The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-05-16

TO the Editor OF The Post
| in your issue OF the 18th instant Mr..
e. Il Dounelly discusses in n fair and i'm
partial manner the street paving question
| lie agrees with me as to the merits OF
granite but lie does not think II Will gve
| satisfaction for tho streets Of Houston. ami
says 1t is good for suburban road now
ever. he admits the very eminent authorl-
| ties cited by him OIL street paving. used
granite aud that it is now used ON the
streets IN London.
quote tho following from his article
as IT Is based on some good authority. VOL
presented aud pertinent to the issue.
] "MoAdam would not recommend
| thickness less than ten inches for fcaNy
| traffic and Telford urged binder OF two
inches 10 this Taking McLaurln y
| figures of 81 40 per cubic yard-maHlns Il
| cost of 81 IS ID per square yard. rather
| high price for mer" foundation won
| which. II desired. an asphalt cod;inG "oi Id
DO applied.
'For u little more than half this amount
n good concrete base. six inches 'hick
| composed of broken stone and hydraulic
cement can be laid. making tnuch ~
perior and permanent foundation. upon
| which wearing surface OF afphalt o. ptlth
| can DO placed. =
| allowing $50 feet for length Of blocks
] and a width of 30 feet, an asphalt pave
| mont oau be laid for less than $4,000 per
| block.
Now tho cost OF 81 4s IL per square
| yard Of twelve inches In depth for granite
is % rhaps excessive. as granite sand. which
can bo had cheaper. sbould lie used to
some extent In filling the in,erstces OF tho
Iu ha
| sired 10 add an asphalt coating or anything
more 10 ;his twelve Inches OF material
| An asphalt coating is only suitable to llSht
| traffic. streets whore from four to SIX
Inches Of granite would BIO sufficient IL
| would be poor policy to prepato inns
! twelve inch paving Tor heavy traffic, ana
/ ihon reduce 1t again to light traftlc py
coating with asphalt at the same lllhe
| adding still moro to It's cost, as tho material
dampeued and heavily rolled Is already III
| for both light and heavy traffic
As TO the suggestion Of SIX Inches cf
coucrota and brick. Tho cheapest concrete
| know. Of. being used In Texns, Is costing
! So 80 per cubic yard about 80 cents per
square ya'd ak inches deep; inc COZ.
| of the prick could not be less than 90 conls
making 81 80 per square yard aud sun
| you only have street for light traiiic'
| The asphalt according 10 Nj Donneliys
own figures, would cost 80 Is cents per
square foot or SO per square yard lAs
| asphalt Is almost exclusively an imported
material II may be well to soe that this
| estimate includes Mr. Mckinley's now
charges on importa.)
| Summing mp tho whole we have the fol-
| lowing
. inches asphalt Ought traffic. ....3S 90
| inches concrete and brick uight
| trafiici ,....-. .-........t-.'.., oo
..tatt. 4
traffni (McAdam plus Tclforhl ~ I'D
| nchcs granite (ncdlum traffic. ] u
| q inches granite Digit traffic. q. "a
Houston has fcw streets. AK yet. that
would require this heavy class OF paving
Her chief demand at present ID for the
medium and light traffic work.
The use q granite, as suggested In ny
foi m.r communication. has met with tho
approval Of every American city. 40 for
tnnately located that the cost OF trans
portation would permit fts use. Its great
weight making It's transportalon the great
or item Of It's cost. lis durability and fit
ness for street work Ii not an experiment
Terre uatte. Ind. St Louis aud other
cities have recently tested 1t on the lno
l bayo suggested. and much valuable in
formation can easily DO obtained as to Tho
beat mode OF using IT, The advantages are
chiefly It's durability, on-dislntegrdtion
making neither dust nor mud, and the
property It has IN its crushed state when
nronerly placed in position OF forming an
ind,,rated concrcted mass, an at.-ltito
which neither sand or lmestoncs rossefs
without the use Of expensive cementH.
These latter rapidly dis!n,egrate into 9Th
or dust. mud or sluhh, "heh exposed 10
the effects of climate. wear ana traffic,
ana can only h. made TO retain their dur
ability by Increasing them In some nastic
composed Of expensive cement. Even brick,