The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1904-06-13
They Were Hospitality Treated
in the Future Great.
The Bitulithic Compound Pleased
Them-Is Well Thought of in
st. Louis.
ALL OFFICIALS ARE BACK

Mayor Yeiser, President Ed Noble,
Of the board of public works, and
City Engineer L. A. Washington re-
turned Saturday night from st. Louis
and the others, Aldermen Lucien Dur
rett, G. X. Davis and q. G.. Single
ton, Councilman Smedley, Mr.. s. A,
Fowler, of the board of public works,
and Messrs. Virgil Sheriff. and Bot
Noble returned last night. They all
reported . fine time, and feel that
their trip was most instructive one.
They were shown many courtesies
by the street commissioners, city en-
gineer and others ct st. Louis, and
were taken on . drive or two, one Of
them over large part Of the city.
The street exhibit at the world IS
fair did not make much of an impress
sion on some of the local delegation,
but the streets of st. Louis did.
There they found most every kind Of
street, including several miles of the
bitulithic macadam, and the knowl-
edge they gained Of the latter indi-
Gates that il has q still better chance
of being tried here than before the
officials saw 1t in st. Louis. There is
one street there two miles long and
about twenty feet wider than on.
streets built of she bitulithic. and it
was completed inside 81 days from the
time it was started. II has taken Pa
duoah nearly a year to get seven
blocks. less than half mile, Of brick
streets built. The bitulithic street
Is almost noiseless, and lie as smooth
ss floor. Driving over the different
kind of thoroughfares the Paduoah
officials could easily tell the relative
smoothness. and while the brick
streets were On improvement over the
granite streets, they were not near al
smoosh as the bitulithic streets. The
latter are as smooth as floor, accord
ing to the officials. Some Of the gran
lite block streets in st. Louis have had
to be covered over with asphalt on ac
count Of the noise made.
One st. Louis official informed tint
Paducah officers that street ovel
which all the worlds fair hauling
had been done for q year past wa:
constructed of the bitulithic com
pound, and that there 10 not the
slightest wear perceptible. He said
he was confident that if it had been a
brick street, 1t would have been en-
tirely worn out.
The Paducah officials found in their
rounds only one man who did not
highly praise the bitulithio material,
and on investigation they learned
that he was an employe of the
asphAls trust
The trip was q pleasant one and
doubtless . profitable one, and the
new compound seems likely to at
least be tried here. 1t made the best
impression of all the material in
spected.
The Paducah officials naturally
have many jokes on one another. but
Mayor Yeiser seemed to create fun
for them all. One official stated that
he was surprised to see the mayor
leaning back In one of the carriagse
provided for their drive, with large
cigar in his mouth. He does not
smoke, and no one in Paducah proba-
bly, ever sawa Cigar nearer him than
In the show case, but when he Wa
offered one in the Future Great he
reluctantly accepted IL, and kept it in
his mouth unlighted for about four
hours. looking as big and proud as il
he owned the whole city.
1--WE have a still better joke than
that on the mayor, however" de-
clared one of the aldermen. lone
of the st. Louis officials out with Ms
came to fine saloon and said: Come
in and be refreshed, gentlemen
"The mayor looked embarrassed
but dignined, and shifted his unlii
cigar aroundv uneasily. The others
started in and thu gentleman repeated