Fred Hsss expressed his opinion
that the city should provide competent
and experienced engineer to superlntend
the paving. He believed the preference
of the property holders was for brick, vet
he was not disposed to oppose cypress.
He thought that all specifications should
be included in the ordinance that pro-
! posals be advertised for and all bids be
! accompanied by approved bond.
Capt. T. j. Robinson stated that he
was present to learn the views and pre-
ferences of property holders as to the
nature of the material to be used. An
expression, he said, had been had in
favor Of vitrif1ed brick, based upon ex-
! haustive inquiries that had been prose-
cuted for months by the Citizens asso-
, citation. He thought if these wishes
were properly represented to the council
the ordinance would be changed and
brick adopted. He regarded brick as the
next best material to granite, and much
more economical, ana preferred it to
wood of any kind. He favored the ap>
pointment of 4 committee to examine
pavement in other cities with a view to
ascertaining if brick is in any respect
failure; if so, the property holders might
be willing to consider cypress or red ce>
dar. He moved the appointment of a
committee of three to wait on the city
council at its next meeting and ask that
the ordinance be amended so as to sub
stitute vitrifed brick for cypress blocks
This he though would be the best man.
ner of getting the matter properly before
the present meeting for discussion and
interchange of views.
Mr.. L. ). McCabe moved that the com
mittee suggested by Capt. Robinson be
increased to five, and the amendment was
accepted.
MIR. Phil Mitchell stated that he was
heartily in favor of paving Second avenue.
He believed that brick was the fovorite
material of property owners, but he was
not opposed to cypress blocks. 1t was
~ desire to disclaim the impression
which had gotten abroad that the Second
avenue property owners were obstruc-
tionists, and while he believed the
council had aimed to do its duty,
he thought it would have acted more
wisely to have appointed CONS
mittee to inquire into brick and other
paving material before finally deciding.
There was no public good that did not
embrace some small i'll. He would like
to see Second avenue paved, and if no
better and cheaper material than cypress
blocks could be had he would go in for
cypress.
NJ. E. II. Guyer was very enthusiast
tcally in favor of brick, though he took
occasion to say That he believed. as Mr..
Mitchell did, that there was nothing of
the nature of obstructionists about
Second avenue property holders. He
thought. though, that the council did not
consider the sanitary phase of the paw
ing project in its adoption of cypress
blocks, in view of the possible satura-