The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-04
ASPHALT PAVING ASKED FOR.
DRAYgFON STREET PROPERTY OWN
EFs PETITION THE COUNCIL.

to BE Ready For presentation.
TIAe Church and Other Public
Properties and Institutions Claim
cd to BE the Only Properties Not
Represented in It-AIderDlnn
krousIoT Objects to Asphalt he
cause of Its Cost.
Drayton street will be paved with as
phalt If the wishes Of the property own
ers on that street are regarded by coun-
eli. During the last few days a petition
has been quietly circulated by several Of
the largest property owners on the street
wit h the result that practically every
property owner an the street it is stated,
ha S signed a petition asking for asphalt.
.rhe only parties which have not signed
for asphalt so far as known, besides sew
eral public properties and insti-
tutions, are the representatives of
the several church properties,
Christ church, Wesley Monumental
church. the First Presbyterian church.
and the Mlckva Israel synagogue, all of
which abut on Drayton street on the rear.
/ and the parsonage of the First Baptist
church. at Jones and Drayton streets. This
could not be done without the authority
of the board of trustees Of the several
churches, none Of which have met since
the petition was started. Several of the
trustees have expressed themselves, how
ever. as favorable to the movement, and
it is expected that all of them will indorse
the movement
Among the prime movers in getting up
the petition are Mr.. Louis Kayton, ex-
! Alderman D. B. Lester, Mr.. Ralph Van
Keuren and John Nicolson, Esq. The
| grounds upon which the request is made,
as stated in the petition. are that "sheet
asphalt is cleaner, healthier, less noisy,
and handsomer than any other character
of pavement, and tends more than any 9TH
er kind of pavement, to enhance the value
of abutting property. We consider that
the laying of a stone, or brick pavement
on this street will be very Objectionable
on account of noise, dirt, etc, and will be
a positive INJURY to the value of proper
ty on said street"
MIR. Lester, who is a large property own
er on Drayton street, said yesterday;
with the guarantee of maintenance Of
fered by the asphalt company, asphalt Is
the cheapest pavement to be had. The
company will lay the pavement for 81. So
a square yard, and will maintain it free
of charge for five years, after which time
the company will maintain the pavement
for ten years at the low cost of cents per
square yard. At the end Of fifteen years
we will still have a pavement as good
as new. What other paving material can
you find that will make the same showing.
Besides fifteen years hence, the asphalt
company will, in all probability be able to
make a contract for continuing the main
tenance of the pavement at a still lower
cost l have not hunted up any statistics,
but 1 do not believe that either brick or
Belgian block will wear for fifteen years,
and still furnish decent pavement. Dray
ton is a narrow street, and as two-thirdS
of the cost will be borne by the property
owners, the expense to the city viii not
be great in comparison with the advan-
tage derived. Another thing to be con-
sidered is that Drayton Is not properly a
traffic street. 1t has simply been made so
by circumstances. With other north and
south streets paved which will doubtless
be done within few years, the greater
part of the traffic which now goes over
Drayton street will seek other streets.
While in council opposed the paving of
South Broad street with asphalt or any
other material My position was that
with nine paved streets running across the
city east, and west, no pavement was
needed on South Broad street, while with
only TWO paved streets running the length
of the city north and south, or practically
only one paved street, considering the
condition of Drayton street. whatever
money the city had to eXpend for paving
should be expended on the north and
south streets. Both East Broad and West
Broad streets should be paved as early
as possible, and so should Lincoln streets
Mr.. Kayton, another large property
owner, expressed himself on the same lines
with MIR. Lester. I'VE don't want any more
experiments on Drayton street." he said
I'VE have paid for one experiment, and
that Is enough Belgian block is just as
bad as cobblestones so far as noise and
dirt is concerned. We sleep with our win
dows open i'm summer and with the wagons
/ rafting over the Belgian block pavement
on that narrow street in the early hours
of the morning life would be unbearable
N4trfed brick may be a good pavement,
but we do not know this to be a fact
! should not judge so from the appearance
of Abercorn street. l prefer TO be guided
! by the experience of Washington, Phila-
delpha and New York rather than by that
: of Jacksonville and other small cities Bull
2 street appears TO stand the wear and tear
pretty we'll and the traffic on the northern
- portion Of Bull street is heavier than on
Drayton street. Besides the asphalt COM
pany will undertake to maintain the pave
) ment for fifteen years and turn it over to
3 the city at the end of that time in first
/ class condition. We want asphalt and we
I are willing to pay for it,"
All the banks on Drayton street and also
the president Of the Board of Trade and
the agents for other large commercial
buildings have signed the petition for as
, phalt."
, Alderman Krouskoff. who heard of the
petition, is very much opposed to paving
Drayton street with asphalt. He says il
will cost 10000, and that the city would
have to bear nearly half the cost. as IL
would have TO pay for the frontage of For
syth park and Park exten sion as well as
: for all street and lane intersections and
it's one-third Of the total cost. He is op-
posed to such an expensive Improvement
when there Is so many streets needing to
be paved With Augusta gravel. he says.
the city could pave three or four streets
with the money which il would require 70
, asphalt Drayton street.
The petition will come before council at
its next regular meeting a week from to-
day.
he Smith nwnnH