The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-04-20
ASPHALT OR TRAP ROCK?
Greenville Citizens Disagree as
to Which Should Be Used
on Ocean Avenue.

Despite the fact that Ocean avenue, Green
ville7s main t~horoughfare. is in a most dis
graceful condition, the plan of the Street
and Water Commissioners to pave the ave
nue. with trap rock is not meeting with the
appreciation Of all the property owners, and
unless some plans of certain citizens miscarry
a lively fight will be made for asphalt.
The opposition to the trap rock pavement
comes mostly from property owners in the
Woodlawn section, and the matter is being
pushed with much vigor by Messrs. Anton
and Dominikus Kraus, who own considerable
property on Ocean avenue, near the New
York Bay Cemetery entrance. The reasons
given by these property owners for their
light against trap rock is that asphalt would
be more desirable il every respect: In the
first place, a .they, it would be cleaner and
could be more easily laid than trap rock, as
there is a telford pavement beneath the
macadam On Ocean avenue, that would
make a splendid foundation for asphalt.
WOULD SAW MONEY.
Money could be saved" said one of the
property owners to a reporter of THE JER-
sEY City NEWS last evening, by asphalt.
If a trap rock pavement is laid the macadam
and telford pavement Will have TO be torn
up and it will take twice as long to complete
the work and then asphalt has decided adj
v~antages as a pavement. Trucks ard wagons
passing over it scarcely make any noise and
It is easily kept clean. There is very little
heavy trucking on Ocean avenue, the thor
oughfare being mostly used by persons out
riding for pleasure and light business wagons,
SO the claim caunot be made that heavy
trucking would ruin the pavement in a short
time. If this pavement is found to be the
best for the streets in front of the residences
of our Street and Water Commissioners, it
certainly then is the best for our thorough
fare.n
The property owners will circulate a pc
tition and present it to the Street ard Water
Board before the contract for the paving OF
the avenues is awarded. 1t is very doubt
full. however, if the property owners will
accomplish their object. The Sixth District
Citizens Improvement Association favors
the trap rock pavement, and Will so notify
the Street and Water Commissioners. There
may be a clash between the Woodlawn resi-
dents and the property owners Of the south
ern end of Greenville, in fact, the indlca-
tfons now all point that way.
SIMPSON JAYS TRAP ROCK.
President Reuben Simpson of the Board OF
/ Aldermen, when interviewed on the matter
last evening, said:-".I am most decidedly in
favor of a trap rock pavement for Ocean
avenue. 1t would be folly to lay any other
pavement there. Asphalt cannot be CON
Sldefed, because bne avenue Is NOT uuil6 upI
any extent. There are scores of empty lots,
and when houses are erected on them the as
phalt will have to be torn up in order to al
low sewer and water connections to be made.
The continual tearing upof the pavement
will ruin it. This would not be the case with
Belgian pavement. The blocks could
be easily removed and replaced. And
then a trap rock pavement is
cleaner thar asphalt. More dust and dirt
collects on asphalt than any other pavement.
| Aspha t is out of the question on Ocean ave
nue. on account of the car tracks Of the Con-
solidated Traction Company. Tn tracks
would keep vehicles from crossing from one
side Of the stree to the other, and they would
have to remain on one side. The result would
be that in a few months the wheels of the
wagons would cut deep into the asphalt.
There is too much traffic on Ocean avenue
forasphalt, and in my opinion it would be
unwise to lay any other pavement than trap
rock. If / had the privilege of choosing the
pavement / would under no consideration Sc
Iect any but trap rock"
President S. L. Harvey of the Sixth Dis
trict Citizens Improvement Association
said:-sI am in favor of trap rock, provided
it comes from our quarry at Snake Hill"
The section to be paved extends from
Myrtle avenue to Gates avenue, a distance
of a mile and a half.