Bridgeton pioneer., 1896-04-23
FOR BETTER PAVING.

The Important Matter of Street Paving
Discussed Last Thursday Night in the
Board of Trade Rooms,
The meeting last week Of the Board of
Trade, was one of the most important
ever held by that body, and there was a
very large attendance.
The discussion was upon the matter of
street paving, and this matter so closely
connected with sewerage gave opportu-
mites for discussion in very emphatic
manner.
President P. Kennedy Reeves presided,
and in addition to those of the Board
there were present the following MEM
hers Of City Council: President higgins;
Messrs. Dare, Woodruff, Sellers, Morris,
Elmer, Blew and Bacon.
The minutes were read by Secretary
Hoff and approved, and the business of
the Board was taken up.
There were no communications of i'm
portance in the hands of the Secretary,
and President Reeves made his appoint
ments of standing committees for the en-
suing year, as follows:
Municipal Improvements.-Ed. M.
Fithian, Oberlin Smith, John Ogden.
Transportation, etc.-Geo. A. Bown,
itDr. J. G. Kirby, Constant Albertson.
Education, Library and Sanitation
lhVm. E. Cox, VIM. G. Loper, Jesse G.
Davis.
Meetings.-John N. Glaspell, J. J.
Reeves, G. H. Mickle.
\ Manufacturers, Commerce and Statis-
I tics.-Jacob Mengel, Newton Elmer,
George Hampton.
! Water and Light.-Timothy Woodruff,
VIM. E. Riley, F. L. Fralinger.
y The Committee on Municipal Improve
k.ments presented written report which
1was read by Ed. M. Fithian, whom
chairman Oberlin Smith said had done
the bulk of the work for the Committee.
Mr.. Fithian's report could be publish
ed with credit, but it would crowd other
important matters of news and it is pre-
stnted in abstract. He said that the
material used in many experiments
throughout the country were wood in
various forms, broken stone, rubble
stone, granite blocks, sheet asphalt, as
phalt blocks and bricks in many varities
of composition and finish. Of these
materials the speaker said that sheet as
phalt and brick were the two materials
only that ought to be mentioned here. The
sheet asphalt had all the advantages, but
was expensive and the brick pavements
seemed to be the one that demanded con-
sideration.
The advantages of first class brick
pavement are it's smoothness and clean
iness, in which respects its rivals the
asphalt; it's easy traction and freedom
from deafening noise as compared with
4 stone, although it has a certain rumble of
Sits own; its conservative cost and light
maintenancetaccount. Its facility of repair
I after sub surface work is also conserva-
0ive.
Its disadvantages are it's shorter life
when compared with stone only the risk
of having some bricks softer than the
average pass inspection, and the rumble,
when it exists, the cause of which is dis
puted.
An examination of the report of the
Street and Sewer Department. of Whining
ton, for the year 1895, shows that brick
gavements were laid, during the year, on
lleven streets on concrete foundations,
for total expenditure of $42,677 at an
average cost of $l.7S yard, including, on
seven streets, the resetting of curbs and
fixing of sidewalks.
The average cost of ID contracts lately
let or completed in Trenton was $2.O3 a
yard, using the Trenton brick and the
average of 8 contracts was $2.16 using
western brick. all on concrete. Excellent
pavements have been laid, however, on
West State street and on Spring street
under favorable contracts for 81. rs yard.
1t would be thought safe to estimate
the cost of brick pavement properly
lald on concrete in Bridgeton streets, if
say 10000 yards were laid, at from $500
to $2.2O, depending upon the sources of
supply.
The specifications for construction
are everywhere now similar. The street