Los Angeles herald., 1891-09-28
COUNTY ROADS.
Mrs. Mary e. HOffman's
Address
On County Roads and City
Streets.
The Urgent Necessity for Good
Roads Set Forth.
Criticism on the Paving of Different
Cities How to Secure Improve
ment in the ThorOughfares
of This City and
County.

| public in so vital matter needs fire.
quent prompting, take the pleasure in
giving the HERALD readers some ex-
tracts from an address recently delivered
before the Pacific Coast Women's Press
association at San Francisco.
The author, Mrs. Mary L. Hoffman, is
treasurer of the association, and has
presented that body with two valuable
lots of land in San Francisco. She is
also member of the American Eco
nomic association. Her essay on Coun-
try Roads and City Streets has been
issued by the association as mono
graph, for distribution to improvement
societies, county roadmasters, boards of
trade, etc. 1t is worthy of quotation
entire, but lack OF space forbids it
Mrs. Hoffman goes back to Egypt 1890
years ago and traces the evolution OF
wheeled vehicles, which made roads a
| necessity. In modern times roads were
built first in Holland, then in Spain
and then in England.
Referring to the wealth and important
commercial situation of San Francisco,
she urges ''the powers that be'' not to
allow that port to be outdone in street
improvement by a lake city, and de-
scribes the boulevards of Chicago, citing
the increased value of property adjoin-
! ing such fine avenues. Then she says:
''For the building and equipping of a
railroad across the great American des-
ert, over mountains and through unin-
habited districts, the brain and nerve
have been found in California. The in
1 ~ IL e
its most successful systems and great
electric railroad builders have been
found here. Our Golden Gate park has
many attractive features that are un-
equaled by any other park Of
the world. Our philanthropic and
charitable and religious societies, with
their men brave and their women virtu-
GUS and courageous, are doing work.
For all these, competent leaders have
appeared; for another and possibly a
greater leader, we look.
We realize with pride that the rail-
way mileage of this country is as great
as that of all the world besides; and
now, should we not make permanent
and attractive the ways that border our
homes and that leads forth to the frag-
rant fields of the country? We have
men among US wise, keen and progress
sive enough to build and operate rail-
roads, to erect magnificent structures
and to look after the sanitary conditions.
Where, now,is the engineer, the finan-
cier, the diplomatist, able to given to
one city of this commonwealth the
sire cts that are her due?
England, France and Germany have
all their roads under national supervis-
ion, and each of these willy nations
builds thoroughly good road while she
watches her rivals.
If our national government should
appoint highly qualified roadmaster,
to whom the roadmaster OF every state
himself competent engineer-should
be responsible, and to whom the county
roadmaster should be subject the work
of each year would not only be valuable
in itself, but would form part of one
81 mmetric whole.
Into the legislature OF Massachusetts,,
of New York and other states bills have
been introduced looking to state super
vision of roads. BY giving to the con-
sideration of road and street improve
ment goodly share of space, the COVER
nors of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania
have popularized their messages" :.
Mrs. Hoffman proceeds to censure
the macadamized roads as made in this
country, and objects to stone block
pavements on account of their noise.
She believes that the $1,000 wheelmen
OF the country are valuable coadjutors
in the work of good road building, and
says they have cast many books upon
the subject broadcast over the land.
The press, too, is alive to
the necessity of improvement
in this regard and many
influential newspapers are doing all in
their power to arouse the public to ac-
tion. Washington, che says, was the
first city to answer the question, "What
is the best material?" and has over a
million yards of bituminous pavement.
Buffalo followed suit, and now thirty
four cities of the United States have
total area OF five million square yards of
bituminous pavement-more than twice
as much as all Europe.
Less sonorous than granite or basalt,
bitumen as pavement dressing is COM
paratively noiseless, and when properly
laid upon good concrete foundation of
sufficient thickness, heavily loaded
vehicles, unless the day be very warm,
make no impression. Unless stone
blocks be of excellent quality, bitumi-
| uOub 1OGh OdhC6 buc uIHb p1dCo as 10 uuI-
ability. For pleasure driving, for
cycling, and for all street purposes,
| its cleanliness, its noiselessness
and its imperviousness to delete
rious odors, commend the bitumin-
lied street. Its velvety texture
and the mellow tone of its color make
| it pleasing to the eye, and we trust it
may be "a Joy forever" In
the city Of Buffalo we find 100 miles of
bituminized streets, and the author
tiles tell us that only about 500 has it
cost in the last six years to keep these
| pavements in repair. In San Francisco
one-seventh of all our accepted streets
are bituminized. Over them to ride is
treat, and upon them to reside is a
| joy. In the city of Oakland, upon
Grove and some other streets, we find
beneath the gutter, upon each side Of
the street, sewer, laid close to the
curb and parallel to it, SO that by side
sewers and service pipes the street will
never be disturbed. AS Oakland has in
this respect improved upon San Fran
cisco, so let US improve upon Oakland
and under Market street at least have a
subway as London and Paris have
under their streets. Ii necessary, issue
bonds for its construction. Through
this tunnel let sewer pipes.
gas pipes. water pipes, and