Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-19
TIE BEST PAVEMENT.
VIEWS OF AN EXPERIENCED MAN ON
THIS IMPORTANT SUBJECT.
What Can Be Done in This City by sys-
tematic Work in Street Inn
provements.

James Bailey of Utica, n. Y, who owns
the Postoffice building on the corner of
Fourth and K streets, is in the city look
ing after his interests here. He is a
shrewd business man, has travelled extern
siyely, is a close observer, and his
views upon any business proposition are
worthy of careful consideration. In con-
versation with a representative of the
REcoRD-UN1oN yesterday Mr.. Bailey said
Il observe that your paper is taking a
great deal of interest in the improvement
of the streets of the city and endeavoring
to arouse citizens to action in that import
ant matter. There is nothing that could
be done for the benefit of the city that will
bring larger return for the money in
vested than the construction of good
streets, but you should be sure you are on
the right track before you enter upon the
work"
1.-The city of Utica, where reside, has had
large experience in the matter of street
work during the past twenty-five years, and
we have given the subject as careful con-
sideration as any city in the United States.
l was on one of the committees appointed
to investigate the subject, and / gave it
much thought and study. We first had
the old-time cobble pavement now &C
knowledged by all to be the worst kind of
roadway. Subsequently we tried gravel
and then granite blocks, and then the
wooden blocks or Nicholson pavement, but
about seven years ago we adopted what 1
consider the best pavement in the world
the asphalt pavement as laid by the Scharf
Company. That company uses the Trini-
dad asphalt and builds streets on perfect
system and one which would be particu-
larly adapted to the conditions in this CITY,
Rutgers street, upon which l reside, is
now one of the most beautiful streets in the
country. The street was narrowed so that
we have two rows of trees on each side
and a road bed in the center which is
simply perfect, and will last for hundred
years or more. The wear upon it in all
these years is scarcely perceptible and the
expense of repairing has amounted to
mere trife, and yet Utica has a climate
that is very hard on streets, owing to the
heat of summer and cold of winter, with
alternate freezing and thaws in the spring
and fall. There are many miles of this
same pavement in Washington, Buffalo,
Rochester and various cities in the East
and Canada.
When they are ready to improve a
street they take the dirt from the center
and use it TO grade the sides. Then they
lay foundation of about six inches of
sharp sand-ordinary mixed sand is not
good. Upon this they put a grouting about
six or eight inches thick, composed of
crushed rock mixed with cement. Over
that is laid a course of two inches of as
phalt, and upon this cushion of asphalt
one inch thick. This last layer is prepared
in different manner from the two-inch
one, and must be put on by experts. We
employed in this work negroes from Wash
ington, who bad gained experience in the
street work in that city. All the rest of
the work can be done by ordinary laborers.
After the cushion is put on, white or yellow
sand is sprinkled over the top, giving an
effect pleasant to the eye. 1t is q some
what remarkable fact that this thin coating
of sand will not wear out in years.
During our investigations we tested the
various kinds of pavement in different
ways, and came to the conclusion that in
the end the asphalt pavement was much
more economical than any of the others,
besides being more pleasant to ride over
1t is more durable than other pavement,
except granite blocks, and it has many ad-
vantages over that. We had heavy trucks
loaded snd hauled over streets paved with
granite blocks and with asphalt and found
that while the granite blocks gave way
in places, the asphalt pavement carried the
heavy weight without sinking at all.
"The expense of putting down this pave
ment ought to be very much less here than
in Utica, for various reasons, but even with
US it is cheaper in the end than any other
If you wish to have permanently good
i
time and money in putting gravel upon
these streets. If you do, you will find
yourselves twenty years from now discuss
ing the same question that is agitating
your community now. You will find it
much better to go at the work systematic
ally now, on large scale, ayailing your
selves of the costly experience of other
cities, and build your streets permanently
at once. But do not commence the work
until you know what you are doing-until
you have thoroughly examined the best
systems-and then proceed to do the work
well and you will have good streets for
all time.
you have no idea how the improve.
ment of the streets of Utica enhanced the
value of real estate in that city. Every
there was a demand for it. AT
one time citizens were very slow
to commence improvement. but the city
decided to pay one-third of the expense.
From that time forward everybody became
anxious to have the street in front of his
property improved, and it has been impos-
sible to do the work fast enough to suit
them. I believe you would find it the
same here if your people could once see
what has been done in this line in other
cities. Looking at their streets to-day, it is
almost impossible for them to believe that
streets can be constructed here, and for less
money than has already been wasted on
them, that would be free from mud at all
seasons OF the year and in perfect order gil
the time. Yet that such is the fact has
been demonstrated by the results in other
cities, where the climatic conditions are
not near so favorable
PROPERTY-OWNER MEET,