The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-09-27
0BJECT0RSWERE DEFEATED
INTERESTING And SPICY MEETING
AT WARMER NAIL LAST NIGHT.

Resolution Asking Councilmen to Table
West Chapel Street Paving Order De-
feated-Jobbery Alleged to be at the
marks of Those Present.
The meeting in Warner hall last eve
ming called to protest against the paw
ing of West Chapel street with sheet
asphalt was decidedly spicy, and al
with reckless abandon. 1t was the in
tention to pass resolution asking the
board of councilmen to defer action on
the matter for three weeks, but the
resolution introduced to this effect was
defeated by close vote.
Among those present Were ex-Mayor
Sargent, Charles b. Matthewman, War
rem H. Bristol, Senator Lyman H. John
son, Prentice w. Chase, e, P. Arvine,
Joel A. Sperry, Cassius w. Kelly, H. D.
Grinnell, Joseph Mcdonald, A. G, Smell,
and Forsythe, James l.. Root, e. w.
Baldwin, f. S. Platt Alexander Troup,
Henry Hillman, John Mccarthy, L. ].
Matthews and about $50 other residents
and tax payers.
The melting was called to order short
ly after o'clock by Attorney Prensice
| w. Chase and E. P. Arvine chosen char
man, and f. S. Platt secretary. Upon
taking the chair Attorney E. P. Arvine
stated that in his opinion at the bottom
of this anxiety for sheet asphalt there is
a big job. Certainly" said he, all
the signs point in this direction, or why
| is it necessary to call special meetings
of the board of aldermen and council
men to rush this paving scheme
| through. l must frankly say that l
never attended such committee meet
| ing as that of the street committee last
Monday night l do hope that at this
meeting tonight a committee composed
of men whom we can trust will be ap-
pointed and thoroughly investigate the
merits of pavementss with view to de-
termining which is the best pavement
| for the city. I learn from member
| of the street committee that the mem
bers of that committee recently went to
Buffalo and Syracuse and were driven
about those cities at the expense of and
as the guests of sheet asphalt paving
companies. Certainly it does not seem
to me as though that was just exactly
the proper way to find out the relative
merits of the several pavements, and
/ to he In.
terests Of the city,
ExMayor Sargent was the next
speaker of the evening. He said he
| had come to the meeting not to talk but
| for the purpose of listening He said
however, that he was fundamentally
opposed to the plan of bonding the city
! for half a million dollars for the pur-
poses of paving the streets. Asphalt
pavement, said he, is an excellent pave
ment when it is composed of good ma
terials and properly laid but certainly
| if we can have all the streets of the
city paved with as excellent a brick as
that in use in this city, certainly, in
my opinion, that is the paving material
for the city. have heard that promot-
ers of asphalt pavements have been
paid commissions.
Attorney Chase sail that the meeting
had been called by a number of per
sons who believe that a scheme is on
foot whereby the city will not receive
value received for the $500000 which is
to be expended for permanent street
Ipavements He then related his ex-
| ,erience before the committee on streets
last Monday evening. Continuing he
said: "The committee on streets Mon
day night in executive session recon-
mended sheet asphalt for Orange and
West Chapel streets. Tuesday night
a special meeting of the board of alder
men was held and the asphalt scheme
rushed through, though why in Gods
name all this haste was necessary after
waiting for six years for a new pave
ment and the matter could not have
gone over to the regular meeting of the
board, I am sure I cannot see. Then
again, a special meeting of the council
men has been called solely for the pur-
ipose of railroading this matter through
The street committee of this city went
to Syracuse and Buffalo and were there
the guests of sheet asphalt paving com-
|panies. Do you suppose that the com
mittee were shown any poor asphal
pavement or any good brick pavement
Well, I can assure you that they were
not.
In return for the favors shown thc
committee it was expected that they
would favor sheet asphalt. After 9
while it became necessary to grease the
wheels a little and offers of stock were
lmade. I tell you gentlemen, stock has
lbeen promised and received in this citJ
by certain individuals and a vast dea
lof work performed by them in return fol
the stock I tell you, gentlemen, thesS
statements are every one of them true
and for this reason if for no other, the
lcitizens should be given an opportunity
to investigate these matters for them
Iselves." Here Mr.. Chase read extracts
from the Buffalo Courier and EXPIRES:
Idenouncing sheet asphalt and claiming
that it had not been and was not sat
lisfactory, and that it was now all worr
lout. He also read a letter from an Off
Icial of the Buffalo board of public works
in which it was stated that in that city
there was no sheet asphalt pavement
which had been laid for thirteen year!
which had not required mudh repairing
This was to refute the statement made
at the meeting of the committee o.
stree. Monday evening by G. w. Lewis
of the firm of Lewis & Maycock
Mr.. Chase also read number of let