The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-06-04
PAVING CONTRACT AWARD
BOSTON .ASPHALT COMPANIES sUC-
 CESSFUL BID.

The Report of the Special Committee-The
 sicilian Recommended-one Hundred and Eighty Thousand Dollars Involved Street SprinIeling Referred to Mayor Hendrick and City Engineer Kill. The contract for the paving with as- phalt Chapel street from York to Mott, ange from Grown to Gamer streets was awarded last evening to the Boston As phalt company of Boston. This action of the board was taken in | accordance with the report submitted | by President McGann, Commissioner Johnson and City Engineer Kelly, the sub committee appointed to inquire into the merits of the different kinds of as- phalt used in the various cities where such pavements are in vogue.
 The discussion by the members of the | board on the report submitted took | place in executive session. Before the commissioners went into | executive session Attorney Blackwell, for the New England Improvement company, addressed the board, saying that he understood that it was the in- 1 tention of the board to divide the work between the bidders. This would be an | injustice to his firm, the speaker con- sidered
 If the board of public works wanted Sicilian asphalt on some of the streets, or on part of any one of them, his company could supply it, but the board would rue the action. The Sicilian as- l phalt was an experiment. | Walter H. Mansfield, who represented the Boston Asphalt company, which bid on the work, intending to use Sicilian asphalt, denied the statement of MT. Blackwell that it was an experiment. It was used all over Europe and while he did not want to say word against any asphalt, he did not think there was a foot of Trinidad in Europe.
 N. w. Kendall, the president of the New England Improvement company substantiated the remarks of his at l torney, adding that to divide the con- I tracts would be an injustice to not only his company, but to him, a citizen of New Haven.
 l If the New England Improvement company were awarded any of the con- tracts it would be at an expense of $20,- 900 for the erection of a plant, and this great expense would not admit of a di- vision of the contracts.
 He said, however, that he had made arrangements to use Sicilian asphalt if the board decided to try this variety on all the streets or on part of one of the streets.
 But, gentlemen" said MT. Kendall, when it is considered that we are the lowest bidders except MT, Kelly who is admittedly out of the race. we are entitled to be awarded the three con- l tracts''
 The matter was then taken up in ex- ecutive session, and the report and rec concentrations of the committee were adopted as follows:
 New Haven Conn, June 3, 1896. To the Honorable Board of Public Works:
 Your committee, to whom was refer red the bids for laying sheet asphalt pavements, with instructions to inquire into the merits of the kinds of asphalts represented by the bidders, would re- port as follows:
 We found four kinds of asphalt rep resented by the different bidders, viz, that known as Sicilian Rock asphalt, the Pitch Lake asphalt of Trinidad, the Alcatras of California and the Standard or Bakersfield asphalt of California.
 In our investigations we visited Bos- ton, where we examined the Trinidad and the Sicilian Rock asphalt, and were shown about by representatives of the Boston Asphalt company. We next visited New York, and were first shown about by William Kelly and his repre- sentatives, and under their guidance visited a number of streets laid with Alcatras asphalt, and were also taken to the works of William Kelly in Brook lyn. We were then taken about New York by representatives of the New England Improvement company, which proposes to lay Trinidad Pitch Lake asphalt We saw also a piece of Sicil- ian Rock asphalt in process of being laid.
 We next visited Philadelphia by our selves, being guided in part by the printed statements of the bidders and asphalt companies. We examined the Alcatras laid there on three alleys, which constituted all the Alcatras claimed to be laid in that city; also much of the Trinidad and the Sicilian Rock.
 We found the Trinidad asphalt which was in bad condition. after the expira- ton of the three-year guarantee, being taken up on Broad street for a length of five blocks, and the street being resur- faced with Sicilian Rock asphalt. We also visited Albany and examined the pavements of Trinidad asphalt there without guidance.
 William Kelley, the lowest bidder proposes to lay the Standard or Bak- ersfield asphalt of California. He sub mitted samples and statement of its chemical characteristics as compared with other asphalts, but was unable tc show us any that had been laid, but was making preparations to lay some 1T Brooklyn.
 The use of this asphalt in any part o1 the country is very recent and limited and is not sufficient to base any opin- ion as to its merits, upon. We were shown the Alcatras of California, tht claim being made that it was of tho same general nature, but that analysi: showed the Bakersfield to be superior article. The statements submitted by the bidders did not show that any pave. ment laid with Alcatras asphalt wa: