Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-04-17
CONVINCING PROOFS
Result Of . Tour Of obssrv alton
in European Cities
lsPHiLTREPLlClsC WOOD AND SIOyE
Ia Lsaass. where IL Has stosa the
Tesf for siaeteea Years Upon the
heaviest frAneksd street ia lks
Worid-AR unbias=d Report

April NUMBER o. the Faving anu Munl-
cipal Engineering Magazine. The
periodical Is unfriendly TO asphalt,
hence the article is al the more force
full and convincing: The city OF New
York has recently appropriated s., 00o,-
900 for pavements and 81 900. 600 more
than now asked for. The New York
authorities claim to have prohted in
this matter by the experience of Euro
pean cities. They have tried 10. at any
rate. Several mouths ago, Assistant En-
gineer Charles II. Bull went abroad 10
inspect payements there, and u inyes-
ugate the history and record of the
various sorts OF pavements IN use III
London, Paris, Liverpool aud Berlin,
elties that are usually held up as mod
els in this matter for New York. His
report 10 now before Commissioner Gil
roy. From portions OF his report, the
following statements are taken: 81
have spent good deal OF time in OBJ
serving the effect of traffic over the
various kinds OF pavement, and IN view
OF its recent use In New York | partic.
ularly observed the asphalt pavement.
In 1859 an experimental piece OF as
phalt pavement, 400 hundred yards
| IN area, was Land in Threadneedle-st..
London; that pavement, which, or
course, has had many repairs made to
| it since it was first laid, still remains
and Is now IN good condition.
Favorable Opinion Enlisted.
"Soon afterwards, the cleanliness, the
absence of noise and the comfort felt
by the community generally from this
asphalt pavement enlisted the favorable
opinion of the public and led TO the
paving OF Cheaps.de aud the Poultry in
1870. These pavements remained in
constant use nineteen years, and al
though, OF course. they were extensive
ly repaired, still, up to 1889 the car
rlageway was never closed entirely for
general relayiDg Of pavement. In
1889 the contract for maintenance of
the asphalt pavement in Cneapside hav-
ing expired, . new contract was made
and 3 new surface of asphalt was laid.
After Cheapside, many of the streets in
the city were paved with asphalt, and
gradually the stone pavements of the
whole of the main thoroughiares were
replaced with either asphalt or wood.
but mainly by asphalt. 1t may be men,
toned that the wood pavement IN sew
cral streets have since been taken up
and replaced by asphalt, but in no case
has asphalt been replaced by wood.
Clean, Nsisciess and Cheap.
"Asphalt is in general use in Paris,
Berlin and other cities of Europc IN
both business and residential streets,
and under VARYING climatic conditions
1t is stated to wear well and give gem
eral satisfaction. The experience of
these cities with tine pavement is SIM
liar to that of London. 1t is clean and
almost noiscless and can sustain quite
q heavy traffic; and it is considered
most economical, although / find that
Paris and London pay much H,Ore for
their pavement per square yard than
New York docs. AZ AZ instance l state
the case of Capital MiEore, in London,
the street most recently contracted.
The cost Of the work including main
tsnnrce similar to that exacted lay New
York c ty is 81. would be Sc pr square
vaId. ga Paris the cost is even greater,
the price averaging s. per square yard.
And III connection with this statement
II should be remembered that the cost
of labor in New York - much grea.sr
than in any of these European cities.
The asphalt surface Is from two To two
and one-half inches in thickness" the
report goes on. land laid upon u found
alton of concrete six inches thick, COM
posed of one part Portland cement, six
parts sand and eight parts broken stone.
sustaius Enormous Tranlc.
"The payment is maintained for a
r...Ir Of ~.
by the company which originally con-
struct the work. They are paid n Ger.
tain amount annually per square yard,
depending upon the amount of traffic
over the pavement. for maintaining
the same in good order, and in case Of
any disturbance of the pavement by n
corporation or private citizen, this COM
pany replaces such pavement at the ex-
pense OF the corporation or citizen,
and IS responsible for Its maintenance
thereafter. y force of men IL kept con-
siantly ut WORK making repairs to the
pavemcnts, and any defect, however
slight. Is remedied Immediately. The
life of al asphalt pavement. II kept IN
good repair. is considered to be from
seventeen u twenty years. Thread
needle-s;. Cheapside and Poultry, In
London. which were laid about twenty
v rlrs ago. sustain an enormous vehIcu-
lar traffic. The amount of travel over
london streets may he appreciated
when IL ~ stated that 1872 vehicles
passed over the asphalt pavement in
Cheapside in twenty -four hours. FelIru-
airy 81. 1878, and in Manson House-st.
% 60 vehicles IN twenty-four hours,
February %, 1888. Cornhill. IIolborn,
Nfsduct, Newgstc-st. and others have a
daily traffic of from 5000 to 1900 vc-
hicles over their asphalt pavement.
A.phsIt D.tter Than Wool.
"a great deal of wood pavement is
also used in Paris and Berlin. bat while
Il Is very popular IN Paris IL il not so
favorahly considered in London or Ber-
I'm "a asphalt. In London 1T u found
necessary to remove and replace the
wooden blocks about every fourth year
and, sIthough noIseless and better suit
ed for the streets having steep gradients
than Asphalt. still for sanitary reasons
or durability it does not compare Ia
vorahiy. IN view OF the fact of its being
more easily polluted. retaining mos
ture longer and being harder To keen
clean. Paris keeps its wood pavement
ia good condition at an ANIMAL expense
of 20 cents ter square yard. TINS seems
tn be too great an amount for New
York to spend In the maintenance OF
this class OF work. Engineer Balls re-