New-York tribune., 1896-11-22
ASPHALT IN NEW-YORk.
WATER pr,RyEYOR NORTH TELLS WHAT
HAS BEEN DONE THIS YEAR.
SOMETHING ALSO ABOUT PLANS FOR THE III i'''
IMPROVING FIFTH AND FIRST AYES
HOW TO COME DOWNTOWN on
AsPuALr-AsP1IALT STRIPS
A Success.


SUCCESS
Lying on the desk Of Water Purveyor hn"a sa
~, w,.n ,he writer called Mt his office IN 'he
Trac, Society Building day or TWO "eo W ,.,,
cha, concerning the asphalt pavemeh,s 'e'..'.
IN this ci,v was a map showing by coors 'he s"e''
provided with this improvement in the las' ,eS
years The work done prior TO this year was mo-
off In green on the map. while ueep
indca. cd yha, has been accomplished 'he P.'
year a. well as that which is uhoer 'o'''"N
will be finished early In the coming year
rba work for this year is now being prousn' ~
q close Asphalt pavements cannot be put oo""
IN cod weather for II the irost o"'0 % .o
them they are ruined There were o''o " -.
exnsr,.nces o. this kind in Brooklyn last year 'Ne
,. - ~. tho navemen,s had to be taken up
ora rai.id In the spring while in one ins'ahcc ''io
street on which work had begun hau u oe ''
omen during the winter. to the great annoy en-
the residents on IT, There was no such pau Jun =.
New-York city although asphalt WORK was nv
closed down until January 3. Special pans were
80 hn,a,or ~ nrevent the asphalt from freez-
to a,d tho results have proved satisfactory even
,,ho, the navements were laid In weather that
- =, rocessarv 10 cover them at night TO pre-
Won, the cold from affecting them injuriousy'
NO RISKS TO BE TAKEN.
This yeai, however. ii Is the expec'a'io' ,""s
~ This sor, will be ended soon af'er 'ne pes"'''ie
., December as i; is thought wise not 10 'ahe any
: a
IN progress. and two new pieces oi asp"'' ,,
t,st been got under way. These are In one-huhoieu
and-seventeenth-st.. between ST. Nlchoias anu lo"
OK ayes and the pavement betweeh '"e ''
tracks IN Madson-ave between ohe-hu''u'
twe,,v-hfth-st and the bridge across the iarie"'
River These small Jobs can. in MT. No. u" oi
ion. he easily completed by December l. Vi soo"
afterward , l., hand ,h;s
One Of the large pieces OF work taken III NAM m w
year has been the repaving OF firs'-aNe' Ao'"
tieth-st to Onc-hundred -and-nnth-s' o"iis -
tho obstructiveness of the railroad companies ia.
tnr tracks here this has been competed only III
part and 1t cannot be finished before next year, =,
was found that 1hr rails had in some cases oee 'a
or ton OF the original pavement and IN consequence
tho tracks had to he lowered as much as " i "
a considerable distance. The companies "'' "1
consent to do this until the threat 10 remove 'neN
tracks brought them to terms AS ~, ,,,"r, -
tween the tracks which the law requires 'he'n ~
Az tbev have steadily refused. and still MAINTAIN
their hostile and uncivi attitude
The only part of this pavement 'ha' Ha ~
comple:ei Is that between Twenteth anu Inn y
second sts but two other sections are oeihs uo"e,
and will soon be finished-between Forty-secohu anu
Ffty-first sts and between Fifty-hfth ana oe'ei.s
.econd sts The rest will have to go over Inc
railroads which have caused the trouble are 'he
Belt Line now a part Of the metropolitan irac''o'
Comnany and the Second Avenue Railroad Co'h-
pany The latter has its tracks IN firs'-a'e'' oo'
Fifty-ninth-st.
80 WORK IN FIFTH-AVE
The most important work In asphalt that 'he CITY
has undertaken in long time is the placing OF an
up-to-date pavement In Fifth-avc.. from 1>'h'h-s''
a. F,ftv-ninth-st The contract for this has been
80 hu, the navement cannot be carried to COM
,,e,,on until next year, important Underground
work has to be done along the avenue. Nor'h vi
FYfty-nnth-st water mains are 10 De Ia'o neA'
year and Mr. North Is hopeful that the farK De-
nortment after that work Is done. Will pave fI'th-
ave with asphalt as far as Nineteth-st. above
which point pavement OF this Kind - ""eau' oee"
provided.
To the northward there is asphalt on this avenue
as far as One-hundred-a d-and-thirty-hfth-st- MY
North intends II possible. TO carry this up 70 ohe
hundred and thirty and TO lay the same
sort of pavement for one block In that street. 10
connect with the Madison-ave. bridge. Madison
ave- has been paved this year from One-huhdreo-
and twenty -ffth-st. to th" bridge.
A, fhe south end Fifh-ave now be reached
from the ives, side OF town by Spring and Macdouga
sts both of which have smooth pavements. as mas
also Fourth-s:. from Macdougal TO Broadway FROM
Second-ave one can get TO Ffth-ave. by way OF
Stuyvesant-st and Ninthst II Is the intention that
an approach shall be provided further downtown
by carrying the asphalt along Fourth-st. 10 Avenue
d. while Third-st. will also be asphaled between
Avenue. ID and the Bowery.
Many people fairly familiar with the city suppose
that they ca nnot come further downtown on asphalt
(saye on the strips recently laid along Hudson-so
than Chatham Square This Is mistake. by
turning from Division-st. into Bayard-st. either
Mott Mulberry or Baxter st. may be reached, ana
az all three are provided with smooth pavements. as
well as Park-s;. Centre-si can thus De reacheo
cose n Duane-st Below that point there are no
smooth pavements on the way downtown tii you
come to Nassau-s,.. but by Nassau and Broad s,s
th.re "a practically continuous route 10 South
Ferry.
REACHING THE FERRIES.
1t IL Water Purveyor Norths intention 10 pave
Roosevel,-s:. with asphalt next year. thus giving
a smooth route 10 one OF the East Side ferries. and
coming within a block two OF two others Three
books OF Cherry-st laid In asphalt last year;
q IL the expectation that this pavement will be ex-
tended from Catharine-st. TO Jackson-st.. within
two blocks OF the Grand-st. ferry. -
on the West Side a.so the ferries are peing mace
accessible for riders OF bicycles. By turning from
ToWtt. Smooth pavemenis will be found all the way
TO the ferry at Chrs,opher-s win me eXcep,'Pn IN
q shOI DOsk Thf wenes NsM as'nsd and
en,h SIS. is almost finished. and both Tweniy-sec-
the same material as far as Thrteenth-ave The
ssphai; in Twenty-second-s;: IS nearly continuous
sSe as 'at onv few rods from the East Twentyhrd
ferry but Tn in dSwn we're to NV twenty
first-st and to return TO Twenty-second-si. by
last wear One hundred and twenty y-sxth-st was
ra~ed with asphalt from Fourth-ave. TO ST Ncho-
ia this the SnOOtn pavement
laid as far as Secondave and next year IL VIII pe
extended in the other direction ana carried
tw.ninth-st to Manhattan-st. as near TO the rort I
lee ferry as 1t Is practicable to reach on account
- tho cartracks Besides the streets already
0amed as having been provided with asphalt pave
ments the present year mentlon shourd oG Eomrth
eyes Seventy seventh and Seventy-eighth sts be
sr.oer hvenuc 4 and Thrd-avc One hundred and
fe;t,eenfh.st between Avenue and Lexington
ave and One-hundred- and -twentieth-st. between
Avenue and Fifth-ave
THE ASPHALT STRIPS.
When asked regarding the asphalt strips which
have been laid for the benefit Of bicyclists In Hud-
son-st and in three places In Madison-ave.. Mr..
North said: "As far the grades In Madison-ave