The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-20
ALL SORTS OF PAVING
City Engineer Tells What He Saw
on His Inspection Tour.
He Thinks Indianapolis Has the Best of
All Asphalt Streets-BrOken
Stone Foundations.

The city engineer returned to the city
yesterday morning after lengthy trip In
the East in the interest Of good pavements.
He has gathered information from all points
in regard TO brick and asphalt pavements
and the different kinds Of foundations in
use in the various cities he visited. His
report, which will be made to the Board OF
Public Works in a short time, will cover
the quality, cost and kind of pavements
which he inspected in Washington, New
York. Detroit and Columbus. also the quail
tiles of brick which are being manufactured
at Canton, Akron, Columbus and Zanes-
Vile, o. From Washington Mr. Brown
sent a sample about one foot square of
Bermudez pavement laid bitumInous
foundation. He saw this sample cut out
of a street which was being torn up by
plumbers. The bitumnous base is laid in
the same manner as concrete, except that
coal tar is used instead of cement. While
he thinks this makes just as good founda-
ton concrete if the ground underneath
is perfectly solid, it is too soft to bridge
over a hollow place in the ground caused
by sinking after plumbing is done. The tar
is too easily affected by heat, and such a
foundation always conforms to the sur
face of the earth underneath ii.
AS to the Bermudez asphalt, Mr.. Brown is
not ready TO express a definite opinion He
says he saw a street in Detroit of this
material which was laid last August and
opened for traffic the same day 1t was
finished. 1t is a street that is used about
as much as Pennsylvania street north OF
Ohio, and he saw more marks of We
hices or horseshoes than are to be seen on
any of the improved streets of this city.
1t has stood the winter without any cracks.
and he thinks bids fair to withstand the
hot weather of summer. The Oldest Bermu-
DEE pavement in Detroit was laid about
twenty-five months ago. has rather heavy
traffic and is now in as good condition as
any Of the streets there. Mr.. Brown thinks
this ought to be a fair test OF the lasting
qualities of this kind of pavement, as one
winter and one summer ought to show if
there are any bad qualities. The Bermudez
company has had some trouble in getting
it's material here in sailing vessels. The
material is quite soft as ii comes from the
mines and in a vessel coming under the
hot southern sun it will melt and run to
one side Of the vessel when going against
the wind. Then when the vessel reaches
the colder northern winds the material
again gets hard and throws the ship out OF
balance. The company has now leased
steamers for the work and Mr.. Brown be-
lieves the company will be able to supply
While in New York the engineer visited
the refnerieS OF the Warren-Scharf, the
Trinidad and the BermudeZ company and
observed their operations of refining. When
the vessels reach New York with asphalt
1t is as solid as when seen on the streets,
and has to be mined from the holds or the
vessels with picks
Mr. Brown saw one street In Columbus.
which has been down for about five years.
made of Kentucky rock asphalt. This is
q similar quality to that in Jackson Place,
except that it is of bituminous sand stone,
while that In Jackson Place bS re is made of
lumbus with the Kentucky asphalt is about
the same as the experience in jackson
what do you think of the asphalt streets
in this city as compared with those OF
other cities?' he was asked.
in her streets. While some or our streets
are better than others. there has not been
Every city L visited has one or more streets
that were actual failures from the begin
ming There is as much in the Workman m
| believe our streets have all been laid by
persons who thoroughly understood their
business
Mr.. Brown sent home samples Of brick
from all the factories he visited. The brick
he liked best Is one made OF one-third clay
and two-thirds shale which is about the
same as the Wabash repreSsed brick now
being used here. This brick is being used
on one end of a viaduct IN Columbus and
an all-shale brick on the other approach.
All vehicles that pass over one must pass
over the other The shale brick is badly
Clipped on the corners, While the mixed
brick is apparently as good as when put
down. Mr.. Brown is preparing to test all
the samples Of brick which he has secured,
and when the Meridian-street Improvement
comes up he will know just what to give,
as the property owners say they want the
best that can be had.
'What do you think Of the broken stone
and sand foundation which the Alabama
street property owners want?' he was
asked.
II saw some samples of that kind of
foundation while was gone" he said. I'm
Columbus they have several such founda-
lions. They first put down eight inches OF
broken stone and roll it. Then they cover
that wltle one and a half inches of fine
sand and wash and rake it in. This Is as
good a way you put down such
foundations. After ii has been down a
year It Is no trouble to pick out these foun-
dationS by driving over the streets with
your eyes shut. The stone is bound To
sink wherever the earth below it sinks l