The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-19
GRASS PAVING STONES.
Waste of Marshes Compressed Into
Solid Blocks.

SOlIu BlOchss
New York. Feb. 17.-Of all the novel
materials which have been utilized for
making smoother the rough and uneven
path of the truck driver whose duty COM
pels him to steer through city streets
huge and jolting mass of merchandise
that of which a clergyman, Rev. J. II.
Amies Of Atlantic City, N. j., is the in
ventor. is entitled to first place. The
material that Mr.. Aimes proposes to use
for paving our gcity streets is common
marsh grass His proposition comes with
the additional recommendation that it does
not detract in any way from the value of
an Industry already established Mr.
Amies does not propose to rob the COW
of her cud, or the horse of his fodder, but
for his paving material he intends TO go
to the waste meadows along the water
front, where grows the comparatively val
ueless grass. which, when sold as salt hay
the only thing that it has been worth sell
ing for. barely pays for the cost of cut
ting.
This salt and rank growth of the
marshes adjacent to the waterways Mr..
Aines intends to compress by hydraulic
means into square blocks, first curing It
by means of a special preparati ton OF oil,
tar and other resins blended, this prepara-
ton making the blocks, according TO the
claims of the reverend inventor, proof
against the invasion of moisture and de-
cay. The finished blocks measure four
teen inches by twenty-one by six, and
weigh forty pounds per cubic foot.
The blocks can be laid upon any proper
foundation in the same manner as are our
granite blocks, vitrified bricks or other
paving material. In the first place, ne
states that they will cost less than any
other pavement now in use, and as he pro-
poses to utilize such very cheap mate
rial as the wiry salt grass common along
che, atlantic coast his claim with regard
to cheapness is probably well founded. Be-
sides being the cheapest. Mr.. Aines claims
that his blocks are the most durable, that
such a things as a rut or hollow Will ne
unknown on grass-paVed streets; that, in
fact the mineral matter which falls upon
the grass roadway will only make II
smoother and stronger the seeming para
1oxy of this statement being supported by
the claim that the grass blocks as elias
tic and moisture-proof and therefore in
corporate with themselves any mineral
matter that comes their way.
Mr. Airnes says that his paving blocks
can be made by process of treatment
of which he alone possesses the secret, Of
the consistency of granite, while the Slip
pery surface common to asphalt and wood
en- paving is entirely absent, and the
roisiuess of granite pavement unknown,
8 the resilient surface of the grass blocks
offers velvety surface to the hoofs II
The horses that makes their tread a quiet
and orderly thud
The claim is made that the grass blocks
are calculated to outlast any of the
granite or wood paving now in use So
confident Is Mr.. Amies of this that he is
willing to guarantee the blocks for per-
iod of five years Mr. Amies declares
that amy required degree of density may
he given to the blocks according to the
pressure to which they have been subject
ed. A density of from twenty-five to sixty
mounds per cubic foot may be attained.
The weight of the ordinary woods used in
having. such as cedar spruce fir, pine,
hemlock. etc. runs from % to 30 pounds
weight per cubic foot. The woods decay
from Inherent causes and cannot be cured
or treated 20 prevent them absorbing
moisture. Ny fibre blocks can not alb
sorb moisture, and are decay-proof for
very many years They may be made as
dense as mahogany (the wood now being
laid down in paving blocks in Paris al
great cost, which Is for Spanish mahog-
anv So pounds TO the cubic foot; or an
English oak. which weighs IS pounds to
the cubic foot"
Fxperiments have been made with the
grass pavement in Norfolk and Richmond,
and the result, 1t Is claimed, has been very
successful.