The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-03-20

The work of placing vitrified brick
pavements on Princess and Market
streets will begin within the next two
or three weeks at the furtherest, a
contract for the work having been clos
&c by h chairman of the streets and
wharves committee with The Tennessee
Paving Brick Company, of Chattanoo-
ga, Tenn, yesterday, whereby the
company will pave Princess street
from Front to Second and Market
street from Water to Front.
Mr.. William Lasley. general mana
ger OF The Tennessee Paving Brick
Company, will be here early next week
TO make the preliminary arrangements
and the work will commence just as
quickly as possible be and pushed with
all possible dispatch to completion.
The contract for the paving is for a
stipulated price per square yard for
the pavement complete. The city street
force will be utilized in grading and
preparing the san surface upon
which the vitrified brick are to be plac-
ed. h contractors will employ the
masOns to do h work.
The announcement that this much
needed street improvement is assured
is made with especial qualification by
The Messenger for the reaso that this
paper a made especial efforts toward
its accomplishment. 1t will not be
amiss, either, in this connection, to
say that the Messenger greatly appre-
eiateS the compliment paid the efec-
tiveness of our efforts by those most
closely identified with the work in say
ing that to The Messenger is due in a
very large measure, more, in fact, than
to any other single agency, the credit
for hrin Oin ohnl1f tho n0nnn1iChman
OF the work.
As Messenger readers are aware, the
conditions under which the streets and
wharves committee are proceeding in
contracting for the pavement is that
the property owners on each side Of
the streets paved shall bear one-fourth
of the expense. There is n property
owner on Princess street and probably
two or Market street who lave not yet
signed the contract. All the others,
however, agree that the contract shall
be binding without the signatures Of
the dissenting property owners
who they expect will yet become par
ties to the agreement.
In this connection it will be of in
tereSt to note that the chairman of the
streets and wharveS committee said
yesterday that the work Of general
street improvements by means of
Macadam will be regularly commenced
within two weeks. Over 100 men are
now employed at the Burnt Mill creek
Ock quarries and very o o the crush
er will be started up and run to it's full
capacity.
The street force in the city is pushing
the surface drainage grading. Ninety
men and fifty carts are at work or
Fifth street. At present the work is
being done from Church to Market
streets.
Considerable fills are being made on
Fifth between Church and Castle
streets, and on Church between Fifth
and Sixth, the principal cut on Firth
street being between Dock and Orange.
Al the present distance of hauling
the dirt about 1000 cart loads are being
moved per day and rapid Roadway is
being made.
The grading of Fifth street will on
tinue to Red Cross street, the grades
being already staked off as far as Mar
ket street.
1t is of interest to note that of the
ninety men employed on the streets
there is not a negro among them, and
MI. Perry, the superintendent of
streets, says that he has no trouble in
getting all the white labor he wants.
And the results derived from their labor
are all that he could desire. The men
receive $1.00 per day for their labor.
Mr.. Perry expects to complete the
grading of Fifth street from Castle to
Red Cross by Saturday of next week