Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-03-13
THE FEDERAL CITY.
How its Famous ravements are
Made. Its System Of Parks, and
its Shade Trees.

Made. Its System Of Parks, an,
it's Shade Trees.
| From Our Special Correspondent
In the city of Washington there ar
over one hundred miles of asphal
pavements. The sidewalks are O
brick as usual thing, but between tn
curbstones there is hard road way a
smooth as floor, and forming probabl.
the finest street system in the world
These streets are sprinkled with water
and then swept with enormous re
volving brushes drawn by either two
or four horses. Almost any evening
you can see row of these machine.
following one another about the street.
and gradually moving the dirt from
the center of the street to the curb
Behind the last sweeper comes a ganl
OF colored men, with long hoes and
brooms, who arrange the dirt in small
piles, to be taken up by still third
gang with shovels and carts.
New asphalt pavement is put down
at the rate of about five miles per year
and is made as follows: The road
way is brought to proper grade, and
crushed stone is put on to a depth oil
six inches and rolled with enormous
steam rollers; then layer of lump
asphalt, an inch or so thick, is put over
the asphalt and tar and rolled. Finally
comes the surface coating of fine as.
phalt. 1t comes from the factory,
down by the river, in carts drawn by
mules, invaribly driven by small color
ed boys, and looks like black wet
granulated sugar. When the piece Of
old carpet is removed, the steaming
mass is dumped OH the ground and
rapidly spread out with iron rakes, and
rolled with hand or steam rollers
This layer is about an inch thick, and
will harden over night. In the winter
the pavement is as hard as limestone,
which it resembles in color. but during
the hot summer days it becomes soft
and rubber-like. As you walk over it
you are conscious Of its giving under
your feet, and horses move about in
an almost noiseless manner. The cost
OF this kind Of pavement, with six
inch foundation, is about $2.1O per
square yard.
Washington is very proud Of its street
system. The regular streets run at
right angles, and are about one
hundred feet wide. Those running
north and south are numbered, and
those running east and west are
lettered. The avenues, some twenty
in number, and named after the States
are nearly all one hundred and sixty
feet wide. They run obliquely, so that
you can always tell whether you are
on street" or an avenue" Where
an avenue crosses a street at o very
sharp angle, the narrow points are re.
served as parks, aud where two OF
three more avenues cross there is q
circular park generally adorned with a
statue of some one notable in the civil
or military history OF the nation.
Along these streets and avenues
have been set out about a hundred
thousand trees, certain streets having
their own peculiar varieties, so that q
botanist can sometimes locate himse
by simply glancing at the trees; thus
on New Jersey Avenue, you find the
tulip tree; on New York Avenue the
elm; on Massachusetts, Avenue the
Eastwood; on X street the catalpa; on
Eleventh street the sycamore; or
Eighth street the Norway maple, and
on G street the European linden
The most common varieties used are
the silver and Norway naples and the
Carolina poplar.
When you hear any one speak o.
"the Avenue" you always know tha,
he means Pennsylvania Avenue. tha,
great parade avenue. extending from
the Capitol to the Treasury depart
rnent and White House. 1t is los
feet 6 inches wide between the curbs
and affords q magnificent street fol
parades, as any one who has seen regi'
ment after regiment march company
front along it will certify.
About one-third OF the population O
the city is composed of negroes, ant
nowhere, even in the most fashionable
part OF the city, will you travel more
than square or two without comm,
upon their cabins. For this reason
you will not find here streets that in
unbroken blocks of fine residences
compare with James street in Syra
cuse or Euclid Avenue in Cleveland
The cabin, however, in some parts ol
the city is gradually disappearing and
its place is being taken by residences
more beitting the character of tn,
street. JESS.
WHILE no physician or pharmacis
can conscientously warrant cure, thu
J. c. Aver Co. guarantee the purity
strength, aud medicinal virtues o
Ayers Sarsaparilla. 1t was the onl!
blOod.purifier admitted at the gres
Worlds Fair in Chicago, 1893.
If the care of the hair were made
part OF lady's education, we shoult
not see so many gray heads, and th'
use OF Halls Hair Renewer would h