New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-06
NO MORE ASPHALT PATEnENTS'
ONE PROBABLE RESULT OF THE CHI '>-
ABILITY TO SELL BONDS-WHAl IA"
prEN DONE THIS YEAR.

u..,,,s ~ the city's inability TO sell its
bonds will be the suspension OF many 'l,p' s",,,
ruh,ic improvements, including the shu''i'ie wv
-, tho work of laying asphalt paVemeh's' Aa''
wear over nine miles OF asphat PaNei'e' ~,
ia and n has been expected by ofncials vi ','e
go, u,orrs Deparement that that record woulu oe
considerably exceeded this year. Thus rar perhaps
Al. miles have been put down. and from 'he pre-
ont outlook the prospect is dim tha' hiuV" ''''o
work will be done. .,uo u.ho
This will bs a great disappointment 10 'hose WIN
,ook for a gradual but steady improvement OF ''e
streets Of the city. Even If ten miles OF asp"a''
- ~, down each year It would take twenty
nv thirty wears to replace all the cobblestone Oh '
civ with improved pavements, ana no one "oOu
he sorry TO see the work done IN nan Oh '''''u "
that time II II were possible Nithou' h''
enough II is not to be expected that the con'rac-
$50 ,,,,, he willing TO go on. Already large sums
are due some of them, and they are unaoe ~ s''
the money. oaa
Only two pieces of work are now In progress
and they will soon be finished. One OF them Is vi
Inc block OF Penn-st.. between BEDFORD ana Lee
ayes and the other is the block Of Jeferson-ave.'
between Bedford and Nostrand ayes yhe latter Is
being done at the expense OF the city lot .ne pun
nose Of connecting two thoroughfares East OF
Bedford-ave Jefferson-a has been suppheo VIII"
an asphalt pavement for several BLOCKS ana II Is
planned 10 carry the work still further 10 con-
meet this with Bedford-ave. is an improvement OF
by bicycle riders. Those coming along Hancock
ST. have either to go over BLOCK OF sran, ne
pavement that street between Nostrand an1
bedford ayes, else turn south Tor one, ploch
over cobblestonss to reach the asphalt IN Hsisey
ST BY going through Throop.ave.. now paved win
granite 10 JeYerson-ave. they Will be aole 10
reach Bedford-ave. all the way over a snooth
pavement save only for several street intersec-
lions which are sadly in need OF betterment =,
An Official familiar with this subject, says tnat
the city would he much better served In the mat
ter of repairs to asphalt pavements " the Work
were all done under contract, so that II would ne
10 the interest of the contractor to allow breaks IN
the pavements last the shortest possible time;
Where the work of repairing il done by the yard
a contractor is naturally tempted TO let them go
until they are of considerable size as he Will then
get more pay for his work A pavement or TINS
kind the Official said needs constant attention ana
as soon as a break 1t should be attended 10.
This Is the pursued in foreign cities. where
however. a much larger allowance is made for
pavement repairs than in American cities
The most important pieces of paving work done
the asphalt In st. Mark save, forming con,
tinuous strip more than two miles In length, and
the asphating of Csrlton-ave. and State-st The
latter has recently been completed. and viii do
much to relieve the crowdng in Schermerhorn-s
In all these the asphalt was placed over
copblestones and the results are pronounced by
experts to be practically as good as II concrete
foundations had been put down In case such a
pavement has 10 be torn up though, II Is not so
easy 10 make p satisfactory repair