New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-25


in this ignorance.
THE EIGHTH-AVE PAVEMENT
The EiGhth-ave. pavement is most outrageou
example of rotten work. Although the pavement
was put down only five years ago. and on a fif-
teen-year guarantee. it is and has been for a num-
Der of years full of gaping holes and cracks. The
total contract price for this work from Thir-
feminist to Fifty-ninth-st. about s2500oO.
The specifications called for a bed Of six inches
OF concrete composed NJ the best quality Of CO.
ment clean sand and broken stone. and on top OF
this two and One-half inches of the finest asphalt
topped with a surfacing compound consisting Of
asphaltum, petroleum. carbonate OF lime, and fine
sand. The asphatum was TO stand fire test Of
2oO degrees Fahrenheit, and to have specilc
gravity of 119 at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The two
contracts covering the portion of the avenue
above designated were let to the Matt TAYLOR
Paving Company at s. "a "A square yard. The
Sicilian Asphalt Company bid "a 81 and the Bar
Der Asphalt Paving Company s. 10
The work was done in the summer of 1890 and
nearly 100000 OF the contract price was withheld
by the city to constitute the guaranty for re
pairs. In March. 1892. in about year and half
after the pavement was put down. me patching
began. As the Taylor Company made no re-
Spouse 10 the notice served upon them. the WORK
of patching given 20 the Barber Asphal
Paving Company and although 1t is dinicuit 10
where the money can nave Deen properly
spent In the wretchedly unsuccessful attempts to
repair the pavements in the last three years, the
fact is that nearly If not all of the 100000 pre-
served for this purpose mas oe"n pdld 10 the Bar
Der Company for this WORK.
THE LAST WORSE THAN THE FIRST
The present and last condition OF the Eighth
ave navement is worse than the first. 1t has on
an average fifteen holes to the block and these
are all the way from one to six feet square and
in some cases six inches deep
The city finds itself with ten years of the
guaranteed period still unexpired and the whole
Of the guarantee fund exhausted IN past and ap-
parently unsuccessful attempts at repairs. The
legal advisers OF the corporation considering
whether the sureties on the contracts are liable
in view Of this state of affairs.
The suretieS or the contract covering that pOr-
ton of the avenue below Thirty fourth-st. are j.
+. Ewing and John Devn. and the amount OF
the bond is 100000 The sureties on the contract
covering the work from Thirty HIST. 10 Fifty
ninth-st. are John Devlin and Joseph II. Marshall.
and the amount of their bond is 81. 000
In the mean time the wagons OF the Eighth
ave. merchants, the carriages Of the driving pub
lie and the bicycles Of the wheelmen are pitching
into these endless pitfalls stretching the whole
length of the avenue. or twisting and turning in
the effort 10 avoid them
1t is evident that. Independent Of the quality Of
the materials used in the Eighth-ave. pavement.
the method followed in laying it was no: the one
which should have been adopted in me construc
ton OF a pavement TO stand the heavy traffic
which EiChth-aVe. offers
The laying of a thin carpet Of asphalt Of only
two and One-half inches upon the smooth surface
OF concrete foundation is an utterly inadequate
provision for withstandng the endless pounding
Of heavy trucks which roll up and down this
broad thoroughfare. The concrete foundation
acts as an anvil upon which the blows of the
heavy truckwheels fan and serve - hatten out
and knead back and forth the pliable asphalt.
The asphalt carpet is almost entirely devoid Of
bonding material and under the ebb and flow Of
the heavy traffic il surgcS this way and that In
waves on the slippery surface of the concrete
floor. Cracks appear. and then the dropping into
them of heavy wheels soon chews out a hole OF
overwhelming extent. and begins in time to crush
and tear up the concrete foundation.
The patching process merely plastcrs a layer ~
new asphalt of probably different density and
different coeffcient OF expansion on top II the
old foundation. and surrounded 10y the old layer
of asphalt The wheels begin to squeeze this out
of shape before II has chance to set. The DIFF
ference between it's rate of expansion and that
OF the old pavement opens UP cracks anew. and
soon the old hole is doing business at tho old
stand and extending beyond It's original holn-
diaries.
In laying the pavement for main thorough
fare like Eighth-ave.. the very finest quality 81
material and the most approved methods Of con.
structlon should have been followed.
COMPARED WITH PENNSYLvANrA-AvE
The present pavement on Pennsyvania-ave
in Washington has been down for five years. or
just about the same length Of time az the
Eighth-ave pavement. II has been subjected 10
severe usage, although not az trying as that
from which the Eghth-ave. pavement has SUI
fered and Il has withstood n almost without A
break The method there followed 10 put
top Of the concrete foundation layers al broken
stone Of varying hneness. and then 90 lay the
dSpnd4t carpet on top or the broken stone. The
asphalt percolated down into the crevccs Of the
broken stone. and solidfed the whole mass into
a cohesive substance which has prevented the
shifting and rolling 81 the pavement The fac,
that something Of this Kind Is always effective
Is shown by the boulevard pavement the lower
portion Of which was laid before the Eichth-avc.
pavement was put down. This was laid on the
old macadam foundation. which has served a
blnder Tor the asphalt. and the pavement b. TO-
day in fair condition. although but rtte work
has been done on II I'm the shape OF repairs
Eiqvftf hay cha tic
and property-oWners seems to be unanimous on
two points: First. that good asphalt pavement
Is OF immense benefit to tn, avenue and that any
proposition to return to stone pavements should
be vigorously opposed; second. that the present
asphalt pavement is disgrace TO the city and
its condition for the last three years an outrage
on the travelling public.
Mr.. Froelich, the manager Of Ludwig Raumann
e. Co. who have large number OF trucks en-
plOyed in their furniture business. at Eighth
ave. and Thirtyhfth-st. said Yesterday:
THE asphalt pavement Is the proper pave
ment when correctly put down and cared for
It has brought twice much traffic TO Eighth
mad when the pavement was Belgian
block. If is easier on the horses feet and on the
trucks and if kept In proper shape II saves ne
many hundreds Of dollars in the wear and tear
OF wagons and horses. The present unjustiiablc
condition Of the pavements. with its number!css
holes. robs it Of many Of these advantages: but
even IN that condition prefer # 10 the BE- CLAN
block My opinion Is that the city should put
down asphalt pavements on all the thorough !
fares as fast as II possibly can. and Of the best !
quality. This would relieve the few streets now |
paved with it from the vast increase OF traffic |
which tends TO destroy il rapidly.
4 WHEELMAN'S VIEWS
Mr. Hollister. lawyer Of 80. 2OG Broadway. |
who lives near E.ghth-ave said:
II can bear lively testimony to the cxecrablc |
quality and condition Of the Eighth-ave. pave |
ment | rice bicycle. and have had several |
lively experiences Of the treacherous nature Of |
its surface and the all-encomDIsslng character |
Of It's gaping pitfalls. It's condition is out
rage on tn wheeling community, az well rs |
upon those who own wagons and carriages II !
has a peculiar characteristic which other |
asphalt pavement IN the city seems To possess. |
in that as soon the least moisture IL deposited
on IT, it's surface develops Il slime on which "A
pneumatic tire Will slip and slide in the most un-
expected directions. and with appalling sudden
ness. When this is added 10 the uneVenness ~