The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1897-12-03
SIGNS OF PROGRESS.
A Sure Indication of Growth In
American Cities
The Number of Miles of Street Pave
ment Shows Their Material De-
veIopment-Some Inter-
estinR Figures.

| There is no surer way of determin-
ing the growth of an American mu-
nicipality in respect of material devel-
opmert than by comparing the relation
which its paved streets bear to its I'M
| paved. The civil engineer is an impor-
tant functionary in the foundation of
municipal corporations in the United
states, and especially in such Of them
Us are in the region west of the Ale
:;hanies. Dut street pavements are eX-
,.ensive, and it is not until city is
Gpulent 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 lilies OF unpaved streets. In Balti-
more there are 306 miles of paved and
only AZ miles of unpaved streets. In
Philadelphia there are 942 miles of
paved and 1873 miles of unpaved streets.
But in the newer cities of the country
this condition is reversed, and Chicago,
which has 1900 miles of paved, has
ECO miles of unpaved streets. In st.
Louis the number of miles of paved
;treets is $40 and of unpaved 500. In
Omaha there are So miles of paved
streets and $50 miles of unpaved. In
Minneapolis, a city which is growing
rapidly in population, there are 9S
miles OF paved and SEQ miles of I'M
paved streets. In Brooklyn there are
SIS miles Of paved and 009.5 miles of
unpaved streets. The pavement of
Brooklyn streets, which Is now a sub
1ect of local grievance and complaint,
shows a certain fbackwardness, which
it is expected the Greater New York
project will do away with by making
available the municipal credit neces-
sary for the issuance Of bonds for new
ipavements. AT the present time
more than one-half the whole length
of paved streets-have the primitive,
unsatisfactory and unpopular cobble-
stones. There are 10 miles OF streets
paved with granite, co miles, especial
ly in the neighborhood of the parks
and parkways, macadamized; A miles
paved with Belgium blocks, 10 miles
with asphalt, and one mile with still
more primitive method, practically I'M
known to New York, though quite IA
niliar in Philadelphia-brick pave
nents. a meeting was held in the
.nnexed district OF Brooklyn last week
or the purpose of agitating the ques-
ion of the improvement of the pave
nents of that city, but in this respect,
IS in some others, Brooklyn, for OBJ
.ious reasons, is much behind New
York.
In this city there are no streets
paved with brick, and there is less than
one-quarter of a mile of cobblestone
pavement in all. This is to be found
in one of the streets of the Ninth ward.
There is a small section of town-a par
ton of one street-paved with wood,
but wooden pavements have long ago
been voted n failure in practical opera
ton in New York. The city has 1875
miles of granite, 142 miles Of macad-
amized roads and streets, Of miles Of
asphalt, and 90 miles of Belgium pave
mcnt. The city OF Philadelphia, much
larger tcrritorially than New York, has
331 miles of Belgium block pavement,
172 of asphalt. 1872 macaGau, rs of vetri-
fed brick, II of glanolithic, three of
Stag, and nearly 200 of coibblestone.
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 january 1, 1893, there will be
a visible improvement in ell the pave
1acnts of tie city outside of it's present
boundarics.-N. Y. Sun.