The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-06
MAY SURFACE BULL STREET.
AUGUSTA GRAVEL COMPANY MAKES
THE CITY An OFFER.

street Provided 1t Is Given the
Contract for the Remainder of the
street-RepOrts sent Out From Sa-
vannnh as TO the Condition of
Bull Street Proving Injurious to
the Gravel Business and the Com
pany Is Anxious to Prove That Its
Material Is All Right.
1t has not yet been determined whether
Augusta gravel or some other paving ma
terial viii be used TO complete the Bull
street pavement from Tenth to Twelfth
street The probabilities are, however,
that gravel will be used. Had the gravel
paving on the rest of the street been the
success which was anticipated from the
experience of the county with similar
material there would be no question as
TO the use of gravel on the remainder of
the street.
The history of the experiment and the
unsatisfactory results from using two
kinds of gravel is well known But the
Bull street pavement may yet be made
a success. An offer has been made to the
city by the Augusta Cement Gravel Com
pany to furnish the gravel free from Its
beds near Augusta sufficient to furnish the
whole of Bull street from New Houston
to Tenth street to a depth of three inches.
This is on condition that the company
be given the contract of furnishing the
gravel to pave the remaining two blocks
on Bull street. AS the profit on the gravel
sufficient TO pave two books would hard
~ suffice to pay for the cost of three
inches of gravel on twelve other blocks
1t Is very evident that the company has
some motive in making this offer
The company has a motive. and it is a
very good one. 1t seems that the bad
reputation given to gravel paving gener-
ally by the failure of the Sui street pave
ment has seriously injured the company's
business Numerous inquiries have been
received at the Office of the director OF
public works here inqulrng as to the
results OF the use of Augusta gravel for
paving purposes.
Having only the light of the Bull street
pavement before him Director Gadsden has
ieit compelled 10 reply thaC the gravel. ha1
not been success and that it was far
from giving satisfaction as a paving ma
terial IL is true that the Augusta gravel
has given entire satisfaction on the coun-
~ roads including Dale avenue. over which
the heavy army wagons travelled by hun
dreds last winter but Director Gadsdan
did not consider the experience of county
roads q fair criterion for city streets and
having only Bull street 10 go by. he was
unable 10 give favora bic opinion of the
material.
The i'll success of the Bull street pave
ment has been generally attributed to the
large use of Liberty county gravel which
il had been assumed was not equal to the
Augusta material.
There are other things to be consider
n
The county roads being of small width
ana wei crowned. with bitches on The
sides The water which falls on the road
BED quickly finds its way TO the bitches
EuI street being very wide the crown is
not sutflclent 20 cause the water TO run OFF
readily. The brick cutters at the sides
are only two feet wide and the water is
very slow in reaching the manhoies. The
consequence is that much of it sinks into
the pavement, causing the clay to become
SOFT and the street to get in bad condition
during wet weather"
either the pavement has packed since
1t was laid said Director Gadsden. "or
the clay In il has worn away, as I notice
that in places the gravel is as much as
three inches below the level of the cutters.
mus making thorough drainage impossi-
bic. y have no doubt thar a three-Inch
surface Of Augusta gravel would greatly
improve Bull street. AS it is our of the
rttN-Ni'il ~ tH1A w ana remove Ine pres
eht pavement this is probably the best
thing that can be done.
1t is probable said the director "that
within the next year or two the Drayton
street asphalt pavement viii be carried
out to Twelfth street. and the Jefferson
street pavement also. and a connecting
street paved across thus giving a com
plete circuit in the southern section. Dray-
lon and Jefferson being straight streets
running directly north and south they
would naturally he used for business traf-
tic. This would leave Bull street free for
| a driveway and boulevard. In this case
a good gravel pavement would be Sufficient
for all purposes"
Director Gadsden has no doubt of the
utility Of Augusta gravel for road building
under similar conditions to the county
roads. Il shall probably recommend to
Council" he said, that the old plank
| roadway, leading through st. Ju-
Ian street, extended to the wharves,
be removed next year. and a
gravel pavement subs tituled. Every heavy
storm during the cast several years has
torn Up ana carried off the plank road
way, and 60 replace it costs several thou
sand dollars. "A gravel roadway would not
be seriously affected by water, ana besides
il would be more satisfactory for traffic
to the Wharvcs."
Il is not unlikely that the proposition of
the Augusta Gravel Company viii be ia
worldly regarded by the street and lane
committee Should the proposition be ac-
ceptcd there would be nothing to prevent
the work being done this summer The
work would not conflict with The sanitary
ordinances, though the surface Of the
present pavement would have to be torn
up few inches by the steam roller in or
der to give the new gravel a chance to
unite or bind with the old. As the work
could be taken up g block at a time, travel
on the street would not he seriously incon-
vencnced. The suggestion viii doubt less
meet with The approval of the property
owners on Bur street
The work Of laying the curbing for the
brick pavement on. ST. Julian street, be-
tween Whitaker and Barnard streets, will
begin to-day. The street railway company
has been notified 10 raise its tracks TO the
new street leve'
HOME RAISED TOBACCO.
Mr.. Drecse Has Some Fine Plants in
His Yard.