The Saint Paul globe., 1898-07-27
WHEEL AS AN ECONOMY
1T TEACHES THE VALUE OF CIN-
DER PATHS
City VIII at Once Save Taxpayers
Money and Confer a Boon on the
Users of Bicycles by Replace
Ing Worn Wooden Sidewalks in
Outlying Districts with Gravel
or Cinder Ways.

The board of public works yesterday
made an inspection of the wooden side
walks in the Second ward, for which
preliminary orders have been sent by
the council directing that they be re-
laid.
In connection with this investigation
the board has decided to order up the
old wooden sidewalks, and will replace
them with gravel and cinders walks.
something similar TO the cycle paths
recently built
President Copeland, seen yesterday
afternoon, said the visit Of the board
to the Second ward had brought to
light the fact that about ten miles of
wooden sidewalk in the ward could be
done away with This amount Of walks
had been put down about ten years
ago and several miles of it had never
been used by pedestrians. The top of
the walks was in good condition. but
the stringers had rotted away and the
result was that the sidewalks were
dangerous, even to the COWS, which
Travelled over them.
Inc opinion of the corporation attor-
ney that the board could order in gravel
walks, President Copeland said, would
result in several miles of this class of
walk being laid and the old wooden
sidewalks being torn up.
The board will order the wooden
walks In the territory east of Duluth
avenue. from Seventh to Minnehaha
streets, replaced with the gravel paths
Also the walks that are not in good
condition on East Seventh street, from
Phalen to White Bear avenue, and
north on White Bear avenue to the rail-
road tracks. Also, on Burns avenue.
Mirnehaha street, Reaney street and
Margaret street, east from Johnson
avenue to the city limits.
Ihe property owners appear to be
greatly pleased with the proposed ac-
ton OF the board regarding the laying
or gravel walks instead of wooden ones,
The cost of a new wooden walk is 30
cents foot, and for a forty-foot LOT
S12, while the cost of gravel path
would not exceed 6 cents per foot. or
from $3.50 to SO for forty-foot lot.
The city engineer has been ordered
to prepare specifications for the gravel
paths. and as soon as these are pre-
sented to the board the property own
ers on certain street will be called
in and their views ascertained.
The board express the opinion that
the gravel for the walks can be secured
at numerous points in the Second ward
and the only considerable expense will
be the securing Of cinders for founda-
ton. In this connection Assistant Cjty
Engineer Wilson stated yesterday, that
If good gravel could be secured there
would be no need to secure cinders. His
experience in building cycle paths was
that these In which there were no Gin
ders were better than those in which
cinders were used.
Letters are coming in calling atten
ton to the condition Of the old wooden
walks in various parts of the city and
expressing the wish that the gravel
paths will not be confined to the Sec
ond ward.
Willis J. Howard, resident and
property owner of Highwood, calls at
tention to a three-plank sidewalk laid
for distance Of two miles In the vicin-
ity Of Highwood, which has been down
for eleven years. The walk, Mr.. Ho-
ward states. Is in a very dangerous
| condition.
President Copeland said there was
about 100000 feet Of sidewalks in the
eastern portion Of the Second ward
which should never have been laid. The
| walk cost about SIG per thousand feet
and the money paid for it had been
! just that much thrown away
| A separate contract will have to ba
let for the laying of the gravel walks
| and for the present all the work will ha
! done in the Second ward, although q
soon as the experiment has been tried
it is proposed to carry the work into tha
| Tenth and Eleventh wards.