The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-27
Ruined What Was Left of West
Tenth Asphalt.
Greatest Damage Between Har'
rison and Jackson.
HEAVY WAGONS DID 1T.
Broke Up the Already Worn Out
Covering.
Engineer McCabe Says Brick
Pavements Also Suffered.

All the asphalt pavement or what
was left of it on the north side of
Tenth avenue between Jackson and
Harrison streets, was completely ruin
ed by the heavy circus wagons the day
of the Ringing show. The damage will
amount to hundreds of dollars, but the
real result will be to hasten the entire
requirement of the street, which will
cost the property owners a large
amount.
The immense damage done to the
north side of West Tenth can easily be
ascertained by the most casual inspec-
ton. Prior to it's use as the main thor
oughfare of the circus wagons to the
snow grounds, the pavement was get
ting into bad shape, and had numerous
small holes, which had worn clear
through the asphalt, and left the con-
crete exposed. These holes were most
of small size, only few of them being
more than three feet across. But the
wheels of the big circus wagons found
an opening to do their disastrous work.
Every one of those small holes is now
spread over large area The Wneels
of the circus wagons crushed the
asphalt on all sides of the hole, pulVer-
lied it, and mashed it into a powder.
This pulverized asphalt now lies loose
ly on the surface of the concrete, READY
to be worked out and blown away with
in a short time. 1t is a conservative
estimate to say that one-thiTd OF the
whole asphalt surface of the street mas
been reduced to a powder, and rendered
worthless. No doubt the street would
be more passable if all the asphalt was
removed, and simply the concrete base
used as pavement
1t is deplorable to see the asphalt
pavements going to pieces in this way
but there seems to be no way to pre-
vent it. The city of Topeka was no
doubt loser by the visit of the big cir
Gus, merely on the item of damage 10
the paved streets. The circus palo a
worth of damage.
1t is rather a remarkable thing that
the damage done by the circus wagons
to the Kansas avenue pavement is very
slight. This is probably because the |
avenue pavement has Deen
nearly all resurfaced within the past
few years, while the West Tenth pave |
ment has been gradually gong from |
bad to worse. 1t had good start on |
the downward path when the circus |
wagons struck it, and now it is prac-
tically ruined. If the Barnum & Bailey /
street. there will not be. enough good
sound pavement left on the north side
IF West Tenth street to make side
walk around a 25-foot lot.
found that the pavement at the lower
end OF Eighth avenue east, where the
circus unloaded, is also considerably
damaged by the heavy circus wagons.
This is due to the fact that the CITY
council allowed an inferior quality of
brick to be used in this part of the
pavement, in spite of the protests of
he city engineer
The inferior brick was used in the
pavement east of Jefferson street.
Those who are familiar with city coun-
Ill affairs of two years ago, when
his pavement was laid, will remember
hi ReyN In |
Ill at that time about "Blackman
PRICK" The city engineer condemned
vast quantity of Blackman brick
which had been hauled in for use on
East Eighth. Lew Blackman was a
tighter. and he got the people to sign
/ petition endorsing the Blackman
PRICK The council then made a rat
le~ test of the Brickman brick, and
est consists of rafting" number
# bricks for some time in a big iron
.ylfnder which revolves by steam
power The RATHER test showed that
sIacknan brick were much inferior
o other kinds of brick used in Topeka,
,ut nevertheless, the wise council
men thought that Blackman should be
flowed to use the material he had
lauled in. incidentally it might be I
mentioned that nearly all the worst I
rick pavement which Topeka has is l
made of Blackman brick.
The heavy circus wagons and the S
Ioofs of horses caused damage to the &
asst part of the Eighth avenue pave {
nent by crushing and cracking the /
rittle Rlackman brick. This brick is /
ot suitable to withstand such heavy t
raffic. The damage to the pavement ]
5 hard to estimate in dollars and j
ents. but there is no doubt that the T
singling wagons shortened it's life by {
good many months.
City Engineer McCabe seems to have /
aken all proper precautions to pre- {
ent damage to the pavements. He
guards to prevent the big
fagons being driven on the newly laid
avement on East Seventh street and Y
n Tyler street, which is still unsettled t
nd soft. But he could not, of course r
top the use of the old paved streets /
f the city which are open for general r
"a ffic. il
The day is certainly drawing near b
hen Topeka will have to do a lot of | h
king on it's asphalt pavement. 1t is e
ne of the cheerful prospects which e
onfronts the taxpayers who live on g
sphalt pavement LII
Packers Do Big Business.