The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-22
THE MAIN STREET PAVING.
Active Steps Taken at a Joint Meet
ing Of the Citizens and
Aldermen.
Committee Appointed to Secure
Signatures Of the Owners
Of Property.
Divsrging Opinions ON the Matter Of Ma
terlal. but Nearly All United ON
the Great Question.

tsrlal, hut Nearly All United ON
the Great Question.
Steps were taken at a meeting of citizens
md aldermen in the council chambers last
night looking toward getting the sense of
the property owners on Main street in re-
gard to the paving of that thoroughfare.
Mayor kleinschmidt presided, and among
tho others present we're W.. Il. Cox, H. M.
Parohen, L. /. Israel, II. +. Fisk. Villa M
Harrison, j. karatofsky, Aldermen Thomp-
son, Lissner. Fuller and Weber, and City
Engineer Reeder. Mayor Kleinschmidt
said the meeting had boon called to get the
sense Of the property owners on Main
street as to the propriety of paving that
street. The street was certainly
in a deplorable condition and If the prop
erty owners did not stand in with the paw
ing proposition the city would be COM
PEELED to do the next best thing and patch
up the w0rk as we'll as it could be done.
This would entail great expense on the
city. some way should be devised to get
the street into prcsentable condition. He
recommended that a committee of citizens
be appointed to find out whether the ma
prity of the property owners favored the
paving. The committee could act in con-
junction with the one appointed by the
city council recently.
Ex-Alderman Harrison said it would be
a great undertaking. In the event of it
being done, he suggested that the council
take into confederation the matter of hav-
ing some kind of alignment OF curbing and
cutters. The paving from Cutler street to
Helena avenue would not DO q large expen-
diture on the port of any property owner.
Asphalt was the best kind of pavement, but
the gyade of Main street was too steep to
allow its use there. as it furnished very in
secure footing for horses.
Mayor Kleinschmidt said that City En-
gineer Reeler had calculated the distance
from Sixth avenue to Cutler street at 1900
feet, and that it would require 1900 square
the cost Of the various kinds Of pavements
in use as follows: Granite, $3.50 per
square yard; asphalt, $2.7 s per square yard;
wood (Nicholson pavemsnt) 1925 to $1.5O
per square yard; curbing and cutters. $l.10
per lineal foot for natural stone and 81
cents for cement. On these estimates. the
mayor said, the cost of paving Main street,
including cutters and curling, from Sixth
avenue to Cutler street, would be
$3o,400 for granite, $24, 700 for asphalt and
DlOtOVV lOI WOOu0u DlOCAn. IIOul SutlcT
street to Helena avenue the cost would be
about 100000 for granite, $4,000 for
asphalt and S26, 900 for wood The mayor
believed the wooden pavement could be put
in as cheaply here as anywhere else. Dur
ing his visit to Europe he found that in
Berlin, where they had been using granite
for ages, they wore replacing it with wood.
The same was the case in the main business
streets of London.
Alderman Thompson did not think wood
or asphalt a good pavement for Main street
on account of the grade. Pittsburg had
tried all these wooden pavements, and was
tearing up hundreds of thousands Of dol
lars worth of them and giving them away
for tirewood, while granite was taking
their place. He would regard the money as
~squandered to put down a Nicholson pave
ment on Main street.
Alderman Lissner said it was not for the
present meeting to raise the question rs to
how to pave the street, but whether
they could get enough property owners to
ask for it. Thu proper way would be for
owners should pay and how much the city.
If the city should agree to paw % or 30 or
33 per cent, the proposition would go
through easily.
Mayor Kleinschmidt said the time had
gone by when the city should grade streets
away on Main street would have paved it
twice over. If the work was to be done it
should be lone at the expense of
the property owners After the street
was once paved it would be the duty of the
city to keep it in repair. II the Main street
the paving, he did not see how the council
could take the money out of the treasury to
pay for it.
ii. M. Parchen thought the property own
ers should bear the expense. Other streets
would have to be graded later on and OH the
nv rriOoirlo nhiaNfi0p had haan ma1a
to the noise that a granite pavement would
cause. The city needed Il little noise to
stir it up.
X. E. Fisk made n protest against granite
paving on account of the noise, and Alder
man Thompson. like Mr.. Parchsn, thought
it would be . providential interference if
there was some din about Main street. Al
derman Thompson also brought matters to
an issue by proposing the appointment OF
a committee to act with that appointed by
the council, to secure signatures of prop
erty owners to a petition for tho paving of
Main street. Alderman Fuller wanted to
amend the proposition SO that it should be
understood that no work but curbing, GROSS
ings and the cutters should be done this
year.
scheme. When he started to make a coat
he did not believe in making the sieeves
this year and the remainder of the garment
next. If there was not time to do all the
paving this year then do several blocks and
let tho others go over till next.
w. E. Cox did not think it wise to hitch
on any proposition to the petition except
that of paving. He favored doing AZ much
this year as possible, paving, curbing and
all.
Alderman Fuller's amendment WAS re-
jected, and the proposition of Alderman
Thompson adopted. Mayor kleinschmidt
appointed w. T.. Cox, L. l. Israel and X. Il.
Fisk on The committee. Alderman Lissner
was added on motion of Alderman Fuller,
The council committee, previously APP
pointed, are Mayor kleinschmidt, Alder
man Thompson and Alderman Fuller. The
two committees will meet to-day and start
out on their work of can wasting among the
property owners OH Main street.
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