The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-04-01

Tho City Council met last night I'm
special session. The attendance was
larger than usual. There were present:
President Hawthorne and Councilmen
Buckner, Huff, Graves, McCahan, Rug
giles, Sheehan, Skinker and Trout
Enough business was received, and laid
oil to keep municipal affairs booming
Tor twelve months. twas emphatically
business meeting and things moved
In spirited and inspiriting way. Inn
portant reports were received from sew
cral special and regular committees and
referred for early action. Tho impor-
tant duties which will devolvo upon
the Council in rapidly forwarding public
improvements were foremost in the
minds OF all councilmen. Tho call
itself embodied no less than half a.
dozen distinct subjects for discussion and
action. These subjects were:
First. To receive the report Of the.
special committee on streets and. to take
action thereon.
Second. To receive the report from
the public property committe.
Third. To receive the report Of the
fire and water committee.
Fourth. To receive the report of tho
sewer committee.
Fifth. To consider the result Of tho
recent election and to receive PROPOSE
ton from the Cold Storage Company.
Sixth. To take action on the general
appropriations.
The last two clauses in the GALL were
drag nets which took in vast deal of
important business.
The report Of the special street COM
mlttee (printed on the sixth page) was
read In full, and ordered received for
action at the next regular meeting of
the Council.
Col. Thomas LOWS, by general oon-
sent, addressed the Council advocat ting
tho expenditure of the entire amount
voted for street improvements in max
ing twenty-five miles Of maoadamized
streets. His idea was that by this plan
the whole city would receive an equal
benefit and that all streets would to.
that extent be improved alike
1t was explained that the action OF
tho Council in adopting the report was
preliminary to tho further stop OF rec
ommending specific pavements and des-
lgnating the streets to be improved.
Supplemental to tho report of the
special committee was ono from City
Engineer Dunlap in regard to street
paving, which is herewith appended.
ROANOKE, Va, March IS, 1891.
Jas. Mcconnell Esq, Chairman, Com
mittce on Streets, Roanoke, Va.
Sir since tho appropriations re-
commended by the City Council were
carried at the recent election held for
is ready to receive plans and suggestions
for street improvements of a more ex-
tensive and permanent character than
heretofore constructed. l beg leave,
therefore, to present my views on this
subject for your consideration.
Since it is conceded by all that we
should now have permanently good
streets, fulfilling as nerr as practicable
the conditions of economy, comfort and
durability, it becomes us to find out
what kind, in all respects, would DO
most suitable for our city
Among tho best streets at present, we
might mention asphalt, both in sheet
and block, concrete, brick, granite,
block and macadam, each kind having
advantages. AT present, almost all OF
our streets are ordinary dirt roads and
in the wet weather the new streets would
be kept muddy for o considerable dis
lance from the dirt roadways and in
steep grades on very smooth streets,
this mud would make them dangerously
slippery to draft horses.
In former report gave the approx
innate cost for three kinds of streets,
viz: Belgian or granite block, brick
and McAdam, thinking they would be
most suitable. Since then, have ex-
amined these kind of streets in Rich
| mond, Va, and, after careful consider
alton, / am convinced that we should
build Belgian block in the business por-
ton and McAdam, with paved cutters,
on the other streets for roadways, while
stone curb and any kind of sidewalk
which may be acceptable and guaran-
teed, such as brick, stone tagging,
cement or asphalt may be used, as tho
abutting property owner may desire.
Granite block roadway consists in
first having the sub-grade the exact
shape of the finished street and made
smooth and hard. On this put six
inches OF clean coarse sand on this
place tho blocks which are six inches
thick, and then run down to grade. Its
advantages are: ~ Moderate first
cost. ta) Small expense for repairs-
| (3) Durability, az Ease OF taking up
and replacing (5) When worn on ono