The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-28
FOR MONTGOMERY STREET
A Bitumen Pavement to Be
Shortly Laid on That
Thoroughfare.
The Improvement to Be Made
Between California and
Market.

Montgomery street, between Market and
California, will soon be paved with btu
men and the public will have the Mer-
chants Association to thank for the i'm
-proFement. Geary and Post streets will
also be paved with the same kind of
material a little later. Long before the
Merchants Association got rid of the
street-sweeping contract, which was
handled so successfully, the board of
directors determined TO improve some of
the principal downtown business streets
and do away with the noisy cobbles and
basalt block pavements.
This determination was brought about
to great extent by the experiments made
while their men were sweeping the streets
by hand. It was clearly demonstrated
that streets paved with bitumen cost far
less to keep clean than the thoroughfares
which are paved with cobbles and basalt
blocks, among which the dust and dirt
collect in large quantities. 1t was further
observed that much of the dirt swept from
the streets works up among the cobbles
and blocks from the foundations on which
they rest. Thus the ck-paving is con-
tinually sinking, and the foundations are
being carted away in the dirt wagons.
basalt blocks is that they permit all the
moisture falling upon the street to run
into the crevices where in time it breeds
disease. On the bituminiZed streets all this
moisture runs into the cutters and is
washed down the sewers by the rains and
street-sprinklers.
These observations showed the necessity
for better pavements, and as result it was
determined that movement to this end
should be made.
After Kearny street from Market to
California was paved with bitumen the
merchants began TO consider what streets
should be improved next, and Montgom-
cry, Geary and Post were selected. On
Geary the street will be paved to Powell
Stockton to Powell has been paved.
Secretary Ward for weeks has worked
hard to induce the property owners on
Montgomery street to consent to making
the change. Yesterday he said that he
had obtained the signatures for all but 100
feet, and that he was sure OF getting every
name before to-day. The larger owners
are: D. o. Mills, the Donahue estate, Russ,
Flood & Mackay, J. G. Fair estate, Masonic
Hall Association, Union Trust Company
and the California Safe Deposit Company.
All of these and nearly every one of the
smaller property Owners have joined hands
for the improvement.
A committee from the Merchants Asso-
| citation consisting of President Dohrmann,
Baldwin and Taylor called upon II. E.
Huntington and asked that the railroad
company assist in the work by paving be-
tween the rails of the streetcar tracks
wherever the antiquated two-horse street.
cars are still running. Mr.. Huntington
stated that he would call the matter to the
attention of the board of directors. II has
been stated that the railroad people are de-
sirous of running electricians along Mont
gomery street as on Kearny. Whether or
not this desire will cut any figure in their
deliberations upon the question of doing
seen. At any rate the movement has pro-
crossed so far that Montgomery street will
soon be covered with a noiseless pavement