The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-09-13
MUST LAY NEW BRICK
Parts of Pike Street Paving Did
Not Stand the Test.
HOW CONTRACTORS EXPLAIN.
steam Roller Breaks 1000 B,fck and
New Ones Must BE Laid-Progress
OF Front street Work.

Tareos Spta-r & Co. tire contracting
s~ra that dfd tha Pike street paving. have
~os "a mt IN about 2.0a0 new brick on ire
north side OF TIE street These brick
were broken by running over the pave
r,s,. the heavy steam roller owned by TIE
citv. The roller was used on both SIDES
Of the street. but the pavement on the
south side was unin1ured.
7. VIII be remembered that the bricks
for having the south side OF the street
were furnished by the Denny Clay Com
many. and those for .he north side by the
Seattle Brick and Tile Company. When
fhe having was being done. and after
ward. there was great deal Of talk about
the alleged inferiority OF the brick fur
rished by the last named company, al
though the city officials IN charge and the
contractors have steadily maintained that
one make OF brick was as good as the
ether II was said that the utmost care
was used IN the section. and that all not
m 70 tho standard were thrown out. On
the north side Of the street n less than a
block over 100 brick were discarded. The
Denny brick was laid first and so far
TO question has been raised as TO its quail
ny.
After city Engineer Thomson examined
the work day or two ago he notified thu
contractors that the street would not be
accented as II was. The pavement on the
north side presented a rough and uneven
appearance. and Mr.. Thomson believed
that the tampIng work had note been
properly done. The contractors were Civ
en- the option of doing the tanping over,
or using the roller at their own expense.
They chose 20 use the roller, and the ne
cessity of replacing 2.cco broken brick IS
the rSsult The paving was done under
guarantee for one year. so that the city
will be at no expense in the matter, but
the contractors will be called upon 10 turn
over the work as provided by their cum
tract.
The final estimates for the improvement
are In the hands of the street department.
They give the total amount 10 he paid by
the property owners at sls.i64es. Of this
about $40 600 has been paid, 50 that theIe
is a balance still due OF over $500. The
city's portion Is stated 10 he S,550.io, or
which SSs1Tf9 has been paid.
Mr.. Spur, Of the contracting firm, does
not believe with City Engineer Thomson
that the tamping was not prop
erly done. He says he knows IL
was we'll done. and Was done
on the north side of the street Just as 4
was on the south side. The fault there
fore. must he in the brick. He says. also,
that the test made by the roller was not
fair, in that the Denny brick on the south
side OF the street were laid first and have
had time to get well set, while the BRICK
on the other side did not have that oppor-
tunsty IL the roller had been sent over
the Denny brick soon after they were
laid as IL was over the other SIDE. ne De-
Loved just as many would have been bro
ken. Men were at work yesterday dig
ging up the condemned brick and rep.ac-
ing them with good ones.
Mr. Niedergesaess, manager or the Sc
attic Brick and Tile Company, was seen
last night and asked to state 10 what cause
he attributed the breaking OF the brick.
He said:
THE entire cause of the trouble is the
sharp edge on the ends of the brick. They
are laid very close together. forming a
very fiat arrh, so that when a weight Is
brought to bear upon 1t, all the thrust IS
brought to hear upon but small part or
the brick at the edge, in most instances
less than a square inch. The roller was
put on the pavement at my special request,
to find out any faults. IF there were any.
In fact, after / found out how close the
bricks had to be put together / antici-
pated what has now happened, and i nave
already made such brick with rounded
ends as will, I am sure. Withstand any
pounding and rolling. These bricks are
ready al the kiln and Will be used tomor-
row to replace the faulty ones. The peo-
pie may rest assured that We will not be
satisfied until we give them an almost per-
feet paving. And just as we have always
fulfilled our contracts with the city, to
bricks. SO we viii do hereafter, even II the
authorities should demand the whole re-
paving OF the street.
"Our bricks are made of soft shale, and
anybody is welcome 10 see at our yard
how one cubic inch taken out of a medium
paving brick IS supporting a weight OF r.
Oo) pounds. which means that wall could
he built of this brick several miles high
before il would be crushed by It's own
weight In test at the Vulcan Iron
Works our bricks have required n pressure
Of from 5000 10 $1,000 pounds per square
inch TO crush them. Very exhaustive tests
OF our bricks in conjunction with repre-
sentative paving brick samples. and also
those Of our esteemed competitor. havs
proved beyond a doubt the superiority OF
ours Therefore / feel confident that IL
people will suspend judgment for twelve
months the result Will be in our favor"
Spur & Wllmot VIII in a few days he
ready - start putting down the pavement
on Front street. The sewers are nearly
completed. and parts Of the trenches were
being dlled in yesterday. There was a
good Illustration OF the need for new
pavement on Front street yesterday after
noon. \ wagon loaded with lumber WAS
practically mire3 In the mud near Union
street. The wheels went through the
broken WORKOUT plaRking and sank nearly
- The hubs in the black earth and water.
The wagon was gotten ont OF the mole ~
the use Of part OF the lumber with when
II was loaded
on Second street the work Of paving has
not Vet fairly begun. although the west
side 81 the street between Madison and
Union. Is torn up. water pipe IS being lad,
and preparations are being made for put
ting in the wooden bulkhead which is 10
retain the street where It is, high above
the lots 70 the west.
Attend Colored Jubilee concert al Trtn-