The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-11-30
MERITS OF PAVING
 AN OPEN QUESTION
Warm Contest Between Bitumi- nous Macadam and Asphalt.
FORMER TO HAVE A TRIAL
Citizens Living Along Fifth Avenue Are Still Undecided and Matter VIII Probably be Left to
 Petition-New Process.

Residents of Fifth avenue are still in quandry as to which Is the better pave- ment, bituminous macadam or asphalt. Most of them are agreed that they want a pavement of some kind and the board of mayor and aldermen recently voted to al- low the residents to select the kind they wanted and the city would take the neces- sary steps to have the pavement laid.
 Since that time the people of Fifth ave- nue have been besieged with representa- lives and flooded with literature from the dam pavements. setting forth the merits of their respective goods" and empha- sizing the assertions that the pavement put down by the other fellow will do well to last ninety days.
 Citizens investigate.
 Many of the citizens in order to arrive at better solution of the dilemma have made trips to Nashville and other cities where both asphalt and bituminous maca- uam paVementS are in use to satisfy themselves as to which is the better.
 Some time soon the petitions will be circulated with vigor and each resident of Fifth avenue is expected in this way to signify which kind of pavement he wants used These petitions will be pre-. sented to the city council and the one containing the most names will have the pavement built according to the wishes of its signers.
 The continued discussion about pave ment made of btuminous macadam has aroused an interest throughout the city in the subject and many are wondering what is the nature of this new fangled pave- ment
 Bitumlnous Macadam.
 Bituminous macadam is a pavement made Of crushed stone ana pitch distilled by process incorporated with the stone in a special manner.
 The pavement when completed is about eight inches thick In making it six inches of crushed stone are laid as a base and rolled with heavy roller. Next a mix ture consisting of crushed stone of six different sized screens and btumlnous pitch is spread over the base to thick ness of two inches.
 Following this the slightly rough places are filled in with the pitch alone and the whole is then covered with very thin layer of stone dust and the pavement is completed
 .l.s down this pavement as the stone has to be crushed and then placed in the mixers and thoroughly incorporated with pitch and spread while it Is yet hot
 Four blocks of this pavement will be laid in Birmingham within the next week and the process of laying 1t will be watch ed with interest. Work will begin on Third avenue first. between Nineteenth and Twenty-first streets, after which the workmen will go over on Fourth avenue
 Pavement to be Guaranteed.
 The city has made a contract with the company doing the work by which the pavement is to be guaranteed and kept in repair for ten years, at the expiration of which time it is to be turned over finally to the city.
 People generally are more familiar with the asphalt pavement and understand the process used in its manufacture because 1t has been in use so many more years than the btuminous macadam
 In making the contract with the com pany which is to lay the bituminous ma cadam the city allowed the company the privilege of using slag for the six Inch base if the company desires, but it has not yet been decided by the company whether it will be used or not.
 It was at first feared that there might be some chemical action set up by the contact of the slag with the bituninous substance which would interfere with the lasting qualities of the pavement. It is not improbable that both stone and slag will be ultimately used. three inches of the slag being used on the bottom and this being covered with three inches of crushed stone.