Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-19
LETTER BAG.
Pavements Again.

EprroRs HERALD: The California Sew
er Pipe company seem to object to my
criticisms OF brick pavements, and won
der why have gone to Europe and some
eastern cities to prove the virtues OF
asphalt pavements. Just why went to
Europe was not so much to give the facts
about Asphalt and bituminous pave
ments. as it was to discover where this
80 or 7O-years old brick pavement was.
His article answers the questions, and
goes it 80 years better, making it 100
years. but does not give any account of
the traffic or what sort of wear it was
subjected to. The report of he United
States consul, Walter S. Gardner, to
the department Of state, winds up his
article on pavements in Rotterdam, by
saving: "But, on the whole, even in
the Judgment of many of the good peo-
pie of Rotterdam, their street-pavement
system is for other cities a very good
system to avoid" Even in this city of
bricks the streets that get the heavy
traffic are paved with stone. Holland,
gentlemen, is q country of canals, which
take the place of streets and highways in
most instances for heavy traffic. The
article goes on to say: ut is proposed
to show some of the villages where Wit
rified brick paving is being used extern
sivelv and with the best results, namely,
Philadelphia, quoting the president OF
the council and director of the board of
public works in his report of 1890, rec.
ommending that no more asphalt be
laid in that city. They are still laving
asphalt, however, for traffic streets, and
we have as yet no knowledge of the brick
| being used there on streets that have
any traffic to speak of. The article goes
| on TO quote Ira s. Bakers statement
about the paving of the freight yards of
| the G. B. and O. railroad at Chicago,
| which gives some facts that prove some
thing-prove that there was not a single
| broken brick after six months service.
| Let me quote Ira 8. Baker from his
pamphlet on Brick Pavements, pub
| lished March, 1891. In summing up he
Gays: ''We already have fairly
good knowledge of the qualities of
many of the materials employed for
paving, and are reasonably we'll versed
! in the method of testing therein, but
brick is a material only comparatively
recently emp Dyed for paving purposes,
| at least in this country, and at present
! there is no standard by which to judge
| of its quality. The common council OF
| Topeka sent their experts to the towns
of Bloomington and Decatur, ILL.,, and
| Cincinnati, and their report says they
found no place where the pavement was
satisfactory, except on streets having
very light traffic. Bloomington, ILL.,,
favored it where not more than one
hundred teams per day passed over it.
Decatur and Cincinnati reported against
it. You further state in your article
that you have only given few of the
testimonials from cities where vitri6ed
brick has been tried and adopted as the
best street paving material, both for
heavy and light traffic, and where you
quote Ira S. Baker and the freight
yards of the o. B. and 1. railroad, at
Chicago, six months trial, but you
brick your company turns out, l suppose
it is equal to any; it may be su-
perior to any; it may be an artificial
granite and an improvement on granite.
l don't know, nor, gentlemen, do you
know. Every body does know that you
turn out a very superior article of sewer
pipe. There is, believe, none better,
and, therefore, surmise that your brick
will be good of it's kind, but allow me to
remark that the business of street paw
to wait for results before making claims
that have no foundation. When your
brick pavement has been down as long
as the bituminous rock pavements OF this
city, and under the same traffic, you
will know more about it. b.
treasure for the household: Lightning