The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-11-23
STREETS BADLY PAVED.
Due TO the Relaying of Tracks of
the Traction Company.

A very large number of complaints
have been made concerning the manner
In which the streets have been repaved
after the new rails Of the Consolidated
Traction Company have been laid down.
The contractors seemed to have per
formed their worK hurrisdly aud as a re-
suit 1t is imperfectiy finished. The
trouble generally is that the roadway be-
tween the tracks 10 not so well paved as
II was before. aud In any places looks
az II 1t had been paved twenty years ago.
In some places the blocks ara absve the
level OF the rail two to three inches, while
In others they are as many inches below.
The oadbed mas not been properly made
and whent the rain came the sand washed
out leaving the last condition of the road
worse han the first. These Irregularities
have been pointed out to Vice President
Young OF the Consolidated Traction
Company who may get after the con-
tractors with a sharp stick. The end of
the road, from the Morris Canal south 10
the Staten Island ferry is free from the
defects mentioned, but this work was
not done by the firm OF contractors who
laid the streets in Jersey City.
Mr.. Young, seeing the difference IN the
construction, Is arranging that one con-
tractor shall do the eutlrs work, Instead
OF two or three, and this one firm or indi-
vidual will be held resp 'nsible.
THE TROUBLE.
Respecting the mo!r of relaying the
road u NEWS representative visited that
section yesterday which is now being al
tered so that Lafayette will have electric
motors running within u week or two. A
large force of men was Dusv at the corner
of CommunipRw Ut Pacific avenues
tearing up the old tracks. From this
poin: east to Pine street, north to Johu-
ston avenue. thence west TO Pacific ave-
nue. the road will be- relaid by the same
Erm of contractors who relaid the Bay
onue section. Superinte dent of Tracks
LeahY aud both members of the firm
were over the Lafayette section ysster-
day. When The NEWS MAJ told the con-
tractors That people were complaining OF
the bad work on the streets, they at
tributed it TO improper ramming of the
sand bottom.
You see," said Mr.. Whip, FIRST,
when tbs old ties are removed the men
dig out the earth and place the new ties
on the firm bottom. Then the rails are
lait across. spiked. tamped and linet.
Inc liping of the rail has caused much
speculation aui few ever guess is real
purpose. You will perceive that tue
piece OF pine board placed on the outer
aud inner side OF the rail, making the
sides flush with the dauge, prevents the
cobbiestones from working iu under that
1ange and forcing the rail out
of position. Tbst putting of a piece
of wood against the sides is what
WI term "liuinG." Well, after this
operation, the rial is tamped that is Sc
cured by a cross bar of iron and the
wires affixed to the ends Joined by the
Iish plates. Everything is now ready for
paving. First we ram down the sand
between the rails and make a hard firm
bottom. Over this Is thrown earth aud
loose sand and on TOP of all the paving
stones. II the san at the bottom is not
we'll rammed. the street when paved will
be. uneven"
Both members of the firm said that
there would be no more complaints about
any paving. They had paved the frat
district aud the WORK being entirely
satisfactory to Vice President Young, he
had awarded them the contract for the
Lafayette section of the system and also
the relaylng of the Belt line from Har-
rison avenue through Monticello avenue
to Bergen