The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1897-10-22
PAvEMENTs AND PROGRESS.
A Sure Way of Testing the Develop
ment of an American City.


A Sure Way of Testing the Develop
ment of an American City.
There is no surer way of determining
the growth of an American municipal
ity in respect of material development
than by comparing the relation which
it's paved streets bear to its unpaved.
The civil engineer is an important
functionary in the foundation of mu-
nicipal corporations in the United
States, and especially in such of them
as are in the region west of the Allie
ghanies. But street pavements are ex-
pensive, and it is not until a city is opu-
lent enough to enjoy the luxury of
big municipal debt and large credit
that the question of modern and i'm
proved pavements secures adequate at
tention.>
In Boston, FOR instance, one of the old
cities, there are 312 miles of paved and
40 miles of unpaved streets. In Balti-
more there are 3O6 miles of paved and
only Al miles of unpaved streets. In
Philadelphia there, are 942 miles of
paved and 433 miles of unpaved streets.
But in the newer cities of the country
this country is reversed, and Chicago,
which has 1000 miles of paved, has
1900 miles of unpaved streets. In st.
Louis the number of miles of paved
streets is $40 and Of unpaved 500. In
Omaha there are 80 miles of paved
streets and 45O miles of unpaved. In
Minneapolis, city which is growing
rapidly in population, there are SO miles
of paved and 800 miles of unpaved
streets. In Brooklyn there are 515 miles
of paved and 999.5 miles of unpaved
streets. The pavement of Brooklyn
streets, which is now a subject of local
grievance and complaint, shows GER
tain backwardness, which, it is expect
ed, the Greater New York project will
do away with by making available the
municipal credit necessary for the issu-
ance of bonds for new pavements. At
the present time more than 260 miles of
Brooklyn streets-more than one-half
of the whole length of paved streets
have the primitive, unsatisfactory and
unpopular cobblestones. There are ITO
miles of streets paved with granite, 90
miles, especially in the neighborhood OF
the parks and parkways, macadam-
lied; Al miles paved with Belgium
! blocks, 40 miles with asphalt; and 1
mile with still more primitive meth
cd, practically unknown to New York,
though quite familiar in Philadelphia
clxpavements. A meeting was held
In the annexed district of Brooklyn re-
Gently for the purpose of agitating the
question of the improvement of the
pavements of that city. but in this re-
| spect, as in some others, Brooklyn, for
obvious reasons, is much behind New
York.
In this city there are no streets paved
with brick, and there is less than one
quarter of mile of cobblestone pave
ment in all. This is to be found in one
of the streets of the Ninth Ward. There
is small section of tOwn-a portion of
one street-paved with wood, but
wooden pavements have long ago been
voted failure in practical operation
in New York. The city has 1S5 miles
of granite, 142 miles of macadamized
roads and streets, "a miles of asphalt,
and 80 miles of Belgium pavement. The
city of Philadelphia, much larger terri
| torially than New York, has 331 miles
of Belgium block pavement, 172 of as
phalt, 152 macadam, 76 of vitriied
brick, II of granolithic, 3 of Stag, and
nearly 200 of cobblestone. The growth
of an American city is shown clearly
by the number of miles of improved
pavement in streets, and it is believed
by public works officials that after Jan.
/, 1898, there will be visible improve
ment in all the pavements Of the city
outside of it's present boundaries.-New
York. Sun.