The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-18
AN IDEAL PAVING MATERIAL.
CITY OFFICIALS DISCOVER 1T IN
MACON.

Deposited in Southwest Georgia by
| the She'll Fish of the Sea Countless
Ages AgO-MacOn Preparing TO Use
Lot of It-AIdermnn Davis and
Commissioner of Public Works
WilIink Charmed With the New
observation-disclosures as Cheap as
| Gravel, But More DurabIe-SmoOth,
NOiseless and without Dust, Alder
man Davis Says-WiII Doubtless BE
Tried in Savannah.
Aldermen T. ]. Davis and John w.
Smith and Public Works Commissioner
| Harry Williuk returned yesterday morning
from Macon, where they went to inspect
paving work and new paving material now
being used there.
Macon has shown a spirit of enterprise
recently in the way of paving. One hun
/ dred and fifty thousand dollars has been
| appropriated for paving purposes to be ex-
pended under the direction of the board of
public works. As Macon does her paving
on the same system as does Savannah, the
abutting property owners on each side
/
total expenditure of $4,000 for paving
by the Central City in the near future.
The Savannah officials were taken in
! hand by members of the Macon city gov
! eminent, and were very courteously treat
ed. Their reception by Mayor Price and
other officials was very pleasant one,
| and they were given every opportunity to
inform themselves in regard to the paving
work
! Fourth street, one of Macon's prominent
| thoroughfares, is being paved with granite
| cubes on concrete foundation Macon S
soil being of different character from Sa-
Vannah's foundation is required for all
| paving on heavy traffic streets. This, of
! course. increases the cost of the paving.
! The granite cubes also cost more than the
blocks used in Savannah on Bryan, Jeffer-
son and other streets, but they make a
more uniform surface.
The Savannah party struck what the
members believe to be a public bonanza in
the shape of a paving material which is
| cheap, durable and satisfactory in every
respect. This is species or sea shell tor
nation, called for lack of a better name
! shell stone or cement stone, a large bed of
which exists 80 to 40 miles below Macon on
the Georgia, Southern and Florida Rail-
| road. Being of sea shell at thar distance in
the interior, it is naturally a prehistoric
| formation.
The specimens brought back by the Sa-
| vannah party bear a close resemblance to
phosphate rock A microscopic examina-
| ton shows it 10 be composed of shell, APP
parently crushed together in a solid mass
| and petrihed. On piece presented to the
| Morning News by Alderman Davis is the
shell Of starfsh plain as any that
| can be found on the beach at Tybee to-
day. Just how many thousands years
| that shell has been rusticating up in the
| woods of Southwestern Georgia it would
| be hard to say.
The bed was purchased several years
! ago by Grady & Co. of Macon, it's present
owners, with the idea that the material
found there was phosphate. With this
| idea in view, several car loads were taken
to Macon, where it was tested and found
| not to be phosphate Not being consid-
| cred of any further value, the material
was used to fill up a low place in front of
the Georgia Southern and Florida depot,
where it still remains. 1t was noticed
| that in spite of the heavy traffic over it
the material did not wear, but formed a
! hard roadbed. This suggested the idea
that it might be useful as a paving mate
| rial The assistant state geologist in his
| survey of that section inspected the bed
and pronounced the material very valu-
| able for paving purposes. An experiment
was made with the material in Macon last
! May, a portion of one street being laid
! This street is on steep incline, where
naturally the material would be given a
| severe test.
The material was not pulverized. but
! laid in Jumps and smoothed by running
! a heavy roller over it, Although thus
| roughly laid, the street presents a fairly
| smooth roadway, and shows no signs of
wear The cutters, in which some pull
| verified material was used, present very
| smooth. clean appearance.
The city of Macon is now preparing TO
/ Iau CT iobf oe
with this material. The owners of The
mine state their intention of erecting
crushing machinery at the mine to prepare
| the material for shipment by pulverizing
it. In this shape it can be put down as
cheapy as dirt or gravel.
Both Alderman Davis and Commissioner
! Willink are very enthusiastic in their
praise of the new material
at makes a very fine pavement" said
Alderman Davis 1T is as smooth as as
phalt, more springy, causes less noise, and
makes no dust. The material is of light
appearance when first laid, but exposure
/ to the air causes 1t to turn to a dark
brown, so that there is no glare TO iniure
the eyes. | consider it the ideal paving
material. AS to cost it can be laid here
at a little more than the cost of Augusta
gravel. The pavement was laid in the
city Of Macon at 50 cents per square yard
including curbing. As our freight rates
would be somewhat higher, we could Law il
here, including curbing, at a cost of about
65 cents per square yard, I should saw
The material is something on the order Of
the Alachua rock Of Florida, one of the
best paving materials known, though not
so hard or so white"
AS both Alderman Davis and Commits |
sioner Willink are so favorably impressed
with the shell stone, it is likely that il will
be given trial here at an early date.
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