Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-26
STREET FOUNDATIONS.
DR.. F. NJ. SHIELDS GIVES THE SUB
JECT SOME THOUGHT.
Coal-Tar as Il Possible Substitute for
Cement Its Durable Qualities
Fully Demonstrated.

Eys. RECORD 1soS :. Have the kind7es
to score a point in street grading. Allo7
me to fortify myself, however, 50 far as Il
say that there is room for further proof OF
the point referred to, The question o
foundations, as the WORD implies, is at the
bottom of all street improvement, as vel
as for buildings and all others. The Gas
Company here made a pavement about
their works which, as l am informed, was
failure. But similar one made at Their
| old works was o success.
asked Mr. Boylan, the oldest workman
in the employ of the company, why the
work was failure at the new gas works.
He said that the coal-tar did not stiffen or
set. l asked him the cause of this, and he
said that sand or sshes or lime should have
been added to insure this Ito dry it). Some
of these materials had been added at the
old works, and very excellent results had
been obtained. learned from him that
coal-tar will cement a foundation better
(stronger) than hydraulic cement. And
from many others ! so far gather that
hydraulic cement is more valuable for its
hardness than for binding together the
rocks or boulders of masonry. One man
a practical workman-stated in conversa-
ton at the public meeting at n and Eff
tenth, last Saturday night. that hydraulic
cement had very little strength twas brittle}.
! have to this date been ia favor OF n.y.
drauiic cement for stone foundations, es
pecially because Of its in6estructibiiity ;;
but Mr.. Boylan informs me that coal tar is
unaffected by water and by sec!usion in the
fpbfc oou firr,nS thu xriovz- IF NolCpaf
Kellogg, who says that the redwood boards
placed under our Nicholson pavement,
saturated with coal tar. comes out of its
trial SIS sound as a dollar; and that Mr..
Buns, who lives out of the city, has
1000 feet of these same boards 10 day as
fencing, and they are as sound as they were
fifteen years ago, and except they are
black, are in prime condition.
To this testimony of the durability of
tar seems to be added the report of Engi-
neer Green of Washington, D. c., on con-
crete foundations or pavements, artificial,
or more specifically, concrete pavements.
He says: 1.-The so-called concrete pave
ments are, as a general rule, in fair state
of preservation. They are generally laid
on a base of broken stone, from four to six
inches thick, covered with a layer of
binders about one inch thick, composed of
gravel pebbles and cement of coal tar"
This report refers to some of these roads
being in good repair after five years use,
and of others that were of inferior quality.
But am not speaking now OF roads, but
of foundations. Let us get something
settled, and then rear upon this our road of
asphalt or gravel, as taste and prudence
shall dictate. Ii it shall be decided that
coal tar is cement worthy of adoption, ii
will be seen that we have competitor
with by draulic cement, which will cheaper
the latter and reduce the cost.
But what are the reasons for such inter-
est in foundations? Is it not probable that
gravel will be used generally on our streets
any way? l answer that may be, but that
gravel will surely settle in our streets is
the opinion of many. 1t will settle because
the foundation is of slickens, or debris. The
streets are already graded of this material.
If sand should be decided to be preferable,
we must again grade with sand, and then
the water will 90 through the sand down
to the less stable.material.
ia substantial foundation shall once be
made, it will always be there, ready for any
wearing surface to be built upon, and to
bear up any repairs that shall ever be
made in the future. On firm foundation
even gravel can be repaired when it fails.
If il adds to the cost in the first place this
is no objection, if the cost is not too great.
If you have strong foundation the wear
ing surface may be thinner, and when the
cost of both are computed the difference
NAV be too small to be worth considera-
ton.
How do we know that the cost will be
too great till we have investigated it =?
How do you know whether a founda-
ton of say three inches of gravel cemented
with coal tar and overlaid with six inches
of gravel will not be as cheap as twelve
inches of gravel, with no foundation but
debris?
This can not be answered until the cost
of the foundation is first ascertained. No
one can imagine the pleasure inspired by
the experience of drive even over gravel
road, knowing that it hss a foundation
that is firm enough TO last well ard that
now we shall only have to repair the sur
face If the difference is only small you
can trust even the least progressive Sacra-
mentan to chose this for his street.
Colonel Kellogg hiss said that redwood
boards saturated with al tar would last
forty years. If our would make the
effort these could be J.. for $40 per II 00
feet, and |, 120 feet would cover a street in
front of lot 40 BY 60 feet. The cost
or labor of dipping them in the coal tar
would have 10 be added. aud then the
gravel, and you hsye good street Tor more
than an average life time. But it may be
we can even DO better.
Right here allow NE TO apologize for CIV
ing names to the public. The latter do mot,
some of them, attend the public meetings.
Some one may wish to get further intor-
nation, and you all know where to find it
if the names are given. Colonel Kellogg
says that coal tar will penetrate, when hot,
nearly through an inch redwood board. |
do not advocate this for foundation. but
give it for what it is worth, and to show
that we have choice among many kinds
of foundations. This was tried under the
Nicholson pavement, and when the Nichol-
son failed this was found good, and is even
good to-day, and doing service on Mr..
| Burns fence.
The cost of coal tar here is 81 barrel,
and this would be too high as a cement for
gravel, but its value East is merely nom-
| inal-I am informed it is less than 81 a
barrel. 1t is high here because it is worth
the above sum for fuel when it is made.
NJ