The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
So Says ]. w. Mcdonald, the
President of the City Street
Improvement Company.
ALSO. sILURIANIsM IS DEAD.
San Francisco Is Approaching the
Dawn of a New
Era.

One OF the firms who are largely inter
ested in public improvements and are par
ticularly and directly concerned with the
subject of street pavements and the project
of beautifying the City with weIl-made
and well-kept streets and boulevards is
the City Street Improvement Company,
whose offices are on the fifth floor of the
Mills building.
Their btuminous rock mines, which
rank probably among the largest on the
coast, are in Santa Cruz County. They
occupy an area of about 500 acres, from
which there san output of about 5000 tons
per month. They are also owners of ex-
tensive bituminous-rock mines in Kings
| County.
]. W. Mcdonald, president Of the City
Street Improvement Company, when seen
by representative OF THE CALL said:
THE City of San Francisco is certainly
approaching the dawn of new era in her
progress, if the immense amount of boule.
ward work now being done and being pro-
jected can be taken as a sign. There are
several reasons for all these improvements
which are projected. the chief of which
can be found in the fact that silurianism
accomplished so much for the Citv of San
Francisco as the work OF the numerous
Improvement clubs and societies for the
dissemination of facts of interest about
our coast and City. The movement started
with the inception of the Midwinter Fair
and has been steadily moving onward.
''One of the associations which have
already accom- plished much for the City is
the Merchants Association, which has
reused public sentiment to such pitch
that the citizens generally have awakened
to the fact that street Improvements are
necessary TO uphold property valuations
and to give the City metropolitan APP
pearance. 1t is generally conceded that
pavements must be constructed upon sani-
tary principles and according to the best
rules of modern street-building. Il has been
found that no street answers all the re-
quirements exacted by the wear of traffic
and the elements so successfully as our
celebrated bituminous rock pavements.
There are pavements in the East known
as asphalt payements which are manufac-
tured and have done much to improve and
beautify municipalities there, but nowhere
in the world is there such an opportunity
Tor cheap pavements OF bituminous rock
OF the very best quality, as it is found in
greater quantities in this vicinity than
elsewhere, in places of easy access, and it
can be transported very cheaply,
This movement. for improved highways
e
| have the making of the most beautiful
city in the world. 1t can be done economi-
cally by doing at once, owing TO the cheap
ness of labor and material at the present
day. We have q commanding location
| and handsome buildings; all that is needed
is slightly, well-paved streets and boule-
wards. The money, l believe, can be raised
without increasing taxation to any mate
rial extent.
"Bi;uminous rock can be laid cheaper and
give better and more service and satisfac-
ton to the taxpayers and propsrty-owners
than any other pavement known. The,
cost of keeping it in repair being merely
nominal, our company is willing and does
guarantee all of Its pavements from five
to ten years at cost not to exceed one
quarter of a cent per foot.
II believe that Market street ought to be
| repaved from the ferry to Larkin street,
but, strange to say, | am not in favor of a
bituminous rock pavement for that street,
owing to the enormous traffic which will
| be always increasing, the strain of which
bituminous rock cannot endure. In my
opinion that street can be paved at very
reasonable figure with small basalt blocks
not to exceed three inches wide eight
| inches long and six inches deep, made uni
| form and laid on concrete foundation;
the interstices filled with preparation of
bitumen and asphalt poured in not, VIII ich
will make il impervious to moisture and
almost as noiseless as a bItuminous pave
| ment and quite as smooth. The material
now on the street can be largely used in
the construction of such a pavement.
| thereby saving thousands of dollars to
the taxpayers.
"a pavement laid in such a manner we
would be willing to put up a bond to keep
in repair for ten years for very small
sum of money, in fact, a very small per-
centage in addition to the original cost.
''If this pavement is laid on Market
street in the manner ! have suggested, the
blocks cut of even size, particular care
taken as to the depth and evenness of the
concrete base or foundation, which must
be covered with about an inch of sand so
as to insure the whole being even, then
will the property-owners of that thorough
fare enjoy pavement that will meet their
every requirement and which will not re-
quire repairing at short intervals. 1t will
stand the test of the elements and the
heavy traffic. and in the long run Will
prove itself to be the cheapest as well as
the BEST
There is one important factor of which l
would like to speak. Bituminized streets
should be swept clean, so as to avoid the
dust, and they should be sprinkled as
lightly as possible if at ALL Thorough
sweeping will remove all possibilities of
dust, and If any sprinkling is done it
| should be at time when the
| travel is light and never in the heat OF the
day, for water added to bituminous-rock
pavement not only makes it slippery for
horses, but it has tendency to soften and
melt it, particularly in warm weather.
There is nothing more disastrous to a
5ituminized pavement than pool of water
where the sun will shine on 1t on a very
warm day.
81 am particularly in favor of using every
means possible-that is TO say within the
bounds of reason-to beautlfy our City.
The public parks and places of recrea-
tion for those in the poorer walks
OF life should not be sighted.
A vast amount of attention is being given
to them, but if the improvements were
made now so that the future expense would
be light | think that grand work will
have been consummated."