Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-01-10

The Council Committee on Streets,
Alleys and Grades was called to meet
last evening for the purpose OF look
ing over the first annual report of City
Engineer White, but unfortunately a
quorum of the Committee did not re-
spend The matter will be brought to
the attention of the members this eve
ming, however, before the session of
Council, and it is the idea to have the
report printed by Council in pamphlet
form for distribution among contrac-
tors, plumbers, officials, and all others
interested in the information COL
tanned therein.
The report is very voluminous, and
has been prepared with great care. To
give even an intelligent summary OF
il would be impossible within the
limits assigned to the usual newSpa-
per article, but running account OF
some of the topics discussed will serve
to give some insight into the general
scope of the document.
The, report starts out with some gen
eral statistics relative to the city, from
which it appears that the area OF the
city, excluding the river but including
the creek, is 1850 acres, of 30 square
miles, of which 1.345 acres. or 81
square miles, are available. The ex-
IRENE length of the city is 20,9O0 feet,
or 1886 miles, and its extreme width
$500 feet, or 1.66 miles. City datum
is Gil feet above mean tide water at
Sandy Hook, New York, and the gen
eral level of the city is geo feet above
mean tide.
After some general remarks about
the Board of Public Works and it's
work, the subject of street paving is
taken up with the statement that the
first brick paving laid in the city was
on Chapline street, between Twenty
second and Twenty-fourth streets, in
1883. There are now in existence $685.
131 square yards of brick paving, equal
to 1851 miles thirty feet wide. The
Engineer says most of the paved
streets are worn out or in bad repair,
and cites Sixteenth street, Virginia
street, Chapline street, from Twenty
fourth to Twenty-seventh, Market
street from Fourteenth to Sixteenth,
Fourteenth street, between Main and
Market, South Huron, from Zane to
Virginia, and North Main street. He
next calls attention to the advance in
street paving methods in the last ten
years in American cities, and argues
that the brick pavement is an ideal
one for Wheeling. The cost of laying
brick has decreased from $4,000. 40
per square ward to 90c0$1.00, while
ivy Of hoe i'm =
proved. This average reduction of 40c
per square yard permitted a saving in
1898 on 1852 square yards laid of
$4,944.43. The causes of this reduc-
ton are set fourth as follows, but
with greater detail: Improved
methods of manufacture, to meet the
more rigid requirements of engineers;
2-strOng competition among contrac-
tors; 3-changes in specifications and
contracts, (a) purchase of brick by
the Board of Public Works, (b) award
ing contracts by the cubic yard for
excavating and fill and by the square
yard for paving, instead of by the old
system, Co the use of the city steam
roller, Cd filing joints with sand in
stead of with tar or pitch, (e) inspec-
ton of brick at the kiln. He recon-
mended that pavements on business
streets be laid on a six-inch concrete
foundation, at an increased cost of not
exceeding 40c per square yard. He
also endorses the B. P. w. requirement
that where streets or alleys are torn
up by contractors that the same be
relaid with new brick for the full width
of the alley, or from curb to railway
track in streets. Many tables are in
corporated in the report, of which the
following are condensed examples