New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-19
SMOOTH PAVEMENT PLANS
WHAT COMMISSIONER WHITE HOPES TO DO
FOR BROOKLYN.

| EXPERIMENTS TO lie MADE WITH BRICK AS WELL.
As AsPHALT-vARIoUs ROUTES FOR CAP
RIAGEs AND BICYCLES CONTEMPLATED
AS was said In The Tribune last Sunday, the ques-
| ton of smooth payemens In Brooklyn IL receiving
careful attention at the hands OF Alfred II. White.
the Commissioner of City Works. and IL he is able
TO carry out his plans the condition OF the city in
this respect Will be appreciaby improved In the
future, Under the existing law the city Is not per-
mted TO spend more than 5000 year smooth
payemenls. apart from those toward the laying Of
which The owners OF abutting property contribute,
hut bill has been passed removing this reslric'
ton and enabling tho city 30 pursue a moro liberal
policy this In now pending before the Governor,
and. having received tho Mayors approval viii IN
all probability become n law.
! Nevertheless. wherever property owners are willing
60 submit 10 an assessment for the sake Of u
better pavement they viii not escape the privilege
OF helping TO pay for II. The city viii assume the
entire expense only where II In necessary relay
n pavement for which the owners have previously
been assessed, or where II IL deemed necessary TO
provide a pavement for the benefit OF tho COM
munity at large. Commissioner White In favorably
Impressed with the merits Of paving brick and means
TO try some experiments with 1t before the end Of
his term Brick pavements have been used to n con-
siderable extent in some Western and Southern
cities and one was recently laid in Jersey City and
| Is giving excellent satisfaction Such n pavement
is almost smooth and noiseless as asphalt It
affords a much better foothod for horses and 1t
has the decided advantage asphalt that 1t can
be repaired IN the winter season. Then. too 1t Is
considered more durable than asphalt. and will not
rot" asphalt does where water stands upon 1t.
Some people wonder why when asphalt pavements
are put down there is usually so much Grown"
| given to the street, and say that If 1t were made
natter there would be much less danger OF horses
| eltp Tha is desirable
water run off from The surface rapidly as posi-
BILE in order to prevent the rotng just referred to-
As was said n week ago. Il is the intention OF the
city in the next few weeks TO replace with asphalt
| the granite pavement In Schermerhorn-st be-
tween Nevins and Smith sts and in addition the as
phalt block between Smith-st. and Boerum Place
will be relaid Schermerhorn-st. leads directly to
Lafayette-ave which is much used for driving pur-
poses although bicyclists take II only when COM
! PEELED to- Commissioner White Is hopeful that he
can parallel this driveway running east and west
by inducing the people living on Safest. to con-
! sent to an assessment for repavng that street,
which is parallel with Schermerhorn and only one
! block distant from It, If he succeeds in this under
taking. it is his purpose to put down brick pave
ment in Safest to replace the poor asphalt pave
| ment in Hanson Place with brick and to carry the
brick pavement along Greeneave. as far as Clinton
ave- This would provide two routes to the eastward.
parallel with each other, Of asphalt and granite
and the other of brick, and would. In Mr.. White $
opinion afford a good opportunity 10 test the COM
paratvc merits Of the two kinds Of pavement.
On account Of the tracks in Greene-ave. Mr.
! White does not think II wise to carry the smooth
payement in that avenue further than Clinton-ave,
but he IS hopeful that the owners or property IN
! Gates-ave. will consent to having an aspha, pave
ment put in their street far as Classon-ave me
block between Classon and Franklin ayes. is already
asphalted and between Franklin ana Bedford aVeS'
where there are tracks again. 1t Is probable II
! this plan is carried out that brick will take the
place of cobbe-stones. This would furnish salts
factory smooth roadway through the Hill region In
general. the only objection TO 1t being that 1t lies
/ alongside OF car tracks for five or six blocks.
When Commissioner Whites attention was called
TO the suggestion that Leferts Place be provided
with a smooth pavement, he expressed his willing
ness to aid that project provided the people IN the
street named were willing to bear half the expense
Of an asphalt brick pavement Asphalt wouid
be preferable there because 1t Is exclusively resi-
dence street with little heavy traihc: Tho Com.
missioner would also doubtless lend a hand toward
putting an asphalt pavement on Ssybirh
would afford alternative route 10 Greehe-a'e' De-
As an outlet To- the southwark from the Hin region
proper he suggested that smooth pavement be iali
I In Grand-aye from Gates-ave to the junction or
tin,nd with Washington ave. and said That 1t was
his intention TO put brick paVemen. W Tue iass-
coaIesces With il 10 the Junction OF Washington.
ave. with Flatbuah-aye, Turning TO large map OF
the city lie called attention 10 the fhct mat Nhhh-
ingtonase. was really the great
! street OF tho city Running ~ an hiinoS' cNayt,y
bush-avc., the Willnk entrance o. frofPect
PARK II cuts the city IN two lnr u a Mhte, an oa
Il II The natural channel or franc Tor hIse
district. II was paved few years ago win granite
from its northern end M fhr as Allnhie,nye, ~ 'o,
blocks, as far AZ iiutlcr-st, nnu ihoiu !" y I'm
also from the Wnllabout up 10 Myitc.aVc, houth o,
! the Eastern Parkway tho Atlantic Avenue N,'lfoah
Company put down tracks Some y'hin aRV anu hono
trolley poles were put up thcro recently "" no car"
! have over boon run there. H., .,,. a.. ,,,
Commissioner White has given orders 20 me
/ company % remove the tracks, ana says 'hht wnht-
/ ever rights Tho company had ~ that part OF INC
avenue have lnpsed Practically the ayonuc between
the Parkway and Flntbush-avc' ~ no, now uSou u,
all. Such pavement as II has " composed VI Hien
| rocks aud stones "A smooth brck pavement ~
place OF them viii NJ godncnd, nov onY ~, =" H top,e
Of trucks ana vans but also 10 the members v ,no
cycling fraternity good pavement neo VII pLo
| vide new route 10 Prospect PARK hnu WIZ 'N.
Wise shorten The distance rom ENTHUSIASTICALLY AR D
! toney Island appreclably. TINS n'pIoN'"'''''' "'
! White says VIII be carried out TINS yeni, ~ o..
me CommissiOncr also chpecth ~ ~. w ~
phaIt pavement In Dcan-At up 10 , ah..
ana so make little easier to 80 rom ,y ~ nnr
IN flhtpnkh-aye, between Scheime,"1ImianL a anu
Hanson Place VIII be provided WIN ~ ui'.x pave
mcnt me objection 10 putting nspn"',, '' nn a.,
mat tne avenue has little crown ~ ~, ~ c az
| tracks ,,.
As for the cost Of brick pavements ana aspnat
paveinch " IL may be said that there ~ no,
deal OF diherence between the two Du' !, y i,, ~
~ more durable and be mucn more eas's ND
IN goou oiaef "hen repairs are necessary a.
mems nave 10 b. torn up from tinie 10 uno o" ~, ="
Nner w. w. paI water pipes MAKE Itis imnortancc
so. 100. II ~ an important fact that br'h phVemen,s
can DC ,'paiiIeu IN cold weather WAC" '"e "'"'""'