Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-03-09
THEPAYIXG PROBLEM.
An Enterprise that Must Eventually he
Made-The Different Kinds OF
Paving Compared.

brsiheSs men ana properly owners IN
tbs city. All see the need that
must be done in the near
failure to give Salem better streets.
Tbis should not he done without II
definite plan and an implicite con
Tho Oregou's climate is not very /
iruph different from that OF Macy /.
"iLyg places where pavements have /
!ecu laid, get it is necessary To study /
the material used. 1t is also true
hat the streets of Salem are wide
md would require a large expense
% uave many blocks, but that does
"u, alter the fact that they are need
ed No one regrets that the city has
sid, streets, who knows anyl hing
81 he ioul air in the narrow streets
Jt some OF tie cities Of the coast.
VIM. Steyh, city engineer of Burl-
ington, Iowa, furnishes some valu-
able information in the Municipal
Engineering Journal, of South Da-
kota. He compares the qualities of
the different kind of materials
when he had examined, and his
observations ranged from Toronto,
Canada, through Iowa aud Illinois
to Wheeling, West Va. He says he
foumd various pavemeuts iu use, but
the following four were the least de.
fectlve and were the only ones which
had given genera! satisfaction from
heullhful and economical stand
point. He conuares them thus:
Grunite-merits: durable, clean,
healthful, defects; noisy, UncomtUrt-
able, slippery when worn, and eA'
pensive, first cost. Sheet asphaltum
merits: comfortable, clean, noise
less, healthful; defects: short lived
expensive to repair, slippery or
graded, expensive at first cost
i}ricks-merits: comfortable, dur
bic, clean, healthful, easy to repair
defects: moderately noisy, moderate
first cost. Wood blocks-merits
comfortable, noiseless, clean (wher
new; defects: shortlived, unhealth
ful, moderate first cost,
OF these four kinds Of paving Mr.
Steyh decidedly tavors brick to bt
used in the city of Burlington, anC
10 maintain his views lie says:
"lheTe are various other pave
nents i'm existence, but as none ot
them are free from serious defects, l
~ iii pass them by and confine my
self to brick pavements exclusively,
AS this pavement has, | think, the
least Objectionable features of any
pavement now in use. The most
necessary article for a good brick
pavement is, of course, the brick for
the top course. There are a good
many brick pavements laid today
which are not first-Class, owing TO
the fact that inferior material is used
in the manufacture of bricks, and
that the bricks are not selected as
carefully as they should be; for these
reasons we hear now and then OF
pav3nents that are far from salts.
factory.
The size of bricks orpaving blocks
is often discussed and some parties
favor a block twice as large or larger
than the regular size of the building
brick. prefer the regular brick fol
the following reasons. If paving
block of large dimensions is re-
uuired, there is a large percentage OF
waste, as it is impossible to burn al
blocks alike and suitable for paving
purposes. The rejected blocks can
not be used for any purpose and the
manufacturer Is obliged to charge
more for his marketable blocks, thar
he otherwise would, to make up fol
the loss occurred, as no man is fool
lsh enough to carry on a business
where money is sunk instead o
made. To use a block of large size
on grades exceeding four per cent
the pavement becomes too smooth
and does not afford as good foot
hold for horses as the regular siZeC
brick. 1t is an established fact. tina
q block cannot be burned as uni
formly as brick, which is one o
the main reasons why the bricl
, should have the preference"
1t is the belief among the brlci
manufacturers in this city that tn
CLAW here is excellent for vitritied, o
fire brick, such as would be desire'
+. in pavements to make them durable
II is also well known among brlc
= masons and many others, that ther
| is "A vast difference IN brick. Th
d soft porous brick would not do at a
}. for paving material, as they woul
soon wear away and become yer
t uneven,
u The committee are looking ln'
n the different kind Of materials use
3 and will doubtless soon arrive
IS some conclusion for bettering II
? condition of the streets IN Salem.
~
It PORTLAND POLICE COMMISSION
Z