Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-03

1OdI iSS,SoO
map showing the above pavemsnts in de-
| tail is appended.
The pavements laid during the past year
were granite block, asphalt on bituminous base
and on hydraulic base and asphalt block.
The specifications for these various kind Of
pavements will be found in the appendices to
this report. A comparison Of these specifica-
tions will show that the standard asphalt pave
ment on hydraulic base has been left out.
This was the pavement adopted some years
ago and experience has demonstrated that the
pavement now called ro- by the specifications
Is r better one.
The law this year permitted the use Of the
hydraulic base for sheet asphalt pavement at a
cost not to exceed - Is per square yard. / do
not think that in the future any asphalt pave
ment should be laid without this except under
the most favorable conditions.
Whenever streets paved with cobble were to
be paved with sheet asphalt the cobble was left
as foundation if it was in good condition.
This resulted in a saving Of from 10 to 90 cents
Per square yard.
On / street northwest between Goth and 23d
streets, paved this year with asphalt,
most excellent bed Of macadam. This macadam
WINS left for base and. apparently, with good
results.
GRADING AND REGULATING.
No change has been made in this work during
the fiscal year. In the new work now being
done the Telford macadam pavement has been
substituted for the macadam formerly used.
A table Is appended showing list Of streets
and avenues in the cities Of Washington and
Georgetown for the improvement Of which
| money was appropriated
Contracts have been made for all these streets
except 18th street northwest from New Hamp-
shire avenue to 8; 4th northeast, c TO d, and
| 9th northeast, to d. These streets were pro-
vidod for in the appropriation for 199O-9l and
contracts made HurlnO that hovi NJ
been found that there was sufficient money in
| that appropriation to allow this expenditure
| they were improved and paid for out of the ap-
preparation for 1891.
THE PERMIT sYsrEk
During the year s3l, 9S4. OF was expend ID for
regular permit. work and S1O9,2 l475 for COM
pulsory permit work. Referring to the appro-
priation for the permit system Capt Rossell
says:
regard this as one of the mos, important
funds given to the Commissioners for expendi-
ture. Not only does il affect the public health
in the case of alleys. out it permits a better
class of sidewalks and new sidewalks to be laid
| where without such a fund the Commissioners
would be powerless to require new sidewalks to
be put down.
During the present fiscal year the appropria-
| ton for permit work to be used OF roadways
| and for curbing OF the same so O0O As
| the appropriation is coupled with a provision
Il
be not less than one square and to the full width
! OF the roadway, it will be seen that this
IL only applicable to the places where
| the property is in the hands of
large owners Should the appropriation be
| made in such q way as to permit the Commits
| sioners to expend the money by doing all work
| where necessary and taxing the abutting prop
erty for the amount, believe that the same
| could be 'advantageously increased and wisely
| expended. OF course the objection would arise
Il m v1Nath nA hat nh afr
cially provided for the property owner is put
/ only to the expense Of the curbing and side
walk. and where 1t is done under this system
he is required to pay one-half Of the entire
cost of roadway and sidewalk. In every
case, then, where the parties are required to
pay one-half they feel aggrieved and
that they have just cause for complaint.
| To avoid this as far as possible.
it might be well to provide that such work
should only be done on written application,
| signed by the owners OF q majority of the prop
erty affected. This would enable the properly
owners to get such work done at an carly date
when they were willing to pay half the expense.
SIDEWALKS.
Under the head of sidewalks he saws.
The sidewalks Of the city Of Washington con-
trast SO badly with the roadways as to cause
constant remark from strangers and constant
| complaint from residents. Anything that can
| be devised to better this, it seems to me- would
i Dc u SEeht duNdutobc W DlelTlCt, ana
| would suggest that the Commissioners
| pass regulations forbidding on certain
streets the laying of any kind of
sidewalks except the most approved, which, 1
believe, to be the granolithic or some similar
pavement This should be required on the
business streets Of the first class OF the city and
on the finest residence streets. On business
streets or residence streets where property is
not Of such high value a grade OF
pavement q little below this might be
laid, such as the asphalt tile sidewalk.
This forms an excellent pavement, but is less
expensive than granolithic. On the minor
streets and streets where the property is no,
improved and is Of no great value the brick
sidewalks might be used. By following some
| such scheme as this believe 1t would result in
a great improvement of the sidewalks through
out the city and District, and would finally give
the city what it SO much needs-a good class OF
sidewalks to compare favorably with the road
ways.
The use Of the blue stone curb has been en-
tirely discontinued in this city, except where
the old curb has been taken from streets to b.
permanently improved and used on streets only
partially improved, such as graded
and regulated streets and streets were side