New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-05
IN THE CYCLING WORLD.
MILES OF NEW ASPHALT TO BE CON-
TRACTED FOR

NT LAST A SMOOTH ROUTE TO ThI fo''A ~
FERRY Is IN observation-disclosures
ATTRACTIONS TO wHEELMEN-TouR-
ING ABROAD AND ITS COST
New-York is making tremendous strides in the
direction Of q complete system OF smooth s''ce's
~ "a only a few weeks since the Board of Esti-
n.,e and Apportionment adopted the plans OF
r. p. North. the Water Purvsyor. for laying
miles Of asphalt paving chiefly in the avenues
Now a fresh batch of improvements Is iaiu De-
Sore the Board and 1t will doubtless he APP
vroved The area covered by the recommends
ttons Is 2O3 60 square yards. and the cost IS
estimated at S66l $50 There are some forty OF
ffty separate stretches to be thus repaNeu ~
many parts of Manhattan Is ana; ny 'mu .as
has been made on br 'ld lines; elther 'ie Pie9
emf having Is extremely bad, or the region -
tenement house one. or the blocks ues 'tna' ,
form part of through route when Woulu "a
rsaS,,, IN drivers d cyclists II smoothly pa'eu'
Mr North has been strenuous in urging 'ie
.anitary benefits of asphalt in neishborhoous
where the poor live. Thus he includes III Ills
list Avenue D. from Houston to Eleventh ST.
Third-st.. Avenue u to Second-ave; Fourth-S''
Avenue TO Broadway. and others Ill 'n'.'
region; Thirty-ninth-st.. Eighth 10 EicNe"'"
ave. and Fortieth-st., Eighth 10 Eleventh ave.
In the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, ana so''is
blocks In Little Italy" East Harlem Aspnai'
Is also to be placed around the Northern Dis-
pensary in Waverey Place and ChIistopner,
ct In Seventy -sxth-st., between Madison anu
Taxinpton aves are two badly paved Dlocks'
which form a gap between blocks OF aspnai,'
Here too the smooth material is TO ne IdluN
The selection of One-hundred and-'Weh'ie'n-s'.,
from Fifth-ave. to the East River Is acGoun ,i.
for by the hospital at the river and the LANDING
stage for boats which transport persons 10
Randalls Island.
Bicycsts will be especially interested In the
provisions for asphalt at the intersections VI
West End-ave with One-hundredth ana One
hundred and fourth SITS, and OF One-huhuicu-
and-sixth-st.. with Eighth, Ninth ana leh'h
ayes, where smooth riding is now interrupted
Even more important is the route TO the for'
Lee ferry. This will be over One-hundred-ano-
twenty-sixth-st. (already paved with asphai'
from Fourth TO ST. Nichoas-ave. and TO be
paved from Second to Fourth ave2; tnrSush
tawrence-st TO One-hundred and-thlrtlelh-st.'
and down to Manhattan-st. which brings one
within short distance Of the ferry; scores
Of wheelmen will use this on falr saturdays anu
SUNDAYS when ii is in readiness for them Inc
Improvement of Chambers-st., from BroadwaS
to West Broadway will make the Erie haiiro"u
ferry easier Of access than 1t now is.
The hub Of cycling routes of the metropolitan
district is the Columbus Circle. at Fifty-ninth-
st. and Eghth-ave, the favorite meeting place
for wheemen and the spot where tours de-
scribed in the books and newspapers have their
start. Yet this plaza is wretchedly paved anu
IS muddy for hours after rainstClm Inc
Park Department in which charge OF the circle
Is vested, has applied for money with when 10
asphalt it, The requisite sum S2o.Ooo has peen
appropriated by the Board Of Estimate and Ap-
pcrtionment, that in due time there VIII De
smooth and clean going between F1fty- nlnth-sI'
Eighth-aye the Boulevard and the two en-
frances to Central Park at that pc Int.
There has been annoying delay IN pegln-
ming the repaving of the east side of the Boule-
ward from Ninety second TO One-hrndred-aho-
sixth ST.. but the Department of Public Works
has been stirring up the contractors, Win the
result that a start is To oe made IN DAY or
two. Three months should see the work nnlshed
Criticism has been directed against the paving
of One-hundred- md feminist. from Manhattan
ave. to the Boulevard, with Belgian blocks.
work now in progress The street has been re-
GRADED and widened into a parkway. Asphalt
has been laid from Seventh-ave. to Manhattan
ave. The new entrance to Central Park at
Eighth-ave. is about finished and the parkway.
II smoothly paved all the way. would be an
important cycling route between the Park and
the Boulevard 1t would have relieved the
crush on One-hundred- and sixth-st. which now
has railroad tracks from Columbus to Amster-
dam ave The reason for using granite is the
grade and this calls attention TO point on
which the branches of the city government are
not agreed If the Commissioner Of Public
Works had been in charge of this work he
would unquestionably have used asphalt. for he
has laid II sleeper ascents tran this The
engineer of the Finance Department, on the
other hand, would probably agree with the ex-
pert Of the Park Department. having advised
against the of asphalt on certain parts OF
pop1 W. her
Purveyor thought il should be laid. Mr. North
wen his point in the Board Of Estimate. The
slipperiness of asphalt in winter Is the chief
reason for not using it on steep grades. Strips
of asphalt over the blocks along the curbstoncs.
such as is TO be seen in Madison -ave.. from
Forty-frst to Forty-second St, would make the
parkway ridabe all its length.
Queens County Is by no means resting on the
laurels 1t has won by its good roads. 1t has
found them a paying investment and will pur-
sue its policy with renewed vigor. The improve
ments to the Norti. Turnpike. from Roslyn to
East Norwich, are proof OF this. The distance
Is six or seven miles. and it would have been a
commendable thing merely to macadamize the
stretch But the authorities were not content
with this and decided TO regrade the highway
as we'll II was not especially hilly not nearly
40 much SO as the road from Flushing to Ros-
iyn but 1t will be made more nearly level In
some places six or eight feet f'earth have been
removed. and bellows have been filled in to
even q greater extent. The work is to be
finished by November. and enough men at
work TO grade mile month.
Next year this will form delightful ride The
south County road is the favorite among
those on Long Island. by reason not only Of its
ene condition but its levelness well. The
north shore Of the island. however is distinctly
more attractive to the eye than the Atlantic
Ocean side There are heavy forests and green
hills. and the occasional views Of the Sound
enchanting For the rest Of the summer it Will
ne we'll for cyclists TO avoid the North Turnpike
between Roslyn and East Norwich oyster Bay.
which Is two miles beyond East Norwich. may be