The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-01-10
THE. ! Il. {; !. FIRST REPORT.
81 the City Engineer Is Replc,c
y with Instructive Data
ENGINEER WHITE PRESENTS
Details OF ulc Work done, in his Dc
( partmcnt Since lis rnausurationand
Statistics Concerning Ci,y's Streets,
Alleys and Sewers = Systematic
arrangement OF the Paved Areas.
z Practical Suggcs,inns Made.

6Us IactiChi SugScsttnfB Made.
One Of the most important and inter
! cstlnG Documents pertaining TO munich
4 pal affairs. has Just been completed by
CITY Engineer =. L. White. which is in
the form OF the Nrst annual report o.:
the city engineer OF Wheeling, an Office
created less thnn two gears ago. Eagi-
$neer Whites report was 20 have been
presented 10 the oopncIl committee on
streets, alleys and grades last night,
but the committee failed to get a quor-
utn.
Tho 1ntcllisencer Is permitted this
morning to note many details OF the re-.
5 port. which ought to be published en-
tire by couucIl. containing rs II does So
many statistics that represent many.
z weeks OF careful labor compiling them.
The report contains review OF the
work done BIZ the board OF public works
In 1885. street paving. etc, and also the
area OF paving doEc up to date. togeth-
er with the percentage o, paved and un-
improved streets By wnrds. the length
I. OF sewers. street railway tracks. gas
and water mains. and n MACS Of other
data OF untold information to taxpayers.
The Office OF the city engineer at pres
ent Is filled as follows: City engineer
a. l.. White: assistant engineer and
draftsman, c, W. Lohse; general assist
4. a MO IN nrI ~
Engineer Whites report IS replctc with
/ suggestions as to the method Of paying
for municipal reports. cuilcd from sta
tistics received from one hundred other
cities, and 1t will probably be presented
In It's complete form to council to-
4 night. II begins fist with regard to
brick paving an1 the engineer says the
followGS:
Paving.
Wheeling was one of the first cities in
america 10 use brick for street paving.
The first street paving with brick was
Chaplinc from Twenty-sccond street to
Twentyfourth street. In 1889. The
brick were laid on tarred boards. pat
cnted process, and the result has been
fairly satisfactory, although better re-
suits are obtained at less cost by pres
ent methods. There are now 3OS.13l
square yards of brick paving. which Is
equivalent to 1T.jl miles OF paved street,
1 thirty feet wide. ~
Many OF our older streets are worn
out. notably Sixteenth street from
Chapllne 10 McColloch, and Virginia
street from Front TO South Huron.
These two streets were paved with
block which proved too soft. Chapline
street from Twenty-courth TO Twenty
seventh. Market street from Fourteenth
street to Sixteenth street, Fourteenth
street from Market 10 Main street. and
South Huron street from Zane 10 Vir-
Einia street. are practically worn out
aud should lie rapavcd. North Main
street has long been In bad condition
caused by laying thr;y-inch water
mains. but repairs made during the
summer have improved this street. Mar =.
ket. street from Tenth 10 Fourteenth Is
full, of holes and will soon have TO be
repaved.
American cities have made great al
vance In the las; ten years In the mat
ter Of paving. AS for brick. we have
passed, the experimental stage. and l
can confidently say that taking into
consideration the elements of first cost,
durability. noiselesSIeSs. cleanliness
and case of making repairs. 1t is the
hest paving for Wheeling. However, we
have learned much from our own en-
pererce and much from the expert
CNcc of other cities. so that we
should improve the character OF work
done and at the same time lessen It's
cost. We have accomplished both.
The cost OF britk paving has decreaS-
ed from about 81 20 TO 81 10 per sGuarn
yard to from soc TO 81 PEI square yard.
while its lasting qualities have improv-
cd.
An average reduction OF cost Of aOc
per square yard has made saving on
12.362.33 square yards. amount laid in
1898. Of A.94i93: or rs mOney available
is fixed. there would only have been
about threc-!fths as much laid in 1898.
The board o: pubic works wisely re-
uulrcs all companies desiring 10 dig W
paved streets or alleys. to tear up and
repair with new brick on good fouEda-
ton. according 10 city specifications for
new work. the entire width OF alley or
street. or from curb 10 rail
The following tables show that there
are 4ST niles Of street IN the city hay
ing an area OF aG9.SgI square yards. 2o.13
miles OF alley having an area Of l9S.l3I
square yards. making total area Of
1l,OSh.H square yards. PSI per cent Of
surface is paved with brick while IS. %
per cent Is dirt or unimproved surface.
The table also shows very uneven
distribution Of pavcments In the various
wards.
Per-