Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1899-07-29
TOWNS PROUD BOAST
BLUFFTON, IND, THE ASPHALT CITY
OF THE WCRLD.

With IL Population OF Five Thousand,
II Has Gore Than Three Miles Of
Asphalt $t:cct~--Story OF the Strur.
gle For Town improvements
Blufiton is in size Il town Of 5000 in
point of population and, like hundreds
of other small cities. quick to boast and
vaunt Of their advantages and their
growth, which always is "No boom, but
II steady and substantial increase" 1t
has its courthouse, which is better than
the ncighboring county seat Its in
habitants are grade higher in intc!l-
SenCc, push and energy than those of
any other town and possess all the other
incentives to braggadocio. No place ex-
lists that is not better than some place
else. If it We're not SO, the people would
all move to the other town.
But Blutfton has one characteristic
and one boast that does not stop at or
dinary limits, but is worldwide. With
population of 5000 Button has
fraction over three miles of asphalt
streets, more asphalt pavement and ce-
ment sidewalks than any city of its size
on the globe The assertion is made
fearlessly, and no rival has ever stepped
forward to dispute the claim, sweeping
as it is, says Municipal Engineering.
Prior to 1897 there We're no cities in
Indiana and very few if any in tho
United States the size of an ordinary
country town that possessed an asphalt
street, and for that reason new era
dates from the first street that was
built III Bluffton. 1t marks an era be-
cause it has been demonstrated that
small towns can enjoy good paving,
and that, too, without bankruptcy or
the Confiscation of homes While not
wealthy plaCe-in truth, only the cen
trail point in a rich agricultural section
the city of Bluffton, with over three
miles Of paving, built at total cost of
S160, 600, has paid over Une-half in
cash. and there have been no delinquen-
cies on the first installment of deferred
payments. The future can only be
judged by the present.
A history of the inception of street
building, the struggle of the movement,
its final successful accomplishment and
the results may be of value to numer-
Gus cities that contemplate paving,
asphalt or otherwise. Bluffton made its
initial start in 1896, when contracts
We're let for Il sanitary and storm sewer
at cost of so. 600. The one was II
miles in length, the other six miles.
Tho ~, ,f th,r,,,,,l
tenn before paving is so apparent that it
bars discussion. For several years the
subject of better streets to replace the
old macadam mudholes had been agi-
tated. In the spring of 1896 it took on
a more fevered state, and the discus
sion of the respective merits of block,
brick and asphalt became heated. Final
ly committee of five business men-a
lawyer, a cashier, a druggist, an oil
man and banker-volunteere to make
a tour of inspection at their own eX-
pense and lay before the council the re-
suits of their investigation. They visit
ed the larger cities Of the east, with In
dianapolis as their only western point,
and unanimously rendered their verdict
in favor of asphalt.
A short while after the city council
made Il similar trip, and i'll the spring
of 1897 ordered the improvement with
asphalt of five streets, two in the bust
ness portion Of the city and three in
the residence part. In the latter was
one continuous avenue about one mile
in length. When finished, an over
whelming desire was created in the
hearts of the residents on other streets,
and citizens from three Of these thor
oughfares appeared before the council
with petitions bearing the signatures
of over 70 per cent of the property own
ers and the improvements We're ordered
In the residence portion the streets
are 81 and 24 feet wide, in the business
portion Al feet. The cement sidewalks
are and Is feet wide respectively
Entirely completed, grading side lawns,
engineers S fees and all the cost on resi-
dence property is from 50. 30 to So. -
per lineal foot to the individual proper
ty owner. In the business portion.
where the walks are extra wide, the
cost was So. 1G. 1t is a remarkably poor
business property with a frontage of 20
feet that will not stand an assessment
of $160. For cleaning these three miles
and more of street the city pays four
scoopmen $50 per month, total an
nual expense Of LAO, much less than
the annual repairs on the old streets.
With three miles Of street and cement
sidewalk, Bluffton makes two claims:
First, that it is the pioneer of small
cities in street building; second, that it
is the asphalt city of the world, size
considered